Newborn

The newborn from 0 to 12 months: what can he do? How much sleep? How much does he eat?

Here is a complete guide to the development of the newborn in the first year of life.

Your baby’s growth in the first 12 months is one surprise after another: he goes from eating milk every three hours day and night to walking and making his first sounds to copy your words.

Month by month

Each month has its own particular characteristics. However, before reading them, remember that children develop at different rates and therefore your newborn’s schedule could be a little faster or a little slower: everything is fine!

And for the older ones:

I standard parameters

A mother is always anxious to know if her baby is within the standard “parameters” even if she knows that her baby is unique. Or am I wrong?

And often these parameters are the stories told by the mother, mother-in-law, friends and friends of friends.

There is a strong interest in going to see if the child knows how to do those things that children of that age are able to complete on average or if they are even ahead of their time.

With mom’s experience I was able to understand and test first hand that every child has its own particular rhythms .

Unless there are obvious problems which should always be referred to the paediatrician, the differences between one child and another in learning rhythms but also in the way of socializing can be different, and this diversity becomes more and more evident as they grow up when the characters manifest themselves clearly.

We will therefore have the shy child, the playful one, the shy one and the one who is held by everyone and so on.

Well-defined growth rates

The newborn from 0 to 12 months has quite well defined learning and growth rhythms which can be summarized as follows.

Obviously, if you have any doubts about your child’s motor and sensory development, always refer to your trusted pediatrician.

Growth in weight and height

As regards the weight of the newborn and its height, pediatricians use tables called “growth percentiles”. They are statistical tables that are used to verify growth that is too fast or too slow.

Your baby doesn’t have to be exactly average! Furthermore, it is not only the punctual values ​​of weight and height that count, but also their evolution over time.

Just born

Sleep: Sleeps most of the time, waking up every 2-3 hours or so to eat. This under ideal conditions but in reality you will feel like you continue to breastfeed him perpetually because at the beginning he is slow to eat and falls asleep easily during the feed.

Breastfeeding : approximately every 2-3 hours, see above

Sensory and motor skills: sees well things placed between 25 and 30 cm away from the eyes. He communicates through little mumblings, sneezes, hiccups and crying, especially crying. Crying is his main means of communication and it is up to us parents to learn to understand and decipher it.

Game and interests : he is attracted by mirrors, sounds and colours.

The one month old baby

Sleep : sleeps a total of 15 -16 hours a day.

Breastfeeding : wants to be breastfed every 2-3 hours.

Sensory and motor skills : Hearing is fully developed, therefore it reacts to sounds that are familiar to it. He holds his hands in fists.

Play and Interests : Interested in faces, not games. He loves to look at the face of his mum and dad and the people who live around him.

The two month old baby

Sleep : Start being more awake during the day and sleeping more at night.

Breastfeeding : wants to be breastfed every 2-3 hours.

Sensory and motor skills : Follows moving objects with the eyes. Learn to suck your thumb or fist. Start lifting your head

Game and interests : He begins to socialize a little and responds with gurgling to those who speak to him.

The three month old baby

Sleep : sleeps around 15-16 hours between day and night. At night he should sleep 5-6 hours straight

Breastfeeding : requires to be breastfed approximately every 3-4 hours

Sensory and motor skills : begins to imitate sounds, expressions and movements. Make eye contact and recognize faces of family members.

Games and interests : he loves to kick objects he sees moving, he likes gyms but not too much because they get tired after a while

The four month old baby

Sleep : sleeps about 15 hours between day and night. He takes 2-3 naps during the day

Breastfeeding : He wants to be nursed every 3-5 hours

Sensory and motor skills : teething begins . Start rotating from belly down to belly up. He pushes himself on his elbows.

Play and Interests : Try to reach out and grab toys. He loves funny faces and the cuckoo-seven

The five month old baby

Sleep : he sleeps about 15 hours between day and night (6-8 hours only at night). During the day he takes 2-3 naps

Breastfeeding : He wants to be nursed every 3-5 hours.

Sensory and Motor Skills : Try to reach and grasp objects with both hands

Game and interests : he still likes the cuckoo-settee but is attracted by the novelty

The six month old baby

Sleep : sleeps about 15 hours between day and night and takes 2-3 naps during the day. continuous nocturnal sleep becomes more and more lasting.

Feeding  : requires to be breastfed every 3-6 hours. Solid foods begin to be introduced

Sensory and motor skills : turns from belly up to belly down and vice versa. He learns to sit.

Game and interests : he likes books and balls and musical games.

The seven month old baby

Sleep : sleeps about 15 hours between day and night. At night he can sleep from 6 to 11 hours straight.

Nutrition : continue with the introduction of solid foods

Sensory and Motor Skills : Initiate babbling and imitate sounds. Stands on legs (with adult help). Sees full color

Play and interests : he likes colored books and magazines (even to tear them apart but be careful he doesn’t put anything in his mouth!)

The eight month old baby

Sleep : Sleeps about 15 hours between day and night. He takes a few naps during the day

Nutrition : requires 750-900 calories per day. He loves touching food with his fingers to test the diversity of textures

Sensory and Motor Skills : Has learned to sit up unaided. He is preparing to crawl or is already able to

Play and interests : he is attracted to all toys and objects in the house (make sure he only comes into contact with safe ones)

The nine month old baby

Sleep : sleeps about 15 hours between day and night. He takes a few naps during the day

Feeding : take from 700 to 900 ml of milk (breast milk or formula) per day. Eat solid foods for both lunch and dinner and possibly as a snack instead of milk.

Sensory and motor skills : in this phase they have acquired object permanence, i.e. they come to understand that an object exists even when the object or person moves away from their field of vision.

Games and interests : they have a lot of fun if you prepare an obstacle course for them with cushions and stuffing to climb. It’s a way to experiment with new movements.

The ten month old baby

Sleep : sleeps about 13 hours between day and night. He takes a few naps during the day

Diet : Eat three solid meals and two snacks a day (one mid-morning and one mid-afternoon). Breastfeeding or formula continues at preferred times (often at breakfast and before bed).

Sensory and motor skills : Understand simple instructions (like don’t throw things on the floor, wave your little hand “hello”) and remember their favorite toys.

Game and interests : try to play clapping with them, they will have a lot of fun.

The eleven month old baby

Sleep : Sleeps about 13 hours between day and night. He takes a few naps during the day

Feeding : They have three solid meals and two-three snacks a day. Breastfeeding or formula continues at preferred times (often at breakfast and before bed).

Sensory and motor skills : They climb everywhere so be careful to secure the house.

Game and interests:  The game of  peek-a-boo  still remains one of his favourites

The twelve month old baby

Sleep : sleeps about 13 hours between day and night. He takes a few naps during the day

Nutrition : eat three solid meals and two-three snacks a day. Breastfeeding or continuous formula at preferred times (often at breakfast and before bed)

Sensory and motor skills : probably able to eat by itself. He stands alone for at least a few seconds and can take 2-3 small steps without help. He is able to pronounce some words and understands simple commands.

Game and interests : if you haven’t done so, start reading the stories by making him participate in the reading by indicating the name of the objects drawn. and don’t forget the funny faces as you read.

Dr Kathryn Barlow

Kathryn Barlow is an OB/GYN doctor, which is the medical specialty that deals with the care of women's reproductive health, including pregnancy and childbirth.

Obstetricians provide care to women during pregnancy, labor, and delivery, while gynecologists focus on the health of the female reproductive system, including the ovaries, uterus, vagina, and breasts. OB/GYN doctors are trained to provide medical and surgical care for a wide range of conditions related to women's reproductive health.

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