Normal Development: Newborn

Here's what you might see your baby doing between the ages of 0 and 2 weeks.

Reflexes

• reflexive actions: crying, grasping, yawning, swallowing, sucking, blinking, coughing, gagging, sneezing
• grasping whatever is placed in hand
• sucking whatever is placed in mouth
• being startled by sudden noises and movements

Movement

• jerky, mostly uncontrolled motions
• waving arms, kicking legs, wiggling, and squirming
• inability to turn body or support head without assistance
• inability to sit without support
• turning of the head from side to side while lying on back
• raising the head briefly while lying on the tummy

Sleep/wakefulness

• usually sleeping from 17 to 20 hours per day
• crying and fussing about 1 to 4 hours per day
• alert and quiet about 2 to 3 hours per day

Vision

• inability to focus clearly
• vision best at 8 to 10 inches

Interactive Behaviours and Senses

• smiling spontaneously and unselectively
• discriminating between some smells
• beginning to turn in direction of sound
• beginning to distinguish the human voice from other sounds
• more sensitive to high-pitched voices, especially mother's voice
• best calmed by a soft, rhythmic voice
• crying a lot
• making tiny gurgling sounds when content
• sensing parent's emotional state from the touch
• showing preference for the human face

Each child is unique. It is therefore difficult to describe exactly what should be expected at each stage of a child's development. While certain behaviours and physical milestones tend to occur at certain ages, a wide spectrum of growth and behaviour for each age is normal. These guidelines are offered as a way of showing a general progression through the developmental stages rather than as fixed requirements for normal development at specific ages. It is perfectly natural for a child to attain some milestones earlier and other milestones later than the general trend. Keep this in mind as you review these milestones.

If you have any concerns related to your child's own pattern of development, check with your paediatrician or family physician.