Your baby ceases to be a newborn already on the 28th day of its life. According to most doctors around the world, once a child has reached the age of 1 month, he is no longer considered a newborn.
During this period, the child learns, constantly changing, acquires new skills. You, as a happy parent, can only watch these transformations and enjoy daily events. But not all moms and dads can stop worrying.
Most of them pursue the question: "Can my child and all that happens to him be considered normal?" Let's try to study this problem in detail and to dot the i. As you understand, we will help you figure out what a baby should be able to do in 1 month.
The development of the child's body in 1 month
Most parents are very worried about the weight gain of babies, as well as indications of height, head circumference and chest. Many try to compare these readings with the results of other children. And this is normal, as each parent is worried about his baby and wants to identify problems in the early period in order to consult a doctor in time. The final graphs of the growth and weight of the parents of the firstborn are especially worried, since they simply have no one to compare the newborn baby to.
So, this is what the main indicators should be in 1 month:
1. By about 30 days after birth, the baby should gain about 600-700 grams of weight,
2. Its growth should increase by an average of 3-5 cm,
3. The head circumference will add 1.5 cm,
4. To the parameters of the chest will be added another 2.5-3 cm.
If your child does not fit into these standards, do not panic ahead of time. Chat with your pediatrician. He will examine the baby, ask you about his behavior, the nature of the chair, how he sleeps and stays awake. When the baby is not bothered by anything, he does not cry for a long time, he has no signs of fever or excessive lethargy, most likely, everything is in order.
The main concern is weight gain. If the baby didn’t get the required rate during the first month of life, it’s possible that mother’s milk is not enough and it is worthwhile to introduce a dairy adapted mixture into the diet. Typically, the baby requires a breast every 2-3 hours, sometimes this gap is reduced to one and a half hours. At night, he wakes up for a "meal" less often, but little children rarely sleep more than 5 hours in a row.
It is also worth talking to a doctor if you notice abnormal growth of the head, because this may indicate the development of hydrocephalus. However, such a disease does not occur suddenly, as usual, it is diagnosed even in the womb or at birth. It requires appropriate therapy and constant monitoring by qualified doctors.
The movements of the child and his behavior
Everyone knows about the stress that a newborn baby is experiencing: he used to be in a confined space where he felt calm and protected. In the first month of his life, you can observe the chaotic movements of the arms and legs, and even frequent winches. This should not scare you. This behavior is considered a variant of the norm, because the baby needs time to adapt. Now he has lost the boundaries of space and this scares him, but with time the flinching and unusual movements of the limbs will completely disappear.
By the end of the 30-day period, the umbilical wound should be fully tightened. After you notice that the crust has disappeared, the baby's navels should always look dry. In order to avoid infection, when there is some liquid in the wound, it is worthwhile to show it to the pediatrician. So that the process is faster, leave the baby naked for a while if you change the diaper. It is also considered a great way to temper.
Among other things, at the age of one month your child is already fully capable of holding the head in an upright position. While laying on his tummy, he will try to raise his head and keep it in this position for about 5-20 seconds. In the first days, perhaps, he will have a poor turn out, but each time the baby will be able to keep the head more and more confident. Tip: Children suffering from infantile colic, it is recommended to spread on the stomach as often as possible. This will help alleviate their condition.
The fact that the baby has something sore will say his movements, for example, during colic the baby actively tightens his knees to the stomach and even beats himself with them. The whole process is usually accompanied by crying. But about the fact that the baby has otitis, you will be prompted to multiple active movements of the head in different directions.
If your baby is hungry, he will surely notify you about this with a loud cry. Moreover, in moments of hunger, he cannot fall asleep, and certainly he will have no time for games, so his mother will quickly learn to recognize these signals.
Conditioned reflexes baby 1 month
Pay attention to the baby's reflexes, if you want to understand what a baby must be able to do at 1 month. The absence of some of them may put you on guard and cause you to go to a doctor, but you shouldn’t give in to panic moods prematurely: the baby feels very sensitively about the mother’s condition and will start to worry with you. And how can little kids express their concern? That's right, extremely long, tearful tears.
So, what kind of unconditioned reflexes should normally have a baby:
1. The crawling reflex. When putting it on your tummy, place your palm on the baby’s feet. He should push off a little and try to crawl. Moreover, it is important that he did this evenly with both legs.
2. Automatic gait. If you lift the baby by the armpits so that his socks touch the surface of the table, he should take the peculiar steps as far as possible. Important: do not let the child lean on the legs, while for the spine and extremities it is too heavy a load. You only need to give him the opportunity to feel the surface under the feet.
3. Tactile sensations. In the supine position, run your fingertips on the foot of your child. If he pulls back a leg, moves it, feeling a slight tickling, it means that the baby is OK and this reflex is present.
4. Reflex grasping. Of course, at the age of one month the baby will not be able to grasp and hold the object for a long time. However, if you try to put your finger in his palm, he should firmly squeeze it and hold it for a few seconds.
5. And finally, the very first of the reflexes - sucking. In any position, a small child should try to grab her mother's breast with her lips. And if you touch a finger or a tip of a teaspoon to his mouth, he will begin to smack and begin to fold the sponge with a straw.
In the presence of all unconditioned reflexes, make sure that all movements and body parts of the child are symmetrical. That is, it should equally squeeze your finger with both hands or feel the touch on the skin on the right and left foot.
Child's reactions to light and sound in 1 month
At the age of 3-6 weeks, your child learns to interact with the outside world and with you as well. He already recognizes his mother's voice unmistakably, because he was used to it while still in the womb. From one month of age, the child is already consciously smiling when his mother speaks to him. Gradually, he will get used to other voices if they regularly talk to him. So he starts smiling at his dad, grandmother and other relatives. His smile will no longer be accidental, now he quite purposefully expresses his attitude towards this or that person.
The hearing of the child is still underdeveloped, as well as the muscles of the eyeball. During this period, you may notice how he mows his eyes and many moms and dads, it scares. Strabismus is considered a variant of the norm in the first months of life, as the muscles of the eyeball ripen completely only by the year. But the kid is trying very hard to focus his eyes on people or colorful toys. To help him, take a colorful rattle and slowly move it to the right and left. You will notice that your favorite child turns the head after the toy, reacting to the sound and movement. The optimal distance at which the child can examine the subject and focus on it is 25-30 cm.
Do not shout loudly near the baby, sharp sounds will surely frighten him and he will cry. The nervous system of young children is still imperfect, too loud sounds or bright flashes of light in most cases scare them.
In order to clearly understand what a child must be able to do at 1 month, always remember the most important rule: each baby is an individual organism, unlike the others. When a mother notices that at a certain age her child is not like other children, is able to be a little more or a little less, she begins to worry.
If the baby has scored a little more than the norm or is 1-2 cm, it is probably his own pace of development. Next month, he will surely catch up with his peers. When a child is well, he is full and calm, he does not hurt anything - do not create problems for yourself. Let's be adequate and calm parents, because then our children will grow the same.
