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Developmental Milestones

By your baby’s 1st month birthday he or she will likely be able to:

  • Make reflex movements
    • Rooting reflex–purse her lips and attempt to suckle
    • Palmer reflex–griping your finger when you press your finger to her palm
    • Moro reflex–startle awake
  • Bring hands to face
  • Self soothe with hands
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Sleep

Your baby at this age is still a newborn and will be sleeping a LOT! Newborn babies sleep on average 14-17 hours! Remember this is an average so your baby might sleep more or she might sleep less.

Don’t forget! Babies should always be placed on their back to sleep. Remember “Back is Best” Placing your baby to sleep on their back reduces the risk of SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) tremendously.

If you want your baby to sleep soundly I highly suggest grabbing a DockATot. The DockATot is my #1 recommendation for new moms, and actually, any mom expecting a baby! The great thing about the DockATot during the newborn days is that you are able to safely and easily put the baby down just about anywhere. It will feel so cozy to your baby.  It was my favorite for night time anytime I wanted to relax and have her nearby. I think the DockATot was one of the biggest reasons my daughter was such a good sleeper in the early days and this really came in handy when sleep training! Yes, it is a bit pricey when it comes to baby products but I am sure you won’t regret the investment! Grab one with my affiliate link directly from DockATot here or with my Amazon link here.

Take advantage of all of this sleeping time by taking care of your postpartum body. You need some tender loving care during this time too!

Breastfeeding

Newborn babies nurse anywhere from 8-12 times a day and each session lasts about 20-45 minutes. That means you will be spending anywhere between 160-540 minutes breastfeeding every 24 hours!

Be prepared to spend lots of time breastfeeding by reading my Breastfeeding a Newborn Guide and how to set up a Breastfeeding Station.

How to Play

Right from the very beginning, you should start doing a little bit of supervised tummy time. This will just be for a few short minutes at a time. You can do this either on the carpeted floor with a padded blanket or on your bed with careful supervision.

Your baby is likely to hate tummy time but it is very important for strengthening his or her neck muscles! Keep at it for a few minutes each day to build up her stamina!

You can also play with your baby by dangling objects about their heads so that they have something to look at. A play gym is a great thing to have them look at as well!  It’s also a good idea to have a mobile for them to look at when they are in their swing or bouncy chair.

Helpful Products for the 1st Month

The following products are summarized from my more in-depth Newborn Essentials Post.

Don’t forget, if you are on a budget try to pick up some of these items 2nd hand or borrow them from a friend! Don’t feel like you need to buy new of everything. On the flip side, remember that you will be able to sell most of these things once you are done with them!

Newborn Essentials for First Month #1: DockATot

As discussed above the DockATot was the best!!!! Grab one with my affiliate link directly from DockATot here or with my Amazon link here.

Newborn Essentials for First Month #2: Ring sling or Soft Carrier

Having a soft carrier was the literal best thing during the first 3 months. (Actually, I still wear my daughter at almost a year as well) I loved this ring sling and this baby wrap. By placing your newborn in a wrap you can do most things that you need to do around the house. You can even relax with wearing them.

As my midwife put it to me, “a newborn baby’s natural environment is skin to skin on your chest.” I found that wearing my daughter skin to skin in a ring sling or soft baby wrap calmed and soothed her in a way that nothing else could. I highly recommend being fully prepared to wear baby a lot in the first few months!

Rock and Play

The Rock and Play can easily be moved from room to room when you are getting things done around the house. You can also have the baby sleeping next to you when you are sitting on the couch at the dinner table. It’s really nice for small spaces as well because it folds up mostly flat when you are not using it.

Baby Swing

Having a Swing can be such a lifesaver when Baby is fussy or feeling a little bit moody. I would put my daughter in the swing if she started getting fussy and holding her wasn’t helping. The swing would usually calm her down within minutes if not seconds.

This was my go-to product for taking showers. I would carry it into the bathroom, set her swinging and enjoy a nice hot shower that wasn’t rushed at all! In my newborn schedule, I talk about how a daily hot shower was a non-negotiable for me.

Bouncy Chair

This recommendation is similar to the Swing and Rock and Play. It is just another option for a place that baby can hang out while you are getting things done. I am a big fan of this chair because it is relatively small and folds flat for storage. I liked having a bouncy chair in addition to the Rock and Play and the Swing because I could put in on the table or counter while I was cooking and have the baby up off the floor away from our 3 rambunctious dogs.

Silicone Breast Pump

I recommend this product in basically all of my posts on breastfeeding. When I say it is a must have I mean it is a MUST HAVE! Suctioning this puppy onto your breast will help drain your breast of extra breastmilk that you can store for a freezer stash as well as help prevent clogged ducts and mastitis because it helps drain extra milk.

Music Playing Device

Setting up bedtime rituals is key for setting your baby up for sleep success. Playing quiet music from day 1 can be so helpful in getting your baby off on the right foot. Any kind of music playing device will work for this. We personally use the Sonos Play 1 because my husband is a tech nerd and we have Sonos in every room of the house basically. But any old music playing device will work! The one really nice thing I will say for the Sonos Play 1 is that you can control it using Alexa or with your smartphone. Being able to control the Sonos with your smartphone is super helpful If you need to turn on or adjust the music and you don’t want to walk into the room while the baby is falling asleep.

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