Infant Development: 5-week Old Baby Care and Tips

In the fifth week of your baby’s life, your little bean is no longer a newborn but has officially become an “infant”.  The first month has flown by and in the second month, your little sleepyhead is going to start becoming more interactive. By this week, you must be feeling pretty confident in your parenting abilities.

What to expect in the fifth week of your child’s life?

• Heartwarming and totally adorable “social smile” of your baby greeting you.
• Your baby will wiggle whenever you are close
• Your baby will be more alert and interactive
• The change in baby wardrobe is on the way.

If you are still hesitant about your parenting skills, just remember to follow gut and do your best and your baby will be fine.

Your baby’s development in the fifth week 

• Growth- 

On average 5-week old babies gain around 200 grams this week. You may even have to change your baby’s clothes as your little bean may have outgrown the clothes of the first months. However, every baby is unique and their developments depend on various other factors.

In case you are worried about your baby’s growth, if your doctor is satisfied with your baby’s development, remember that you have nothing to worry about. 

• Cognitive Development- 

Your baby’s focus and attention span will continue t improve this week. Your baby can now enjoy complex patterns and colorful objects. Even though your baby will keep forgetting its favorite toys and will love the same object, again and again, your baby will surely remember your face, your scent, and your voice.

Don’t miss out on cuddle sessions and mid-night gossiping with your baby. Talking and playing with your baby will improve your baby’s cognitive abilities. 

• Head and neck – 

All the tummy time sessions are going to make your baby’s neck stronger. This means that your baby can hold its head up for a few more minutes. Look out for those occasions when your baby will turn its neck to look at your face when you hold your little one in your arms.

However, for safety always keep a hand softly around your baby’s neck for support. 

• Clutching and grabbing- 

Your baby can hold on its favorite toys for some time if you place the toys in its hands. Your baby will hold onto your finger for longer times. You can start reading on building self-esteem tips for kids.

• Communication- 

Your baby will start cooing, gurgling, and grunting as a means of communication. You will notice that your baby will try to reply to you by making sounds when you two are talking. Try to coo back to your baby and keep the conversation going to encourage verbal communication.

Your baby loves to hear your voice and will try to follow your voice. Don’t worry if your little one is a little silent type and hasn’t coed yet, it will happen soon.

• Alertness- 

From this week onwards you will notice that your baby has become more alert whenever it is awake. Your baby is going to form communication patterns as well where it can start crying just to get attention and cuddles.

What is some basic baby care knowledge that every new parent should have?

• Feeding- 

Your baby is likely to become hungrier than the last month of this week. In general doctors at wise feeding around 150 ml per kilo of the baby’s weight to ensure that your baby grows properly.

Your baby will start to have a feeding schedule and if you have been breastfeeding you will notice that your baby now has more consistent feeding sessions and lesser cluster feeding.

• Sleeping-

Your baby will start to develop a sleeping pattern and will sleep for the longer stretches during the night. Your little one will be more awake during the day. On average a 5-week old infant sleeps for around 16 hours a day.

To ensure that your baby develops the sleeping routine properly be consistent with that full stuff you can even start a sleeping ritual where you start sleeping cues for your baby such as infant messages or a bath before bedtime.

• Bowel movement- 

As your baby will start to consume more food there should be an increase in wet diapers. Look out for the color of the stools indication of the proper health of the baby.

When to call the doctor?

• If you notice signs of colic.
• If your baby has not gained any neck strength.
• If your baby can’t look in the horizontal direction.
• If your baby develops a fever.
• If your baby is showing a lack of appetite, crying during poos, or showing discomforts, having less than 4 bowel movements in a week, it may mean that your baby is suffering from constipation.
• If your baby is spitting up more frequently, vomiting or shows signs of abdominal pain, has blood in the stool, has trouble breathing, develops diarrhea, rash, it could mean that baby is having a milk allergy. This allergy can happen when breastfeeding mothers have cow’s milk. In this case, call your doctor immediately. 

Reminders 

• If your baby has infant acne, remember that they will clear on their own and within a few weeks your baby will have smooth, clear, and baby soft skin.
• Keep a few baby clothes if your baby has outgrown them. You will forever cherish those items.
• Schedule the 2-month doctor’s checkup.
• If you plan to join work around the sixth week you should start planning about baby care duties to enable a smooth transition to work. It would also be a good idea to introduce a feeding bottle to your baby this week.
• Consider reading to your kids. They will develop important skills. 

Takeaway 

Already a month has gone by and your little cutie is growing by leaps and bounds. You are probably teary-eyed by the thought of throwing old baby clothes as your little bean has outgrown them already.

This week you will get to learn more about your baby as they spend more time staying awake. Play and chat a lot with your little one to strengthen baby bonding.

Frequently Asked Questions on 5-week baby development

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