1. See objects 8-12 inches away (the distance from breast or bottle to mom's or dad's face).
2. Can hear and may move their heads and eyes to hear or see something of interest, or turn their heads if their breathing is blocked (but sometimes not enough to prevent suffocation).
3. Can recognize their parents' voices.
4. Can taste and smell and have shown preferences for their own mother's milk and dislikes for strong, offensive odors.
5. Can pull back when pinched or pricked.
6. Can yawn and sneeze.
7. Have a "startle reflex," in which the arms and legs may shoot out or their body may stiffen when startled by a loud noise or other stimulation.
8. Have a "rooting reflex," in which touching the baby's lips gets him or her to open its mouth for feeding, perhaps smacking lips, sucking and breathing excitedly.
9. Have a protective reflex in which their tongues push out any object in their mouths (such as pacifiers). This reflex is designed to protect them against choking.
10. Have a "stepping reflex" if held upright and a "crawling reflex," in which they appear to sort-of crawl when placed on their stomach.
11. Have a "grasping reflex," in which they tighten their little hands around a finger or other object.
12. Have a "righting reflex," in which when pulled up by the arms, they can pull their head up, despite a floppy neck.
13. Get a big kick out of faces, their own or other people's, and may be able to imitate expressions a few days after birth.
14. Prefer the contrast of black-and-white patterns, especially the edges and in the shapes of bulls-eyes, diagonal stripes, faces or checkerboards.
Of course, your baby will be exceptional, but if you want to know what is usually too much to expect of other, more average babies one month or younger, they cannot or do not:
1. Smile on purpose (this takes about six weeks, though parents often swear it's sooner).
2. See very far away (you'll notice as baby's eyes begin to focus further away).
3. Lift head up (maybe a bit by end of month, but little neck control yet).
4. Sit alone when put down in sitting position (at about 5-6 months age).
5. Eat any solids, and will choke if given them (feeding solids sometimes starts at about 4 or 5 months).
6. Drool (drooling may start at about 3 months).
7. Have teeth (rarely a newborn is born with a tooth, but most infants get first teeth at 4-12 months).
8. Hold, pick up or grab objects (by 6 months, though, you may be wishing for a baby straitjacket at the grocery store).
9. Beg, whine and cry for heavily advertised toys.
10. Watch TV.
One of the things you will probably notice about your newborn is that his proportions don't seem quite right. His head will seem large in comparison to the rest of his body while his abdomen will seem very rounded - this is due to muscle weakness. His arms and legs on the other hand may appear to be very skinny.
Head A newborn baby's head is roughly one quarter of his entire length. An adults head is about one eighth of his length so it therefore not surprising that newborn babies seem to have large heads - they do. The head will probably not be perfectly round either. This is due to the fact that the bones in the head have to move over each other during the birth process to allow the head to fit down the birth canal. But don't worry as this will not affect his brain and the shape of the head will soon go back to normal.
Skin Some babies have a white greasy substance which can cover some or all of their heads and bodies when they are born. This is called vernix. Sometimes the hospital staff remove this straight away but other times it is left to absorb into the skin naturally over a couple of days.
Dry and peeling skin is also common in newborns but this soon goes away. Another thing you may notice are tiny white spots on the face. These are called milia and result from blocked sweat glands. Don't try and squeeze these as, again, they will soon clear up.
Birthmarks Sometimes a baby has small red marks on the skin. These are most likely to be seen on the forehead or back of the neck. They are due to enlarged blood vessels near the skin's surface and are nothing to worry about. They usually disappear sometime between six and eighteen months.
Jaundice It is not unusual for a baby to become jaundiced in the first few days after birth. When a baby is born he has a high level of primitive red cells and when these get broken down one of the components, a yellow pigment called bilirubin, increases in the blood. This causes a yellow discoloration to the skin and whites of the eyes but in most cases it disappears in the first week or so. Occasionally a baby may need special light treatment to bring the bilirubin levels down but this is not normally a cause for concern.
Eyes Babies sometimes look as if they have swollen eyes. This occurs because of the pressure applied during birth but the puffiness will subside after a few days. Another interesting thing about babies is that they are unable to actually shed tears until they are about four or five months old. Surprising really given the amount of time they can spend crying!
Both Christopher Jacobson & Lisa Davies are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Christopher Jacobson has sinced written about articles on various topics from Marketing, Acne Treatment and Dog Care. Christopher Jacobson Has More Baby Articles At. Christopher Jacobson's top article generates over 60500 views. to your Favourites.
Lisa Davies has sinced written about articles on various topics from Babies, Home and Breastfeeding. Lisa Davies is a writer and mother of two. To find out more about at. Lisa Davies's top article generates over 8100 views. to your Favourites.