It’s a good thing to know what’s happening in your baby’s body, particularly if you’re concerned about newborn colic or other such symptoms. Colic in infants can be very stressful for both parent and child, and knowing what to look out for creates a safe space in which to find a solution to any such problem that may arise.

If you suspect that your baby may be suffering from infant colic, it is recommended that you find out as much about babies and colic as you can. Please consult the content below to find out more about what you might expect during the first six months of your baby’s life:

1st Month
A sleepy month!

• Lifts head for short periods of time
• May turn toward familiar sounds
• Can focus on close items
• Strong reflexive responses when cheek is touched or stroked
• Strong grasp reflex if something is placed in baby’s hand
• Brings hands to face
• Makes jerky arm movements

2nd Month
Baby is awake!

• Waking periods during the day are starting to last longer and baby is still waking up at night to eat.
• Tracks toys and movement with eyes
• Begins to make cooing noises instead of just crying/fussing
• Starts to attempt to copy simple sounds like ‘oh’ or ‘ooh’ and ‘ah’
• Smiles during interactions with mom and other trusted people
• Baby lifts up head when lying on tummy but is not able to control the movement for long periods of time.

3rd Month
The personality month – your baby starts to interact with you:

• Stiffen legs as if trying to stand when feet are on a hard surface
• Reach for shiny or dangling objects (many necklaces have been broken due to this)
• Grasps toys and shakes small hand toys such as rattles
• Imitates sounds that the infant hears
• Recognizes people and starts to develop trust of known people as well as distrust and fear of strangers
• Starts to develop hand-eye coordination
• Kicks legs out and moves arms to expend energy
• Brings hands together in clapping motion
• Watches and enjoys circles and spiral patterns
• Lifts head for much longer periods

4th Month
Watch out – they’re starting to roll!

• Rolls over from tummy to back, will quickly learn how to roll over from back to tummy once this is mastered
• Lifts head and chest when laid on tummy and will attempt to move
• Taste tests everything that is close enough to get a grip on (exploring everything orally)
• Recognizes food source (bottle, breast, or otherwise) and reacts
• Responds to sound
• Has distinctive cries for fear, discomfort, pain, and even loneliness
• Tracks items through a 180 degree arc

5th month
A transition month – your baby is changing from an infant to a baby.

• Pays attention to small objects and toys
• Begins to use hands and other toys as tools to get to wanted toys and other items
• Begins teething (some babies have already started months ago!)
• Discovers cause and effect, often this is displayed with simple games of fetch played by baby dropping items and waiting to see if you will pick them up
• Tries to hold self up when in sitting position, holds head up well at all times
• Usually sleeps through the night by now
• Can see you from across the room

6th Month
Food, food, food… At this point, your baby is ready to eat solid foods.

• Make vowel sounds and copy simple two –syllable sounds that are often thought to sound like ‘mama’ and ‘dada’
• Sit by self with minimal to no support
• Rolls over and travels short distances on floor by rolling
• Holds own bottle
• Can drink from a cup
• Will open mouth for spoon (often turns head and makes a mess though)
• Copies facial expressions and will even reproduce them upon demand at times (when told “Make the silly face” baby will make their favorite face that brought all of the laughs last time)
• Responds to short cues showing that language is understood

Paid customers: please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any further questions with regard to infant colic or colic symptoms in general.