Becoming a new mother is an incredible experience, but it can also bring unexpected worries.

Is my baby getting enough milk? Is my newborn sleeping too much or too little? How can I tell whether my baby is healthy and developing normally?

If you’ve ever found yourself asking these questions, you’re certainly not alone.

I remember experiencing these worries with my own children, especially my first baby. I constantly questioned everything. Was he too hot? Too cold? Too sleepy? Was I doing everything correctly?

My experience with postpartum depression made those worries even more difficult to manage.

Looking back, I wish I had understood more about newborn development and what to expect during those precious early months.

That’s why I’ve put together this guide to seven encouraging signs of healthy baby development.

From responding to familiar voices to producing enough wet diapers and gaining weight, these everyday observations can help you better understand your baby’s growth and development.

But there’s something important to remember:

Every baby develops at their own pace. No single behaviour can guarantee that a baby is healthy, and babies need regular medical checkups even when everything seems normal.

If you’re concerned about your baby’s feeding, growth, behaviour or development, always speak with your baby’s healthcare professional.

And remember to look after your own wellbeing, too. If anxiety or low mood is making everyday life difficult after childbirth, support is available from your doctor or another qualified health professional.

1. Your Baby Responds to Your Voice and Touch:

One of the most reassuring moments of motherhood is discovering that your baby recognises your voice and finds comfort in your arms.

Even before birth, babies become familiar with sounds from outside the womb.

After birth, they can recognise their mother’s voice, which may help them feel comforted in their new environment.

As your baby grows, you might notice that they become calmer when you speak softly, hold them close or gently cuddle them.

In fact, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), calming down when spoken to or picked up is a developmental milestone that most babies achieve by two months of age. Source

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How can you encourage emotional bonding with your baby?

Here are a few simple ways to strengthen your connection:

• Hold your baby close and enjoy plenty of cuddles.
• Talk to your baby throughout the day, even when they cannot respond with words.
• Sing gentle nursery rhymes or read aloud.
• Respond to your baby’s cries and try to understand their needs.
• Make eye contact during feeding and playtime.

Remember, babies have different temperaments. Some settle quickly when they’re held, while others need more time and comfort.

A baby who doesn’t immediately stop crying isn’t necessarily unhealthy or poorly bonded with their parents. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends responding to babies’ cries and addressing their needs during their early months.

If you’re concerned about your baby’s responses or development, discuss your observations with your baby’s healthcare professional.

Related reading: 25 Popular English Nursery Rhymes With Lyrics and Pictures⁠

Medical reference: CDC: Developmental Milestones by Two Months

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2. Your Baby Makes Eye Contact, Smiles and Interacts With You:

One of the most beautiful experiences of motherhood is seeing your baby smile at you for the first time.

During the first few months, babies gradually become more aware of their surroundings. They begin recognising familiar faces, responding to voices and communicating through facial expressions and sounds.

These early interactions are encouraging signs of your baby’s social and emotional development.

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What should you expect during the first six months?

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), most babies reach the following developmental milestones:

• By 2 months: Your baby looks at your face, appears happy to see you and smiles when you talk or smile at them
• By 4 months: Your baby may smile to attract your attention, chuckle when you try to make them laugh and make sounds to keep interacting with you.
• By 6 months: Your baby typically recognises familiar people, enjoys looking at themselves in a mirror and begins laughing.

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How can you encourage your baby’s social development?

You don’t need expensive toys or complicated activities to encourage your baby’s development.

Some of the most meaningful interactions happen during ordinary moments together.

Try talking to your baby while changing their diaper, singing nursery rhymes, smiling at them during playtime and responding when they make sounds.

You can also enjoy simple games such as peekaboo as your baby becomes ready for them

Remember that developmental milestones describe skills most children achieve by a particular age.

They are not a medical test, and babies can develop at different rates.

If your baby isn’t reaching an expected milestone, has lost a skill they previously demonstrated or you’re concerned about their development, speak with your pediatrician rather than waiting.

Medical references:
CDC: Developmental Milestones by 2 Months⁠
CDC: Developmental Milestones by 4 Months⁠
CDC: Developmental Milestones by 6 Months⁠

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3. Your Baby Develops Healthy Sleep Patterns:

Does your newborn wake up every two hours? Are you wondering whether your baby is getting enough sleep?

One of the biggest surprises of becoming a mother is discovering just how unpredictable newborn sleep can be!

The reassuring news is that babies don’t need to sleep through the night to be healthy.

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), newborns typically sleep around 16–17 hours over a 24-hour period. However, they may sleep for only one or two hours at a time because they need frequent feeding. Sleep patterns gradually develop as babies grow. Source

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What Are Normal Baby Sleep Patterns?

Your baby’s sleeping habits will change considerably during their first year.

• Newborns: Sleep throughout the day and night, often waking frequently for feeding.
• 3–6 months: Some babies begin sleeping for longer stretches at night, although others continue waking frequently.
• 6–12 months: Some babies sleep for extended periods overnight, while others still wake because of hunger, teething or other needs.

Every baby is different, and sleeping through the night isn’t a developmental milestone that all babies achieve at the same age.

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How Can You Encourage Healthy Sleep Habits?

Establishing gentle routines can help your baby gradually distinguish between daytime and nighttime.

During the day, enjoy natural light, playtime and conversations with your baby.
At night, keep the environment calm, use dim lighting and avoid unnecessary stimulation during feeding.

Most importantly, always follow safe sleep recommendations.

Place your baby on their back for every sleep, on a firm, flat mattress in their own cot or bassinet. Keep pillows, loose blankets and soft toys out of their sleeping space. Health authorities recommend keeping your baby’s cot or bassinet in your room for at least the first six months. Source

Remember: Sleeping for long, uninterrupted periods isn’t proof that a baby is healthy.

Pay attention to your baby’s feeding, alertness when awake and overall behaviour. If your baby is unusually difficult to wake, is feeding poorly or experiences a sudden change in their usual sleep behaviour, seek medical advice promptly.

Related reading: 7 Tips to Survive a Lack of Sleep With a Newborn⁠

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4. Your Baby Shows Interest in Colours and Moving Objects:

Have you ever noticed your newborn staring at your face or becoming fascinated by a colourful toy?

Watching your baby discover the world through their eyes is one of the most exciting parts of early motherhood.

Your baby’s eyesight develops considerably during their first year. As their vision improves, they gradually become more interested in faces, colours, shapes and moving objects.

These behaviours can provide encouraging clues about your baby’s visual development.

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How Does Your Baby’s Vision Develop?

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), here are some important milestones to look for:

• Newborn: Your baby can see light, shapes and faces, although their distance vision is still blurry. Newborns see most clearly at approximately 20–30 cm, roughly the distance between your face and theirs during feeding.
• By 2 months: Most babies watch people as they move and look at toys for several seconds.
• By 3 months: Babies generally become better at focusing on faces and nearby objects. They should also begin following moving objects with their eyes.
• By 4 months: Your baby may become increasingly interested in their own hands and enjoy watching colourful toys.

These milestones can help you understand how your baby’s vision is developing, but they cannot independently confirm that your baby has healthy eyesight.

Simple Activities to Encourage Your Baby’s Visual Development
You don’t need expensive toys to encourage your baby’s developing eyesight.

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Try these simple activities:

• Make eye contact: Bring your face close to your newborn’s face during feeding, cuddling and playtime.
• Introduce high-contrast pictures: Show your baby simple black-and-white pictures or patterns during their early weeks.
• Play with colourful toys: As your baby grows, introduce age-appropriate toys with different colours and shapes.
• Encourage visual tracking: Slowly move a colourful toy from side to side and observe whether your baby follows it with their eyes.

The CDC recommends showing babies colourful toys and slowly moving them to encourage visual tracking during their early months. Source

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When Should You Be Concerned?

Remember that babies develop at different rates. However, certain signs deserve medical attention.

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, you should speak with your baby’s doctor if your baby cannot make steady eye contact by approximately three months or appears unable to follow moving objects.

Regularly crossed or outward-drifting eyes after four months should also be discussed with your baby’s doctor. Source

Regular baby checkups are important because some vision problems may not have obvious symptoms.

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5. Your Baby Responds to Sounds and Familiar Voices:

Have you noticed your baby turning their head when you speak or reacting to an unexpected sound?

These little moments can tell you a lot about your baby’s developing communication skills.

Babies begin responding to sounds from an early age. As they grow, they become increasingly interested in familiar voices and start exploring different ways to communicate.

Watching your baby respond to sounds is an encouraging developmental sign, although these reactions alone cannot confirm that your baby’s hearing is normal.

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How Does Your Baby’s Hearing Develop?

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), most babies achieve the following developmental milestones:

• By 2 months: Your baby reacts to loud sounds and begins making sounds other than crying.
• By 4 months: Your baby turns their head towards the sound of your voice, makes cooing sounds and responds with sounds when you talk.
• By 6 months: Your baby begins taking turns making sounds with you, helping develop early communication skills.

These developmental milestones offer useful guidance as you observe your baby’s progress.

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Simple Ways to Encourage Your Baby’s Hearing and Communication:

The wonderful thing about encouraging your baby’s development is that you don’t need expensive toys or complicated activities.

Try incorporating these simple activities into your daily routine:

• Talk to your baby: Describe what you’re doing while changing diapers, feeding or getting dressed.
• Sing nursery rhymes: Your voice is an excellent way to introduce your baby to sounds, rhythms and language.
• Read together: Even newborns can benefit from hearing you read aloud.
• Respond to their sounds: When your baby coos or babbles, respond as though you’re having a conversation.

These everyday interactions provide opportunities for your baby to practise early communication skills.

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When Should You Be Concerned?

If your baby consistently doesn’t respond to sounds or isn’t reaching expected communication milestones, discuss your concerns with your baby’s healthcare professional.

Remember that responding to sounds doesn’t guarantee normal hearing.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends newborn hearing screening because some babies with hearing difficulties still react to certain sounds. Hearing can also change as children grow.

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Medical references:

CDC: Developmental Milestones by 2 Months⁠
CDC: Developmental Milestones by 4 Months⁠
American Academy of Pediatrics: Newborn Hearing Screening⁠

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6. Your Baby Has Plenty of Wet Diapers:

One of the simplest ways to get clues about whether your newborn is getting enough milk is to pay attention to their wet diapers.

During the first few days after birth, the number of wet diapers gradually increases as your baby begins taking in more milk.

According to the CDC, a breastfed newborn will usually have at least:

• 1 wet diaper on day 1
• 2 wet diapers on day 2
• 5 wet diapers on day 3
• About 6 wet diapers per day from day 4 onward source

The American Academy of Pediatrics similarly notes that by about 5–7 days old, a well-fed newborn should usually have 6 or more wet diapers each day, with pale or nearly colourless urine. Source

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What About Baby Poop?

Bowel movements vary much more than wet diapers, especially as babies get older.

During the first week, a breastfed baby’s stool normally changes from dark meconium to a softer yellow colour.

After the first several weeks, some healthy breastfed babies may poop less frequently than they did as newborns. Source

So it is better not to judge your baby’s health based on one exact number of dirty diapers.

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When Should You Seek Advice?

Fewer wet diapers than expected can sometimes be a sign that your baby is not taking in enough milk or may be becoming dehydrated.

Other signs of dehydration in babies can include:

• a dry mouth
• fewer tears when crying
• a sunken soft spot on the head
• unusual sleepiness or irritability
• fewer wet diapers than usual source

If your newborn is producing noticeably fewer wet diapers, feeding poorly, seems unusually sleepy or you are concerned about their weight gain, contact your baby’s healthcare professional.

Remember, wet diapers are one useful clue, but your baby’s weight gain, feeding pattern and regular health checks give a much fuller picture of how they are growing.

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7. Your Baby Is Growing Along Their Own Growth Curve:

Watching your baby gain weight and grow longer is one of the clearest ways healthcare professionals monitor development over time.

But healthy growth does not mean every baby should weigh or measure the same amount at the same age.

Babies naturally vary in size because of genetics, sex, birth history, feeding and many other factors.

What matters most is your baby’s pattern of growth over time.

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How Is Baby Growth Checked?

At regular health visits, your baby’s healthcare professional will usually measure:

• weight
• length
• head circumference

These measurements are plotted on a growth chart so your baby’s progress can be followed over time.

The World Health Organization provides growth standards for children from birth to 5 years, and healthcare professionals use these charts to look at the overall growth pattern rather than focusing on one single number.

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What About Doubling Birth Weight?

Many babies roughly double their birth weight during the first several months of life and triple it by around their first birthday, but this is only a general guide.

Some healthy babies grow faster or slower than others.

That is why it is more useful to look at whether your baby is following a consistent growth curve rather than comparing them with another child or with one exact weight target.

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When Should You Speak With Your Baby’s Doctor?

Talk with your baby’s healthcare professional if:

• your baby is not gaining weight as expected
• feeding is difficult
• your baby seems unusually sleepy or weak
• your baby’s growth curve changes significantly
• you have any concerns about development or growth

Your doctor or child health nurse can assess the full picture, including feeding, weight gain, development and medical history.

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Final reminder:

These seven signs can give you useful clues about your baby’s development, but they are not a substitute for regular medical checkups.

Every baby develops at their own pace, and a healthcare professional is the best person to assess whether your baby is growing and developing well

If something feels different or you are worried, it is always reasonable to ask for medical advice.

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