When Is Your Baby No Longer Considered a Newborn?
The only thing better than having a newborn is being able to say, “Yes, I do have a newborn!” When your baby is first born, they mostly eat and sleep, making them the perfect cuddle partner. Unfortunately, these little cuddle buddies don’t stay little forever! At what point is your baby no longer considered a newborn, though?
The term newborn doesn’t have a firm expiration date. It is a little flexible, so you could refer to your baby as a newborn for a little longer than other people if you so choose! Ultimately, there is nothing stopping you from calling your three-year-old a newborn (though you may get a few funny looks). Continue reading to learn more about how long a baby is a newborn and other crucial age ranges.
What Age is Considered a Newborn?
As you stare down at your sweet baby’s face, you may be wondering how long they are considered a newborn. Is it a week, a month, a year? The truth is that there is no definite time in which your baby is considered a newborn, and it can vary from expert to expert.
There are times when babies 28 days and younger are considered a newborn, while other times they can be considered a newborn up to two months old, if not three. So, if you enjoy referring to your bundle of joy as a newborn, you can do so for a few months without causing any confusion! I called both of my babies newborns until they hit around eight weeks old; from then on I referred to them by their age by month.
What Comes After The Newborn Stage?
The time has come, and your newborn has officially exited the newborn stage. So, what’s next?
After your newborn has left this stage, they have now entered the infancy stage. Your baby will be considered an infant from approximately three months to one year old. Within this timeframe, your baby should hit some pretty exciting milestones! Some of those are:
A first smile.
Improved vision. They will begin seeing different shapes and colors as their vision becomes less blurry.
Reaching out for items and grabbing.
Understanding certain words and recognizing the names of different people.
Waving hello and goodbye.
Clapping and waving.
Babbling.
Forging bonds with loved ones and caretakers.
Playing simple games such as peekaboo or patty-cake.
Crawling and/or pulling themselves into a standing position.
Cruising along furniture.
Potentially taking their first steps.
Fine tuning their fine motor skills. An example of this is the pincer grasp, where they will pick up small items with their thumb and pointer finger.
The first year of your baby’s life is a busy and exciting one; your infant will be sure to keep you on your toes!
What Comes After Infancy
Your baby has hit their first birthday, and they’re no longer that adorable, helpless potato that you brought home from the hospital. In their place is a bouncy, bubbly toddler who is ready to take on the world, seemingly at any time of the day! Who needs a bedtime when you’ve got flowers to pick or their favorite book to rip?
So, where does the term toddler come from? This age range is considered toddlers because, at this age, they start to “toddle” around, of course!
What happens during toddlerhood? This stage of life takes place between ages one and three. During this time, your once immobile baby has become a curious and daring toddler, looking to experience as much of the world as they can. Just like the infancy stage, your little one will go through fun and important milestones during this time.
Some of these milestones are:
Learning to walk alone
Starting to run
Pulling their toys behind them
Kicking a ball
Climbing
Feeding themselves
Imitating observed behaviors
Developing awareness of themselves, as well as the concept of “mine and “theirs.”
Playing happily with other children
Sorting items by their shapes and colors
Following two or three-step directions
Speaking in four or five-word sentences
As sad as you may feel to let go of your tiny baby, the toddler that takes their place will be just as incredible.
Final Thoughts: Newborns, Infants, and Toddlers
At the end of the day, the terms that we use to describe different ages of children are just used to give clarity to different development stages. Whether your baby is considered a newborn, toddler, or even a preschooler, it will always be that same sweet baby you brought home from the hospital!
Each stage of life brings on new developments, milestones, and, of course, challenges. Your baby will grow and develop their own personality, and you will love each version of your child that you meet! Although you may feel sad to say goodbye to each child of yours that you have come to love, be sure to enjoy the journey that is raising them.
Monitor Your Baby’s Schedule with Baby Connect
Newborns spend most of their time eating, sleeping, and pooping. With all of that going on, they hardly have time for anything else! When your baby is this small, though, they tend to wake up frequently, meaning not so much sleep for parents.
The lack of sleep can make it difficult to accurately document your baby’s information. I couldn’t tell you the amount of times I forgot how many ounces I fed my baby in one sitting! Baby Connect is an invaluable app that allows you to track all of your baby’s important information, making parenting easier than ever!
