Six Week Developmental Milestones: What to Expect
If your little one has just reached the six-week mark, this is an exciting time for the whole family. At this age, your baby is starting to become more aware of their surroundings and developing new skills every day. But what milestones should they experience at this phase? Let's go over some of the six-week developmental milestones you can expect.
Physical Development
One of the biggest milestones you’ll notice is your baby’s physical development! Here’s what that involves.
The 6-Week Growth Spurt
By six weeks, your baby is likely coming to the end of their 4-6 week growth spurt. You may have noticed increased hunger over the past couple of weeks, but this should start to calm down now. On average, babies gain about 140-200 grams of weight per week and grow about one inch per month at this stage.
Improved Head Control
One of the most noticeable physical developments at six weeks is improved head control. During tummy time, you might see your baby lifting their head for short periods. This is an important step in building neck and upper body strength.
Hand Discovery
Your baby is becoming more aware of their hands at this age! They might start to:
Open their hands briefly
Bring their hands to their mouth
Explore their fingers
This hand discovery is not only adorable to watch but also crucial for future fine motor skill development.
Cognitive Development
In addition to physical growth, your baby’s cognitive abilities are rapidly developing. Here’s what that involves.
Visual Focus
Your baby's ability to focus is improving significantly at six weeks. They may start to:
Track moving objects with their eyes
Show increased interest in bright colors and lights
Recognize familiar faces, especially those of their parents or caregivers
To support your baby’s visual development, you can provide them with baby books, colorful toys, and interesting patterns to look at.
Auditory Development
With their hearing now fully developed, your six-week-old is becoming more responsive to sounds. They might:
Listen more intently to voices and music
Respond to familiar voices
Start to recognize their own name
Become startled easily by loud, sudden noises
This is a great time to talk with your baby and sing lullabies to stimulate them with soothing, familiar sounds.
Communication Development
Your baby might begin to make noises around the 6-week mark. Here are some things you can expect.
Early Vocalizations
Between six weeks and 3 months, many babies begin to experiment with their voices. You might hear your 6-week-old start to:
Coo and babble
Attempt to initiate "conversations" by making sounds and pausing
Blow raspberries with their mouth
Touch their mouth with their fingers
Encourage your baby’s noises, as this is a sign of healthy development.
Responsive Movements
Starting at six weeks old, your baby is learning to communicate through movement, too. You can expect your little one to:
Wave their arms or kick their legs in response to your voice
Calm down when spoken to or picked up
Between this time and 6-months of age, your baby will start reaching out for things more and more.
Social and Emotional Development
Along with communication, your baby’s social awareness is starting to blossom. Additionally, their emotional experiences might shift as they become more aware of their environment.
The First Real Smiles
Perhaps the most heart-melting milestone at this age is the emergence of true smiles. Unlike the reflexive smiles of earlier weeks, these are genuine responses to your face or voice.
Facial Expressions
At six weeks, your baby is becoming quite the little performer! You might notice:
A variety of new facial expressions, including raised eyebrows, widened eyes, and pursed lips
Brief periods of focused attention, like staring at particular objects or people
Social Awareness
Your six-week-old is also becoming more socially aware. They may:
Display signs of happiness when approached by a familiar face
Maintain eye contact for longer periods
Become more aware of their social environment
Sleep Patterns
While not a milestone per se, it's worth noting that your baby's sleep patterns might start to become more predictable around this time. However, don't worry if they're not. Every baby is different. And it won’t last forever—you can expect their sleep regression to happen in only a few weeks.
Encouraging Your Baby’s Development
As a parent, you play a crucial role in supporting your baby's development. Here are some activities you can try to facilitate better development and healthy growth.
Tummy Time: Aim for at least 30 minutes a day to help strengthen neck and core muscles.
Talk and Sing: Engage your baby in "conversations" to encourage language development.
Play with Toys: Introduce age-appropriate toys to stimulate visual tracking and grasping skills.
Read Together: Even at this young age, reading to your baby supports cognitive and language development.
Skin-to-Skin Contact: This helps with bonding and can soothe your baby.
When to Consult a Doctor
Remember, every baby develops at their own pace. However, if you notice any of the following signs around the six-week mark, it's best to consult your pediatrician:
Lack of response to loud sounds
Difficulty focusing on faces or moving objects
No smile in response to your smile or voice by 6 weeks
Unusual floppiness or stiffness in the body
Tracking Your Baby's Development
Keeping track of all your baby’s milestones can be overwhelming, especially when you're likely sleep-deprived and adjusting to life with a newborn. The Baby Connect app makes tracking your baby’s development easy and interesting!
Baby Connect is the perfect companion for new parents navigating the exciting world of baby development. With its user-friendly interface, you can easily log your baby's milestones, feeding times, diaper changes, sleep cycles, and so much more. It's like having a personal baby diary right at your fingertips.
Want to give it a try? Download the Baby Connect app today and start capturing every precious milestone of your six-week-old's journey. Because let's face it, they grow up so fast—blink, and you might miss it.
