Emily Bloch

Your newborn seems so tiny
and fragile, but as weeks pass you can
check off these reassuring signs
that all is well.

Even if you didn’t know the first thing about newborns, after a few weeks with your own little darling you start to hear a difference between his hungry and tired cries.
You know how he prefers to be rocked and burped. You grow more confident about your parenting skills. But all it takes is a small paranoid thought—Is my baby eating enough? Is all this crying unusual?—and you can easily fall into a spiral of anxious concern. You seek out friends and ask, “Does he look okay to you?” They say yes, but still you can’t help but worry.
So you search around online and read various vague comforting phrases: “Healthy babies exhibit a wide range of behaviors, appearances, and temperaments.” The question is, how do you know that your baby is happy and growing normally? To help reassure you, we’ve assembled a list of indicators that prove an infant is doing just fine.

1 Your baby often calms at your touch and the sound of your voice.
What it proves She is developing emotionally.
Newborns cry. A lot. Unfortunately, simply talking to your baby probably won’t turn off the tears. However, your voice was the soundtrack to her time in the womb, so it should be something that generally draws her attention. “Your baby was used to being in close quarters, and your voice was a big part of that experience,” says Parents advisor Jennifer Shu, M.D., coauthor of Heading Home With Your Newborn. “After she’s born, hearing your voice, being wrapped and carried, and feeling your body heat all mimic that peaceful time.” When your child is calmed by your presence, that’s her first step in establishing a good relationship with you and a clear sign that she’s emotionally responsive.
2 You’re changing eight to ten wet diapers a day, and your baby gains weight at every checkup.
What it proves He’s getting enough milk and growing at a healthy rate, even if how much he drinks varies.
“My baby was born five weeks before her due date and she weighed only 5 pounds,” says Sara Porth, of South Deerfield, Massachusetts. “I was always worried about her weigh-ins. I didn’t relax about her eating until she started making significant gains about ten days after birth.”
It’s important to go to all of your well-baby visits so the pediatrician can assess whether your baby is growing. In between trips to the doctor, wet diapers are the best sign that he’s drinking well. Trust these indicators rather than obsessing over how much he’s consuming. Babies don’t eat the same amount every day, or even at every feeding. “There are growth spurts and slowdowns,” Dr. Shu says. The important thing is that weight increases over time.
3 For at least a few short stints a day, your baby is quiet and attentive.
What it proves She’s observing the world and starting to learn.
Those first blurry weeks will be marked by feedings (about every 2 hours) and sleep (about 16 hours a day but only a few hours in a row). In between all that, there’s crying—and often very little else. “Infants begin having more awake time when they’re about 1 month old,” Dr. Shu says. As your baby gains more control of her eye muscles and can focus on a target (you most of all), you will get a sense of what a little sponge you have on your hands. When she is quiet and alert, she’s taking note of everything around her and processing all kinds of new information.

4 Your baby turns toward a new sound and settles down when music plays.
What it proves His hearing is continuing to develop, and he’s using his brain to discern sounds.
Babies are able to hear from birth, but it takes a few weeks for them to be able to filter out the white noise of daily existence outside the womb. Over time, some sounds become more interesting than others (the hum of the air conditioner is not as compelling as a big sister’s laughter). The sound of music, especially, will get your baby’s attention, whether it’s coming from a toy or your stereo. Once you see him react to sound by looking for the source, you’ll know his ears are healthy and he’s curious about what he hears.

5 You catch her looking at patterns, colors, and movement.
What it proves Her eyesight is becoming sharper.
You wouldn’t think that the ability to space out while staring at a ceiling fan would be a sign of progress, but it is. Babies are born with eyesight that’s about 20/100, and they can see fairly clearly between 8 and 12 inches away—about the distance between her face and yours when you’re feeding her. By 1 month, she can see up to 18 inches away. And by 2 months, most babies start tracking patterns, bright colors, and objects that spin, such as a mobile or a fan. They don’t have perfect color vision or good depth perception, which is why contrasting colors tend to be more captivating.

6 Your baby makes eye contact, smiles to get attention, giggles, and flirts with people.
What it proves He is turning into a social—and happy—creature.
These adorable milestones can’t come a moment too soon! “When my son Zachary was 2 months old, I craved any sort of interaction I could get,” says Sally Lee, of New York City. “I couldn’t imagine that one day he’d be sitting up and actually talking to me.”
Between 2 and 4 months, your baby is learning how to connect with you and is becoming more aware of his surroundings. On some level, he understands that people interact with him more when he’s engaging. By the time a baby is about 5 months, it’s practically a reflex for him to smile whenever someone smiles at him.
Social behaviors are also important indicators of early language development. “Babies use body language, including eye contact and facial expressions, long before they can speak,” Dr. Shu says. “They’re a precursor to communicating with words.” When your child coos and babbles, he’s testing out his vocal cords—and before long, he will start chatting away.

7 She begins to support her own body weight.
What it proves Those mini muscles are getting stronger every day.
Lots of babies hold their head up briefly by 1 month. By the time they’re 3 months old they’re typically doing so with greater skill. If your baby can hold her head up or shift around in your arms, you know she’s flexing her growing muscles. Tummy time (babies’ version of an exercise class) helps speed up the development of different muscles, including ones that allow her to roll or sit unassisted. Says Dr. Shu, “Babies who haven’t had enough daily tummy time tend to roll, sit, and crawl later than the norm.”

8 Your baby starts to cry less and sleep a bit more regularly.
What it proves His nervous system is maturing.
You’ve made it out of the newborn juggernaut! Aah. Look for the emergence of several naps a day and stretches of four or more hours between feedings at night. Some babies get there quickly; others won’t snooze for this long until they’re 4 months or so. If your baby is older than that and is still eating and sleeping at unpredictable times, try to make his days more tightly scheduled. Then it will be your turn to find a brand-new mom and reassure her: “Your baby is doing great!”.