How Long Do Baby Growth Spurts Last

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Baby Growth Spurts and Leaps

baby growth spurts: timeline

babygrowthspurts.com - If you’ve ever wanted to know what goes through a baby’s head when she cries or smiles, 

this is the ideal book for you. It’s all about helping Mom, Dad, caregivers, or grandparents 

to understand a baby’s world, and gain an insight into what it’s really like from her 

perspective. Although everyone knows a baby can make a powerfully affecting noise, does 

she feel anything, and what is really going on behind that frowning, intent gaze?

Until fairly recently, babies were considered to be cute, but not very aware. Now, 

however, it seems that their brains are perfectly capable of complex thought. The future 

is looking brighter for babies!

Once scientists became interested in finding out what makes babies tick, the age of the 

baby truly began. Innovative research projects produced some fascinating information: 

their studies, from many areas of science, reveal that babies are remarkable in their 

powers of learning, communication, and perception. Just like adults, they get to know 

things by experience and can perform amazing feats almost as soon as they are born. 

They can recognize their mum’s face and voice, learn to feed almost instantly, and they’re 

eager to move their heads and hands. And they can influence those around them with 

their charm!

The idea for Watch My Baby Grow was conceived to discover what one baby was 

thinking and feeling at all stages of her development, right up until she was more than 

a year old.

This charming book stars an engaging baby, is written in an approachable, human way, 

and will appeal to anyone who is interested in a clear, scientific approach to every aspect 

of an infant’s development.

How Long Do Baby Growth Spurts Last

Hi my name is MELISA.

Once upon a time, our team had a crazy plan to invade a family for the first year 

of their baby’s life—to take picture after picture, and watch the baby grow. 

They found the perfect fluffy rabbit to act as the perfect measurer to show the baby’s 

growth. And then they found the perfect pregnant someone, beautiful Seyhan...

"At the 20-week scan,

Melisa looked like she was

clapping her hands together.

We like to think she was as

excited as we were."

Getting ready

Seyhan is two weeks into her maternity leave and can’t wait to meet her baby. Her excitement is mixed with a hint of trepidation about a photo-shoot team invading her home for the next year

Baby Growth Spurts: Week 1 Weight: 9 lb (4.1 kg) 

A star is born—healthy, beautiful, and nine days late. Managing both celebrations and sleep deprivation, it’s a wonder Seyhan lets the photo team through the door.

A MILK-DRUNK MELISA yawns contentedly following a feeding. Like all newborn babies, Melisa has a tiny tummy that can’t hold much milk, so she needs to be fed often, at two-hourly intervals. At this stage, she’ll sleep for up to 18 hours a day—but, unfortunately for Seyhan, just not 18 hours in a row.

Baby Growth Spurts : Week 3 Weight: 9¼ lb (4.2 kg) 

Melisa is starting to adapt to the world and is getting to know her family. At this shoot, she has already begun to notice the photo-shoot team, and has everyone wrapped around her teeny-tiny finger.

THE WHITER-THAN-WHITE setting in each of these pictures, and the neutral colors throughout the shoot, make sure that nothing detracts from the star subject—baby Melisa. In this shot, a sleepy Melisa’s unswaddled arms jump upward as her “startle” reflex kicks in. 

"Most babies lose

weight in the fifirst week.

Melisa is a good feeder and

has steadily put on healthy

weight from the start."

Baby Growth Spurts : Week 6 Weight: 10½ lb (4.8 kg) 

Melisa continues to pack on a healthy weight. She is starting to realize that her mom is extra special, so the photo shoot is interspersed with coos and kicks of pleasure whenever Seyhan interacts with her

THE TEAM LUCKED OUT with Melisa, who is a wonderfully calm baby—just perfect for the photo shoot. At six weeks, she is becoming sensitive to her surroundings, but in these early stages she generally stays in the position that she is put in. Here, a placid Melisa stretches with tiredness and closes her eyes during the growth-chart shots. Nap time is approaching— which also means a lunch break for the team.

breast-fed babies can go a week without passing stools. This is because there is so little waste from breast milk. When the stool does come though, it just keeps on coming. This shot was taken seconds before Melisa had one of those moments. Needless to say, every item of clothing was ruined. 

Baby Growth Spurts : Week 8 Weight: 13 lb (5.9 kg) 

Melisa no longer looks like a newborn at this shoot. The wrinkly skin has filled out and she has changed into a plump baby who is suddenly aware that her arms and legs belong to her

WHEN PRESENTED WITH A TOY, Melisa can focus on it and track its movement from side to side. Her eye coordination is still developing, so she often appears cross-eyed when she tries to focus—something her sister Helin finds hilarious. Now that she is aware of her limbs, Melisa reaches out and grabs at toys, too, making that growth chart shot a little more tricky.

Baby Growth Spurts : Week 12 Weight: 14 lb (6.5 kg)

At three months old, most babies show clear signs of their character. Melisa is starting to reveal her sense of humor, flashing gummy smiles that disarm everyone in the room.

MELISA’S HAND–EYE COORDINATION is developing rapidly. In addition to showing off her increasing dexterity by sucking her thumb, she grasps at a toy that is held out to her, and loves lying under her play gym to swat at the toys dangling above her.

BY THE TIME they are three months old, most babies can hold their head steady longer, and turn to the sound of their mother’s voice. They can make smooth movements of limbs and may be able to lift the head and shoulders when lying flat.

Baby Growth Spurts : Week 16 Weight: 16 lb (7.3 kg)

 Babies love to play and to be held, and Melisa squeals with delight during these interactive shots with Seyhan. Her laugh draws smiles from the whole team.

MELISA’S PHYSICAL STRENGTH has been clear from the start. Within the first few weeks she developed strong neck muscles, which helped keep her heavy head steady without support. She has enjoyed lots of tummy time, too, lifting her head to gaze around her. There is no doubt that playtime with Mom is her favorite way of exercising mind and body.

MELISA’S THOUGHTFUL GAZES when presented with toys show that she is starting to make sense of the world around her. Her mental development is helped along by her physical strength as she learns to control and manipulate her upper body, and engages more fully with people and toys.

 

Baby Growth Spurts : Week 20 Weight: 17 lb (7.8 kg) 

With the fine-tuning of her senses almost complete, a whole new sensory world has opened up to Melisa. She is now interested in anything and everything. 

IT TAKES SEYHAN FOREVER to dress, feed, and diaper-change her baby, since Melisa is so easily distracted by her surroundings. An extra pair of hands always comes in handy for holding the little wiggler. Happily sitting in Seyhan’s arms one minute, she suddenly flings herself backward and exerts every scrap of strength to look in the opposite direction. And if she can’t reach what she wants, she becomes increasingly frustrated.

MELISA LOVES big sister, Helin, who is almost four years old. With a new awareness of the activity and noises around her, Melisa soon realized that here was another special, smiley, very funny person in her life. Most babies of this age anticipate something funny since they recognize repeated sounds, and Helin’s rendition of “Wheels on the Bus” with hand actions makes Melisa laugh a lot.

Baby Growth Spurts : Week 24 Weight: 18¼ lb (8.3 kg) 

Melisa is developing rapidly, her core and limb muscles growing stronger by the day. With more refined coordination, she can reach out and grab things—including forbidden “toys,” such as earrings. Melisa is at the stage where she grabs everything, including my hair, and won’t let go. “ HELIN IS ALWAYS at the shoots, an adoring and attentive big sister. “Although she was adamant she wanted a brother, she soon admitted that having a sister was pretty cool,” Seyhan laughs. Far from being camera shy, Helin wants to be in the shots, and the photo-shoot team is happy to oblige. For this picture, Helin proved a more malleable model than her sister. Despite the photographer’s enthusiastic attempts to get Melisa’s attention.

Baby Growth Spurts : Week 28 Weight: 19 lb (8.7 kg) 

Because Melisa has acquired such an impressive collection of toys, the photo-shoot team is running out of space to work in the family’s home. A change in location to a nearby community center is necessary.

MUCH TO SEYHAN’S DELIGHT, Melisa loves books. She anticipates the repetitive sounds of her mom’s voice reading a favorite story and, not yet able to discern between 2-D and 3-D, she grabs at the colorful pictures. Predictably, Melisa also does her best to chew the book.

WITH SEYHAN SUPPORTING HER, Melisa is able to stand, building up strength in her legs to walk. The ecstatic excitement on her face and cute coos show that she knows she is doing something clever. Sometimes, she bends her knees and bounces, exercising her legs and core musles, and giving Seyhan an upper arm workout, too.

Baby Growth Spurts : Week 32 Weight: 20¼ lb (9.2 kg)

How Long Do Baby Growth Spurts Last, Melisa uses her hands a lot. She reaches for toys, points with her fists, grabs, holds, and bangs with her hands. She also tries exploring things with her mouth. CAPTIVATED BY ANYTHING NEW, Melisa sits and observes when Helin reads her a peekaboo book. She cannot resist launching herself forward to rustle the scrunchy fabric and lift the tabs to find what is underneath.

SITTING UP UNAIDED, a playful Melisa wants Exploring with mouth to explore everything. When presented with a colorful new toy, she can’t wait to get her hands on it. Typical of her age group, she first shakes it, bangs it, and drops it to see what happens. Then she puts it in her mouth— which has more nerve endings than any other part of her body—for the tried-and-tested mouthing method of further exploration.

Baby Growth Spurts : Week 36 Weight: 20¾ lb (9.4 kg)

Getting Melisa to sit still for a picture has become a mammoth challenge, now that she’s on the move with a bottom-shuffle crawl. Her dad, Ulas, and her grandma agree to be a part of the photo-shoot action, and to run around after Melisa.

NOW NINE MONTHS OLD, Melisa has started to crawl. Well, her version of crawling that is…. Many babies begin with a traditional on-all-fours crawl, but Melisa shuns this method and bottomshuffles her way around, one leg curled beneath her and her arms doing most of the work. Once babies are more mobile and can increase the distance between themselves and their mommies, separation anxiety often sets in. One way to reduce the effect of this is to leave children with their grandparents on a regular basis, so that they get used to “other people.” Living just around the corner, Seyhan’s mom loves taking care of her grandchildren, and the two girls love having “Granny as their nanny.”

Baby Growth Spurts : Week 40 Weight: 21¼ lb (9.7 kg) 

Strong and supple, Melisa is constantly moving around, exploring everything. Getting her to sit still for shots requires lots of new toys, funny faces, and raspberry blowing. A HIGHLY MOBILE MELISA lies on her back just long enough for the growth-chart shot, mesmerized for a few seconds by the photographer’s funny noises. At playtime, she’s beginning to experiment—not yet able to stack blocks, but very much into tower demolition, and thrilled with each new accomplishment.

EXCITED BY THE DIFFERENT VIEW from her standing height, Melisa is getting better at keeping her balance when helped to an upright position. Here, propped confidently against her little table, she’s on the lookout for that toy she remembers being taken away and stashed behind a box just over there…

Baby Growth Spurts : Week 44 Weight: 22½ lb (10.1 kg) 

With three solid meals in addition to milk feedings, lots of crawling, exploring and playing, and two naps, Melisa’s day is a full one. And that’s without a photo shoot to boot. 

BABIES ARE BORN with enough iron to supply their little bodies for the first six months of life. From then on, they need a source of food other than their mother’s milk to help boost this supply. Melisa began this new regimen just before she was six months, with iron-fortified rice cereal, plus puréed fruit and vegetables. Sweet potato, pumpkin, and all fruits are clear winners with Melisa, who grabs at the spoon if it’s something she likes in a messy attempt to feed herself. Efforts to keep food out of Melisa’s hands and save the white background sheet at this photoshoot were an epic failure.

OTHERWISE, A SOCIAL BABY, if Melisa is teething, tired, or just out of sorts, she becomes shy and uncertain, sucking her thumb to self-soothe but needing reassuring cuddling from Mom, too. After dropping a nap from her routine, she is now very sleepy at the end of the day.

Baby Growth Spurts: Week 48 Weight: 23 lb (10.4 kg) 

This shoot explores Melisa’s repertoire of skills and her experiments with tastes and textures. She doesn’t always come up with the reactions everyone expected. PARTICULAR WORDS grab Melisa’s attention as she begins to understand and associate them with objects and actions. How Long Do Baby Growth Spurts Last She is becoming her own person, asserting herself with sister Helin at times, and playing alongside her (“parallel play”) at others. She still checks her mom’s response to things she is uncertain about, though.

Baby Growth Spurts : Week 52 Weight: 23¼ lb (10.5 kg) 

Unaware that it is her birthday, but loving the fuss, Melisa is one year old. This huge milestone marks both the end of the photo shoots and the start of a new year that will see Melisa walking and talking. AT THIS AGE, babies maintain their insatiable desire to explore and are growing in independence. How Long Do Baby Growth Spurts Last, With every newly mastered skill, from standing and walking to feeding herself, Melisa steps further away from helpless babyhood and is becoming a little lady?

WITH HER FINE MOTOR SKILLS mastered, Melisa is making more use of her larger muscles, pulling up to standing. Of course, she has the occasional tumble and still needs a little help from Mom, but her confidence is growing. Sadly our photo team won’t be around to capture the ongoing moments of Melisa’s little achievements. She hasn’t quite learned to walk yet, but with her burgeoning strength and coordination, it won’t be long. The sadness of bidding farewell to this happy family is mitigated by the great privilege we have enjoyed in being able to watch their baby grow.