🍼 Age-based baby guide

Week 5: Many babies are starting to feel like little people with their own style – longer quiet-awake times, stronger kicks, first real smiles and coos, and more obvious ways of telling you when they want a cuddle, a feed, or a change of scene.

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Around five weeks, lots of babies have short stretches where they are wide awake, calmly looking around, listening to your voice, and moving their arms and legs in a more organised way than in the very early days.
Feeding is still frequent at this age, but some parents notice that their baby latches more quickly, sucks in a steadier rhythm, and sometimes pauses mid-feed to gaze at their caregiver as if checking in.
Sleep usually still comes in many short chunks spread across day and night, and there is a wide range of total sleep time from baby to baby, so it is common for nights to remain broken for a while.
Wet nappies are often heavier now and soft poos are common, and health professionals often look at nappies alongside feeding and behaviour as one way to see how a baby is doing overall.
Many babies are beginning to show early social skills, such as staring at faces, copying simple expressions, or making little “ah” and “goo” sounds when you talk or sing to them.
If you are worried about your baby’s feeding, breathing, colour, nappies, or how alert they seem, you are encouraged to contact your midwife, health visitor, paediatrician or local emergency service.

Feeding

Guide

At week 5 many babies still feed often both day and night, and responsive feeding – offering breast or bottle when they show early hunger cues like stirring, rooting, or sucking on their hands – usually fits well with their small tummies and fast growth.
Some parents notice that feeds feel a bit smoother now, with their baby settling into a comfortable position, sucking and swallowing in a more even pattern, and relaxing their fists and shoulders as their tummy fills.
Regular wet nappies, a changing pattern of poos, and routine weight checks with your midwife, health visitor, or paediatrician are often used together to get a picture of how feeding is going.

Sleep

Guide

Around five weeks, most babies still sleep for many hours across a 24-hour period, but this is usually broken into short stretches, and there can be big differences between babies in how much sleep they get.
Parents are often advised to place their baby on their back in a clear, flat sleep space in the same room as an adult, keeping pillows, duvets, and toys away from the baby’s face to support safer sleep.
Some families gently show the difference between day and night by having normal light and household sounds for daytime naps, and quieter, dimmer, low-stimulation care at night, without expecting strict routines or long stretches of sleep yet.

Pee and Pooping

Guide

By this stage, many babies have a fairly steady pattern of wet nappies and soft poos, which might be mustard yellow, brown, or slightly green, and noisy squirts or “concentration faces” during a poo are very common.
Some babies poo several times a day, while others do so less often, and parents often get used to their baby’s usual rhythm and notice quickly if it changes.
Contact your midwife, health visitor, paediatrician or local emergency service if wet or dirty nappies suddenly become very rare, or if you see very pale poo, blood, or other changes that worry you.

Learning

Guide

At around five weeks your baby is busy practising early communication, and during short calm times they may look closely at your face, watch your mouth move, and make tiny sounds or expressions in response.
A few times a day, for a couple of minutes when your baby is awake and content, you might sing a simple song, repeat a gentle rhyme, or slowly move your head or a high-contrast toy from side to side for them to follow with their eyes, stopping when they look away or seem tired.
Short, watched bits of tummy time on your chest, across your lap, or on a firm surface help your baby feel their body, practise lifting and turning their head, and build the neck and shoulder strength they will use later for rolling and sitting.

Sources

This content is general information only and is not medical advice. If you are worried about your baby, contact your midwife, health visitor, paediatrician, or local emergency service.