Week 6: Many babies feel “bigger” in every way now – more smiles, louder protests, hungrier days, and longer quiet-awake moments where they study your face and practise chatting back with little sounds and wiggles.

• At around six weeks, many babies still feed often both day and night, and responsive feeding – offering breast or bottle when they show early hunger signs like stirring, rooting, or sucking their hands – usually fits well with their small tummies and fast growth.
• Some babies have very hungry spells at this stage, including evening periods where they want several feeds close together, which parents often describe as a “growth leap” rather than a sign that anything is wrong with their milk or care.
• Wet nappies across the day, soft poos, and regular weight checks with a midwife, health visitor, or paediatrician are commonly used together to see how feeding is going overall, and you can contact them if you are worried about feeds or nappies.

• At six weeks, many babies still sleep for a large part of each 24 hours, often somewhere in the “teens” of hours, but in lots of short chunks, so frequent night waking is still very common.
• Parents are often advised to keep their baby on their back in a clear, flat sleep space in the same room as an adult, with no pillows, duvets, or soft toys near the face and in a smoke-free environment, to support safer sleep while nights are still broken.
• Some families gently show the difference between day and night by keeping daytime naps in normal household light and noise, and making nighttime care dim and calm, without expecting strict schedules or long unbroken stretches yet.

• By this stage many babies have a fairly steady pattern of wet nappies and soft poos that might be mustard yellow, brown, or slightly green, often arriving with dramatic squirts or very serious “poo faces”.
• Some babies poo several times a day, while others may poo less often but in larger amounts, and parents usually get to know their own 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.

• Around six weeks, many babies are practising early social skills, such as turning towards familiar voices, staring at faces, copying simple expressions, and offering first smiles and coos during cosy one-to-one moments.
• A few times a day, for a few minutes when your baby is calm and awake, you might sing a favourite song, repeat a gentle rhyme, or slowly move your face or a simple high-contrast toy from side to side so they can follow with their eyes, pausing when they look away or seem tired.
• Tiny bits of tummy time while your baby is awake and watched – on your chest, across your lap, or on a firm surface – help them practise lifting and turning their head and build strength for later rolling and sitting, and these can be as short and playful as a song or verse at a time.

Sources

• NHS – Caring for a newborn baby (0 to 12 weeks)
• NHS – Your baby’s sleep patterns
• HealthyChildren.org (AAP) – Developmental Milestones: 1 Month
• HealthyChildren.org (AAP) – Emotional & Social Development in Babies: Birth to 3 Months
• Derbyshire Family Health Service – Sleep in your baby’s first year

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.