18-Week-Old Baby
18-Week-Old Baby
At 18 weeks old, baby is a whole lot sturdier than those newborn days. They’re probably ready to roll over, and with their stronger neck muscles, they make great dancing partners when held in your arms. Your little one is also able to better communicate with you these days, vocalizing in response to your talking and laughing when they think you’re being funny.
Despite all the positive energy that your 18-week-old radiates, it’s not always easy parenting an infant, especially if you’re sleep-deprived, stressed out or bogged down by work. Take heart in the sweet small moments, like appreciating baby’s smiles one at a time. Here’s what to expect in life with an 18-week-old.
Growth
At 18 weeks old, many babies have doubled their birth weight. Baby girls in the 50th percentile weigh about 14.3 pounds, while boys are about 15.7 pounds. The average length (aka height) is around 24.5 inches for girls and 25.3 inches for boys. Of course, your child’s weight and height may not track close to these numbers, and that’s okay. Every baby follows their own natural growth curve.
Emerging skills
Baby is busy getting stronger! At 18 weeks, you may see them push up to their elbows during tummy time and roll over, or feel them push their feet down on your legs when you’re holding them upright on your lap. Baby is also getting pretty good at holding their head up without support. Their hands aren’t idle these days—18-week-olds typically love bringing their hands to their mouths and using them to rake objects toward them (so watch what you put down in front of them!). Plus, your little one is becoming a social butterfly, babbling with expression, interacting with people during playtime and responding when they show affection.
Feeding
How much should an 18-week-old baby eat? On average, breastfed babies eat about every three to four hours. Formula-fed babies may guzzle down anywhere from 4 to 7 ounces every three to five hours, but of course every baby is different, so be sure to follow your child’s cues.
Can you feed your 18-week-old solid food? The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends waiting until baby is 6 months old, but if your child has good head control and a tendency to watch you like a hawk when you eat, you can ask your pediatrician if now is a good time to start introducing solids.
Sleep
Your 18-week-old can probably eat enough in the evening to hold them over until morning, although it’s common for many to wake up once during the night to feed, especially breastfed babies. Most 18-week-olds nap two to three times a day, each ranging from 30 minutes to two hours; tack on nighttime sleep and your little one should be getting a total of 12 to 16 hours of sleep a day.
Every family is different, but if you’re thinking of sleep training baby, now may be the time to start strategizing. At this age, baby’s circadian rhythm is setting in and they may not need a nighttime feeding anymore, which is why experts often recommend starting sleep training around 4 months.
Reflux
Gastroesophageal reflux (GER) is basically just spit-up, and it’s totally normal for babies this age. They’ve probably been spitting up since they were a couple weeks old, but reflux tends to peak around 4 to 5 months. Not to worry! When infants don’t have other accompanying symptoms, these “happy spitters,” as they’re known, aren’t cranky and aren’t in pain when spitting up—in fact, it probably feels good after a big meal. If it’s getting to be a lot, you can try adjusting your feeding position, offering smaller but more frequent feedings and/or keeping baby upright for 20 to 30 minutes after eating. Reflux usually goes away by 9 to 12 months. If baby is refusing to eat or not gaining enough weight, is crying or arching their back in pain, has greenish spit-up or respiratory symptoms like coughing or wheezing, those may be signs of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and should be flagged for your pediatrician.
Can my 18-week-old baby be around pets?
It’s pretty cute to see your little one hanging out with Whiskers and Fido. But while it’s totally fine to have baby around cats and dogs, the CDC recommends avoiding contact with reptiles (lizards, snakes, turtles, etc.), amphibians (frogs, salamanders, et.), rodents (hamsters, guinea pigs, gerbils, etc.) and poultry (chickens, ducklings, etc.)—that’s because baby can get sick from the germs these animals tend to carry.
It’s important to know that even the most patient animal may not tolerate being pulled or patted by a curious child, which is why, especially given how grabby baby is right now, you should never leave baby alone with pets. After the play session, wash your little one’s hands and clean any pacifiers and toys that fall on the floor.
How worried do I have to be about constantly cleaning baby’s environment?
You want baby’s living space as clean as possible, but don’t go nuts disinfecting all the time. Research suggests that some exposure to common germs and dust may protect children from developing allergies, eczema and asthma. To make things more manageable, aim to keep the areas where baby plays, sleeps and eats clean, then pick another small area to wipe down each day. Allowing friends and family to help clean or hiring a housecleaner, if that’s a possibility for you, is a great way to make life a little easier.
When do babies start laughing?
Baby has probably been giving you genuine smiles for a while now, letting you know when they find something amusing. Now, get ready for the giggles! While every child develops at their unique rate, babies generally start chuckling around 4 months old. If you haven’t heard these sweet sounds yet, don’t worry—some babies are just naturally more serious than others. Those early giggles and chuckles will progress to full-throated belly laughs usually by 6 months, taking playtime to a whole new level.
How to wean off nighttime feedings
Up until now, your little one wasn’t developmentally ready to go all night without food—they had to wake up to get some extra calories into their hungry bodies. But around 4 months old, most babies are physically capable of eating enough during the day to meet their caloric needs. Plus, at this age, baby’s liver has completely matured and now produces glucose overnight, which helps prevent them from feeling hungry. But just because baby can go all night without eating doesn’t mean they won’t still wake up wanting some food.
Every family is different, and there’s no rush to end night feedings if they’re working for you and your child—some babies aren’t able to sleep through the night without a feeding for another few months. But if you’re ready, your first step is to confirm with your pediatrician that baby is ready for night weaning. If they give the green light, you can up the frequency of your nursing or bottle-feeding sessions in the afternoon and evening, and start shortening your regular nighttime feeding(s) by a few minutes each night until you and baby are skipping them entirely. Just remember that change takes time! Give it a week or two for baby to adjust.
- Consider finding a babysitter. If you haven’t already, now might be a good time to line up a babysitter. Your little one is past the newborn stage and isn’t waking up every couple of hours to feed, meaning you can probably slip out for a few hours of child-free fun. There’s no rush, of course, but if you’re eager for some quality time with your partner or friends (or just some time alone!), a trusted babysitting site or app can be a useful resource.
- Get strategic about chores. No matter how amazing you are, carving out time to tackle to-dos around the house is hard. If you live with a partner, take stock of how you divvy up responsibilities and whether you’re achieving a healthy level of chore equity. You can also try assigning a specific chore to certain nights of the week, so you don’t get overwhelmed by the lengthy list. Also, pro tip: Wearing baby in a carrier can be a great way to get stuff done with baby in tow!
- Anti-colic bottles. If baby is experiencing reflux, a baby bottle with anti-colic features may help ease their symptoms. Thanks to special air valves, these bottles reduce the amount of air baby swallows during their feeding, leading to less gas and spit-up. These are our favorite anti-colic bottles.
- Toy subscription. If you struggle to know what toys and activities are best for your baby as they grow and develop, a toy subscription service can remove the guesswork. Based on your preferences and baby’s age, you’ll receive a curated selection of playthings at a set interval, which keeps things fresh and fun.
Your 18-week-old loves putting things in their mouth—so let them! A wonderful way to stimulate baby’s senses and let them explore the world around them is to provide safe objects of different shapes, sizes, weights, materials and textures for your little one to see, touch and mouth. Look for bumpy silicone balls, wooden spoons, foam blocks, fabrics such as wool, corduroy and velvet and more! It’ll be a sensory sensation. Just make sure to avoid small objects that can be choking hazards (good rule of thumb: can’t fit through a toilet paper tube) and things that could break off in baby’s mouth, and anything hot or sharp that could pose a danger to baby.
Please note: The Bump and the materials and information it contains are not intended to, and do not constitute, medical or other health advice or diagnosis and should not be used as such. You should always consult with a qualified physician or health professional about your specific circumstances.
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