At one month, your baby is still very new: feeds and naps fill most of the day, evenings can become unsettled, and night and day may not yet mean much. You may also notice longer looks at your face, small sounds and a little more head control. This UK guide takes you from four weeks towards the GP’s 6–8 week check and the first NHS immunisations without turning normal variation into a timetable.
What might you notice between four and seven weeks?
Your baby may watch your face for longer, settle when they hear your voice, make sounds other than crying and briefly lift their head during supervised tummy time. A first social smile often appears as the second month unfolds, but there is no deadline at four weeks.
Head control is still developing, so continue to support the neck. Speak to your health visitor or GP if your baby loses a skill, consistently moves one side less, does not react to sound, or shows a lasting change that concerns you. Use corrected age when discussing development if your baby was born early.
Book the GP’s 6–8 week baby check
The NHS offers another newborn and infant physical examination when your baby is six to eight weeks old. The GP checks general health and specifically looks again at the eyes, heart, hips and, for boys, the testicles. Feeding, growth and early development can also be discussed. This is separate from, though sometimes arranged near, the birth parent’s postnatal check.
Register your baby with a GP and contact the surgery if you have not been offered an appointment. Take the Red Book, discharge information, medicines or supplements and a list of questions. Your health visitor remains a useful contact for feeding, sleep, crying and family wellbeing.
The first NHS vaccinations are due at 8 weeks
For babies following the routine NHS schedule from July 2026, the first appointment is at eight weeks and includes the 6-in-1 vaccine, MenB and rotavirus. The surgery may arrange the vaccination appointment separately from the GP check, so ask when booking rather than assuming both will happen together.
Schedules can differ for babies with particular medical risks or an incomplete record. Keep the Red Book up to date and follow the invitation from your GP surgery. If your baby is unwell on the day, ring the surgery for advice instead of deciding from an online checklist.
Feeding at one month
Feeds are still frequent by day and night, and some cluster together. Breastfeeding is guided by early feeding cues such as rooting, hands to mouth and turning towards touch. If you use first infant formula, make each feed exactly as the packaging and NHS guidance describe; your health visitor or GP can help if amounts or weight are worrying you. Babies this age do not need water, tea, baby rice or other foods.
Look at the pattern rather than one feed: swallowing, comfortable breathing, alert periods, usual wet nappies and the growth trend. Ask for same-day advice if your baby is increasingly difficult to wake for feeds, repeatedly vomits, feeds much less than usual or has far fewer wet nappies.
Sleep, safe sleep and tummy time
A one-month-old’s sleep is usually spread across day and night. Frequent waking and contact-seeking are normal; there is no official minute-perfect wake-window target. For every sleep, place your baby on their back in their own clear, flat, firm sleep space. Keep pillows, pods, nests, bumpers, toys and loose bedding out, and never sleep with a baby on a sofa or armchair.
Tummy time belongs to awake, supervised moments only. Begin with short, manageable periods on the floor, your chest or your lap and build up gradually. Your face, voice and gentle response are already powerful developmental support.
Why evenings may feel harder now
Crying commonly increases in the early weeks and can peak around six to eight weeks. Work through hunger, nappy, temperature, tiredness and overstimulation, then repeat simple calming actions. Sometimes a healthy baby still takes time to settle.
If you feel close to losing control, put your baby safely in the cot, step away briefly and ask someone for help. Never shake a baby. Crying with fever, breathing changes, poor feeding, unusual drowsiness, repeated vomiting or a distinctly unwell appearance should not be dismissed as colic.
When to use 111, urgent care or 999
A temperature of 38°C or above in a baby under three months needs urgent medical assessment. Call 999 for severe breathing difficulty, blue or grey colour, a seizure, or a baby who is unresponsive. For urgent concerns that are not immediately life-threatening, contact your GP or NHS 111.
Get urgent advice if your baby is hard to wake, will not feed, has green vomit, repeated projectile vomiting, a marked fall in wet nappies, worsening jaundice or a cry that is weak, high-pitched or very different. Trust a persistent sense that your baby is not themselves.
Make the first month easier to explain
Nerumi turns sleep history into personal predictions, keeps feeding, expressing, nappies, medicines, vaccinations, appointments, growth and memories in one place, and exports any date range as a focused doctor PDF. No Nerumi account is required; your baby’s data stays in your own iCloud.
Explore Nerumi↗References and primary sources
- NHS — Newborn physical examinationaccessed August 2026
- NHS — Your 6-week postnatal checkaccessed August 2026
- GOV.UK — Complete routine immunisation schedule from 1 July 2026updated August 17, 2026
- NHS — Urgent medical help for babies and children under 5accessed August 2026
- WHO — Infant and young child feedingAugust 4, 2026
- CDC — Milestones by 2 MonthsMay 15, 2026
This app doesn't give medical advice; if you're worried, talk to your pediatrician.