Week 1 old
What to expect in week 1 with your newborn: feeding every 2-3 hours, lots of sleep, safe-sleep basics, and the normal newborn changes happening this first week.
In short
In week 1, your newborn is mostly eating and sleeping, feeding 8-12 times a day and sleeping around 14-17 hours total in short stretches. It is completely normal for them to be sleepy, to lose a little birth weight in the first few days, and to seem to do little besides feed, sleep, and fill diapers. This is exactly what a healthy first week looks like.
🍼 Feeding
Newborns feed often this week: breastfed babies roughly 8-12 times in 24 hours (every 2-3 hours, sometimes more); formula-fed babies usually take about 1-2 oz per feeding every 2-3 hours in the first days, gradually increasing to around 2-3 oz by the end of the week. Feed on demand and watch for early hunger cues (rooting, hands to mouth) rather than waiting for crying. Wake your baby to feed if more than about 3-4 hours pass during the day. Expect cluster feeding, especially in the evenings.
😴 Sleep
Most newborns sleep about 14-17 hours total per 24 hours this week, broken into short 1-3 hour stretches around the clock with no day-night pattern yet. Wake windows are very short, often just 45-60 minutes, and much of that is feeding. Always place your baby on their back to sleep, on a firm flat surface with no pillows, blankets, bumpers, or loose bedding. Room-sharing (baby in their own crib or bassinet near you) is recommended.
What's happening this week
- •Around this age, most newborns keep their arms and legs curled in toward the body and move in jerky, reflexive ways rather than smooth, controlled motions.
- •Many babies this early can only focus on objects about 8-12 inches away, roughly the distance to your face during feeding.
- •Newborns this week startle easily (the Moro reflex) and have a strong grasp and rooting reflex, all normal and expected.
- •Around now your baby recognizes your voice and smell and is soothed by being held close, skin-to-skin contact is wonderful this week.
- •Many newborns are still very sleepy in the first days and may need gentle waking for feeds.
Milestones to keep in mind
- ✓These are not weekly milestones, the first official CDC checkpoint is the 2-month checkup, so think in ranges rather than week-by-week targets.
- ✓By around the 2-month checkup many babies briefly hold their head up during tummy time and begin to smile socially, neither is expected yet in week 1.
- ✓Around this age you may notice your baby calming to your voice or turning toward sound, this varies a lot baby to baby.
- ✓Reflexes like rooting, sucking, and grasping are what to expect now, true 'milestones' come later.
Growth
💡 Tip for this week
Track wet and dirty diapers this week as your simplest sign feeding is on track: by about day 5-7, expect roughly 6 or more wet diapers a day and several stools that transition from dark, sticky meconium to softer, yellow-ish ones. A note on your phone is plenty.
⚠️ When to call your pediatrician
Call your pediatrician promptly for: a rectal temperature of 100.4 F (38 C) or higher (a fever in a newborn is always urgent), fewer than 6 wet diapers a day after day 5, no stools in 24 hours, worsening yellowing of the skin or eyes (jaundice), a baby too sleepy to wake for feeds or refusing to feed, very few or no tears/dry mouth or a sunken soft spot (dehydration), labored or very fast breathing, or any time your instinct says something is wrong.
Frequently asked
Is it normal for my newborn to lose weight in the first week?
Yes. Many newborns lose up to about 7-10% of their birth weight in the first few days and usually regain it by around 10-14 days. Your pediatrician will track this at the first visit. Tell them if your baby keeps losing weight past the first week or seems very sleepy and hard to feed.
How often should a 1-week-old eat?
Newborns typically feed 8-12 times in 24 hours, about every 2-3 hours, on demand. In the first days a formula-fed baby may take roughly 1-2 oz per feeding, increasing toward 2-3 oz by week's end. If your baby sleeps longer than 3-4 hours during the day, gently wake them to feed.
Where should my newborn sleep?
Always on their back, on a firm, flat surface with a fitted sheet and nothing else, no pillows, blankets, bumpers, or stuffed animals. The safest setup is your baby's own crib or bassinet in your room (room-sharing without bed-sharing). This is the most important thing you can do to lower the risk of SIDS.
Looking for the bigger picture? See the month 1 overview →
General guidance, not medical advice. Every baby develops at their own pace — talk to your pediatrician with any concerns.