Babies

Frequently Asked Questions

• When do babies start teething?

  Your baby may begin teething as early as3 months, even though their first tooth probably won't start to poke through their gums until at least a few months later.Signs of teething include drooling more than usual, gnawing on things, waking more frequently, or being fussier than normal.

  Learn More: Baby Teething Symptoms and Treatment
• When do babies crawl?

  Most babies havestarted some version of crawlingby around 9 months, but some may take a little longer, and that's common.Your baby's crawl might look unconventional: they might roll, creep, push themselves backward, or "army crawl" with their arms. Some babies pull themselves to a standing position without much crawling andstart cruising.

  Learn More: More Crawling Experience May Strengthen a Baby’s Risk Perception
• When do babies start talking?

  Around 6 or 7 months, your baby maystart repeating words and soundsthey hear often. But it's not until they are closer to a year old that babies attach meaning to the words they use.Around their first birthday, your baby might be saying one or two words with purpose, and their language will grow quickly from there.

  Learn More: How Do Children Learn Language?
• When do babies roll over?

  By around 6 or 7 months, most babies can roll over in both directions (front to back, back to front).You can encourage this skill by placing your baby on their belly for frequenttummy timewhen they are awake.

  Learn More: When Do Babies Roll Over?
• How do you swaddle a baby?

  To make sure their joints develop properly, practice hip-healthyswaddling, endorsed by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America:

  1. Spread a blanket out flat, with one corner folded down.
  2. Lay your baby face-up on the blanket, with their head above the folded corner.
  3. Straighten their left arm and wrap the left corner of the blanket over their body, tucking it between their right arm and their right side.
  4. Tuck their right arm down, and fold the right corner of the blanket over their body and under their left side.
  5. Fold the bottom of the blanket loosely and tuck it under one side of your baby, making sure their hips can move and that the blanket is not too tight.

  Learn More: 8 Best Swaddles
• When do babies start walking?

  Although 12 months is the average age for babies to learn to walk, it's normal for children to start walking as early as 9 months or as late as 17 or 18 months.Once your baby startspulling themselves up to stand, holding onto something for support, they are getting ready to take their first steps.

  Learn More: When Will My Baby Start Walking?
• When do babies’ eyes change color?

  The cells that determine yourbaby's eye color在出生时仍未开发。这些细胞成为active over baby's first year, which is why a child may have blue eyes at birth and brown eyes by their first birthday. Eye color transformation often slows down around 6 months but usually isn't established until about 12 months.

  Learn More: How Your Baby Will Look Based on Genetics
• When do babies sit up?

  Babies can often sit without support at 6 months.Bolstering them with pillows or holding their hands while sitting helps them practice this skill. It may take a few months more for them to be able to be steady while sitting andplaying with a toyat the same time.

  Learn More: Your 6-Month-Old Baby's Development and Milestones
• How to get rid of baby hiccups?

  Rubbing your baby' back, burping them, encouraging them to suck on a pacifier, or changing their position (sitting to prone, for instance), can helpget rid of infant hiccups.But you don't need to do anything. Newborns spend a lot of time—about 2.5% of their day—hiccuping, and it bothers them less than you may think.

  Learn More: What Causes Baby Hiccups?
• When can babies have water?

  Babies can (and should) start having a few sips of water during mealtime when they startsolid foods,大约6个月。Between 6 and 12 months, they should still receivebreast milkorinfant formulaas a primary beverage. From a year on, water should be children's go-to drink.

  Learn More: Water for Babies and How Advice Changes Over Time
• When do babies get teeth?

  A baby'sfirst toothusually erupts between 6 and 10 months. That first tooth will most likely be a lower central incisor (one of the two middle teeth on the bottom). The upper central incisors and then the teeth on either side of those will usually come in closer to their first birthday or just after.

  Learn More: How to Prepare Your Child for Their First Dental Visit
• When do babies sleep through the night?

  Some lucky parents have babies whosleep through the nightstarting around a few months old, but night waking is common through the first year. Nearly two-fifths (38%) of 6-month-old babies are unable to sleep at a six-hour stretch. By their first birthday, however, 72% of babies are sleeping through the night.

  Learn More: Does Your Baby Follow a Sleep Schedule?
• When do babies start smiling?

  Smiling is one of the earliest social milestones for babies. Many infantsstart to smileat people around 2 months. By 4 months, babies smile even more, often in an effort to mimic caregivers.Smiling at your baby often will help encourage this skill.

  Learn More: How to Nurture Your Parent-Child Bond
• Can babies get COVID?

  Babies can getCOVID-19. Some newborns have tested positive shortly after being born. Fetal transmission has been proven, meaning that it is possible for babies to get the virus from their mothers before or during birth.They can also get it after birth. Although they are at lower risk for contracting the virus than older children, infants aremore likely to pass along the virusalong once they have it.

  Learn More: Everything You Need for a Sick Baby
• How to burp a baby?

  Gentle pats with a slightly cupped hand on your baby's back usuallyhelps bring a burp up.You can do this while holding your baby to your chest with their chin on your shoulder, sitting them upright with one hand supporting their chin and chest, or laying them on their belly over your lap.

  Learn More: 9 Best Burp Cloths
• What is colic in babies?

  Inconsolable crying—for more than three hours per day, more than three days a week, for longer than three weeks, specifically—defines colic. Between 10% and 40% of babies have colic, and luckily, most of them outgrow it by 3 to 6 months of age. Colic's cause is still unknown, but some likely triggers includeintolerance to cow's milk protein or lactoseand gastrointestinal immaturity or inflammation.

  Learn More: Simple Ways to Calm a Baby with Colic
• How much does it cost to have a baby?

  On average, it costs about $12,680 each year to care for a child from birth through age 2.Your costs may be on the higher side if you need to usechild care, which ranges from around $5,000 to $24,000 annually depending on your location.Other expenses include diapers, clothing, and food (if you opt to formula feed them and/or once they start solids). While you're expecting, research medical insurance, which can helpcontrol costsfor your baby's hospital delivery as well as visits to a pediatrician and dentist.

  Learn More: What is the Average Cost of a Baby?