Every newborn arrives with a set of built-in moves called reflexes. A reflex is a movement a baby makes without choosing to. Stroke a baby's palm and the fingers close around yours. That is the grasp reflex, and it lasts until about 5 to 6 months. Touch the cheek and the baby turns and opens its mouth. That is the rooting reflex, which helps the baby find food. Babies also have a hand-to-mouth reflex that goes with rooting and sucking, so they may suck on their fingers or hands.

Another reflex shows up when a baby hears a loud sound or feels a sudden move. The baby stretches out its arms and legs and then pulls them back in. That is the startle reflex. A baby's own cry can startle the baby and set off this reflex.

Newborn eyes focus best on things about 8 to 12 inches (20 to 30 centimeters) away, about as far as a parent's face. Newborns like to look at faces, and they like black-and-white or high-contrast patterns. For the first two months, a baby's eyes are not well coordinated and may seem to wander or look crossed. This is usually normal. By about 2 months, many babies watch people as they move.

Seeing takes both the eyes and the brain. Signals travel from the eye to the brain, and a baby's brain has to learn to use what the eyes send. Hearing starts early. Babies can hear loud sounds from the start, and they may turn their head toward familiar voices.

Babies cannot use words, so they cry. A cry tells the people nearby that the baby wants food, a hug, a clean diaper or sleep. Babies cry more in their first 3 months than at any other time, and crying usually gets better after that. A baby's first signs of communication come when the baby learns that a cry brings food, comfort and company.

Scientists describe this exchange as serve and return. It is a back-and-forth between a baby and a caring grown-up, like a game of tennis. A baby coos or babbles, the adult answers, and the baby learns. When an adult answers a babble, gesture or cry with eye contact, words or a hug, the baby's brain builds and strengthens connections.

Sounds come in stages. Up to about 4 months, babies coo, making soft pleasure sounds like oooo and aahh. Later comes babbling, strings of sounds like tata, upup and bibibi, which starts in the first year. Learning language is more than making sounds, though. Listening, understanding and knowing the names of people and things are all part of it. Babies learn words like cup and shoe, and they respond to simple requests, before they can say them.

Sleep changes, too. Newborns sleep many hours a day. As of November 2026, a common guide is 14 to 17 hours, though anywhere from about 8 to 18 hours can be normal. Newborns wake up often to eat because their stomachs are tiny and cannot hold much milk at once. So they do not sleep through the whole night. As babies grow they can sleep longer at night, and by around 6 months some sleep for up to 12 hours, but every baby has a different sleep pattern. As of November 2026, babies are safest sleeping on their backs.

Play grows with them. In the second half of the first year, babies enjoy peek-a-boo, and by around 12 months they find hidden objects easily. Around 6 months a baby reaches out to grab a toy it wants. Around their first birthday, many babies say one or two simple words, such as hi, dog, Dada or Mama.

Words to know

• reflex: unchosen move
• rooting: finding food
• coo: soft sound
• babbling: strings of sounds
• communication: sharing messages