My Baby Stages← to the homepage
Baby at 6–12 weeks: sleep, feeding and development
Stage: 6–12 weeks
Sleep
14–16 hoursper 24 hours
60–90 minawake between naps
45 min–2 hoursper nap
a rhythm starts to form: 4–5 naps a day
Feeding
Breastfeed on demand; feeding gradually becomes more predictable.
Formula: 6–8 feeds a day, 3–4 oz (90–120 ml). Around 6 weeks many babies hit another growth spurt — extra demand is part of it.
Diaper size
Size 1, 8–14 lb (4–6 kg).
Development at this stage
- First social smile
- Lifts head briefly during tummy time
- Follows a moving object with the eyes
- Makes cooing sounds
Play & do together
- Answer every smile and coo — taking turns 'chatting' is how language starts
- Move a brightly colored toy slowly and let your baby follow it with their eyes
- Build up tummy time: place a toy just out of reach
- Sing the same songs over and over — repetition is exactly what a baby's brain loves
Care & things to watch
- Bathing: 2–3 times a week remains enough
- Daily vitamin D (400 IU) continues if breastfed
- 2-month vaccinations (CDC schedule): DTaP, Hib, polio (IPV), pneumococcal (PCV), rotavirus and hepatitis B (2nd dose) — given at the 2-month well-child visit
- Well-child visits at 1 and 2 months: growth, development and feeding are checked
- Regular supervised tummy time helps prevent a flat spot on the back of the head
- Around 6 weeks a growth spurt can mean extra feeding and temporarily unsettled sleep — normal, and it passes
Want this matched to your own baby?
Enter a birth date once and see what matters this week — free, no account needed.
Create your own overview →Other ages: 0–6 weeks · 3–4 months · 4–6 months · 6–9 months · 9–12 months · 12–18 months · 18–24 months · 2–3 years · 3–4 years · 4–5 years
Also handy: what diaper size fits? · how much formula per day? · the full starting-solids plan
📱 Also as a free app: Google Play · App Store