6 Weird Baby Behaviors That Scare New Parents (And When to be Concerned)

As a new parent, it is quite common to notice unusual behaviours, quirks and other little things that your newborn does that at first glance can be quite alarming. But some things you might worry about are normal and just part of development. And the last thing you need as a new parent is more stress. So let's talk about a few of the most common things that you might see that look weird but are in fact totally normal and where that line is between normal and when you should be concerned. Starting with newborn shakes. So in newborns the pathway that actually carries the signal from the brain to the parts of the body aren't yet fully developed and this can cause jerky or twitchy movements. So it's really common to see jerky or twitchy movements when your baby is going to sleep or asleep, when they are crying or when they are hungry. As your baby's nervous system matures, these movements will actually become more fluid and their hand and leg movements will become a lot more controlled. However, if you suspect seizures or you're concerned about shaky movements, don't hesitate to call your pediatrician just to double check. And it's often really helpful to record that suspicious activity of your baby doing those jerky or twitchy movements and bringing that along to your pediatrician appointment. That way your doctor can actually see what you're concerned about and can either put your fears to rest or they can actually recommend what treatment is required if the movements are indeed more than just normal baby movements. The next thing you will notice is that newborn babies cry a lot. But you will see that your newborn doesn't actually produce tears when they're crying. Now this might make you worry that something is wrong. However, not making tears right away is normal and this is because the gland that produces the tears initially only produces just enough tears to keep the eye moist and healthy. They don't make enough to be seen as tears when crying and it isn't until around one to three months of age that babies actually start shedding visible tears when they are upset. Now producing tears is one of the many mini milestones that your baby will achieve in their first year of life and if you want to know what other amazing skills your little one is actually going to learn before their first birthday, make sure you click on the link in the description box below to get your free developmental milestone pdf. This will help to alleviate some of the stress you might have in their first year as well as give you an indication on when you need to be concerned about your baby's achievement of their milestones. While we're on the topic of eyes, another thing you may notice is that your little one's eye or eyes start to water constantly even when they are not upset and immediately you and others may think that your baby has conjunctivitis and this is exactly what I thought when my first born's eyes started to water constantly. So tears are actually made by glands underneath the eyelids and these tears actually wash over the eyes to keep them moist and clean and then they drain through tear ducts. However, when the tear duct is actually blocked or too narrow, the tears simply cannot drain and they fall constantly from your baby's eye or eyes. Babies with blocked tear ducts usually show symptoms between birth and 12 weeks of age and this usually isn't a cause for concern and most cases of blocked tear ducts will resolve on their own by your baby's first birthday. However, if you notice your baby's eye is red or their eyelid is swollen, then it's important checking with their doctor to rule out any infection and also it's important to see your doctor if the blocked tear duct hasn't gone away by the time your baby is one year of age. You may also notice that your baby spits up or has reflux. Now spitting up or reflux is something a lot of newborns and babies experience and this is because the sphincter that is between the food pipe and the stomach is immature and doesn't actually close properly and because their diet consists of breast milk or formula, which is a liquid, it easily flows out of this opening and back up their mouth and then out of their mouth. Now the majority of babies do not tend to be bothered by the spitting up and most infants will stop spitting up once their sphincter matures and they start to spend more time sitting up. As long as your child is happy and gaining weight, you don't need to be concerned if they do spit up. However, for some babies reflux or spitting up is painful and it can lead to poor weight gain and for these babies it's important to talk to your pediatrician about what the next steps may be. You may also notice your newborn's smooth soft skin starts to develop small red bumps on their cheek, nose or forehead and if these small red bumps develop within the first two to four weeks after birth, it is highly likely that your little one has baby acne. Fortunately there's no reason to actually be concerned about baby acne which occurs in one in five newborns. Unfortunately there is nothing that you can actually do to stop your little one from getting baby acne as the cause of it is unknown. Some researchers believe that it's due to the maternal hormone circulating in your baby's system, where others believe it's because the pores in your newborn skin aren't completely developed and your baby may be susceptible to developing acne caused by some external irritant. But the good news is that the baby acne will usually clear up on its own within three to four months without any scarring. Now if you are concerned that your baby's skin irritation could be something more than baby acne or you're concerned about any aspect of your baby's complexion, it is important to consult with their doctor or pediatrician just to be sure. You may also notice that your newborn's head appears to be misshapen and it's extremely common for newborn babies to have an unusual shaped head and this could be due to the position they were in in the uterus during pregnancy or it could be caused by their molding or so that changing shape of the head during labor or it could be due to instruments that were used during delivery. So for example your baby's head may look a little squished if you had a long labor or if you had a vaginal birth. Now most baby's heads should go back to a normal shape within about six weeks after birth. However if you notice at around six to eight weeks of age your baby has a flat spot on the back or side of their head or they continue to have an unusual shaped head, then do make sure you check in with a physical therapist or physiotherapist to make sure your baby doesn't have positional plagiocephaly or craniosynostosis which is a birth defect in which the bones in the baby's skull actually join together too early and this can have an impact on that developing brain and does require urgent treatment. And while you're waiting for that appointment the next thing you want to do is actually check out this video to find out what you can actually start doing today to stop that flat spot going from a mild flattening to a severe case. Thanks for watching and I will see you next week for more parenting tips and tricks.