While there’s a lot to learn as a first-time mom, a baby is only considered a newborn for his first 2-3 months of life. Next is the infant stage, which lasts until your baby turns 1 year old.

Jean Piaget, a child psychologist and researcher who pioneered the concept of object permanence, suggested that this skill doesn’t develop until a baby is about 8 months old. But it’s now generally agreed that babies begin understanding object permanence earlier — somewhere between 4 and 7 months.

“So if you’re struggling, keep going as it will get better and you’ll remember the good times more than the tough ones.” However, the stages mums found hardest were the first week, followed by 11 to 12 months when many mums go back to work, then the new-born’s week’s two to six.

Newborns usually sleep in short bursts of 2-3 hours each. Some newborns sleep for up to four hours at a time. Newborns wake frequently to feed because they have tiny tummies.

Chronic sleepiness, though, can sometimes be a cause for concern. If your newborn is regularly sleeping for more than 17 hours a day and is interfering with her ability to eat at least eight times per day, you should let your pediatrician know. Frequently missing meals could hurt her weight gain and growth.

Newborns should not go more than about 4–5 hours without feeding. Signs that babies are hungry include: moving their heads from side to side.

Here are some strategies:

1. Swaddle your baby (stop swaddling once baby can roll), even if they fight it, which many tired babies will.
2. Once they’re swaddled, hold them tightly against your chest.
3. Breastfeed or give your baby a bottle.
4. Gently and slowly rock or bounce your baby and put them down drowsy but still awake.

Yes its not good to pick up a baby every time he or she cries or as they wake up from nap.As long as they are well fed and not wet with pee or dirty with poop its ok for them to cry a little bit. Crying exercises babys lungs. And babies knows whenever the parents keep picking up they expect it to happen all the time.

If your child falls asleep easily, but takes short naps, cry it out may be effective to lengthen their naps. If your child sleeps less than 45 minutes for a nap, you can elect to leave them in their crib for another 10-15 minutes to see if they may fall back to sleep.

Try swaddling him, to mimic the feeling of being held, and then putting him down. Stay with him and rock him, sing, or stroke his face or hand until he settles down. Babies this young simply don’t have the ability to calm themselves yet, so it’s important not to let him “cry it out.”

Babies who get constant cuddling tend to sleep better, manage stress more easily and exhibit better autonomic functions, such as heart rate.