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

It's common to notice a few strange baby quirks as your little one grows and develops.

Many of them appear concerning, which might leave you wondering if there's something wrong that requires medical attention.

But quite often these little quirks are normal behavior for your baby and nothing to worry about.

In this video you'll learn about some of the most common baby quirks, why your baby does them, and how to tell if you should be concerned or not.

As your baby goes through the normal phases of development, you'll notice all sorts of changes in their behavior, and it's normal to question whether you need to be worried or not.

Hopefully this video helps clarify some of the things you'll see and make it a little less stressful for you!

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

Weird Behaviour 1

As a new parent, it is quite common to notice unusual behaviors, 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.

Weird Behaviour 2  

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 glands 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.

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.

Weird Behaviour 3  

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 firstborn'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 to check in 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.

Weird Behaviour 4  

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.

Weird Behaviour 5  

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's 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.

Weird Behaviour 6  

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 the molding, 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 babies' 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 joined together too early, and this can have an impact on that developing brain and does require urgent treatment.