Your 28-Week-Old Baby: Development, Growth & Health

Last Updated: March 23, 2021

Baby starts to crawl! How to encourage crawling, crawling baby safety tips, and the importance of breaking the monotony by rekindling old friendships with your girls who don’t have kids.

Your baby's twenty-eighth week after birth

At 28 weeks, your little one’s muscles are strengthening greatly. Keep any choking hazards away from the floor as your baby is starting to crawl. They’ll be rolling around everywhere and might sit without support, too. Their brain is developing and improving well. At this stage, your little one is hungrier than ever. They need more energy to power their rapid movements and brain development so you can expect an increase in appetite. There will be very few resting periods for your baby as learning new skills requires lots of energy. All in all, during this period your little one will be developing rapidly on all fronts.

Your 28-week-old baby's development and physical growth

Your baby’s weight:

By this stage, your little one will continue to gain around 1 to 1 ¼ pound.
Towards the end of this month, your baby might weigh around 2.5 times their birth weight.
Also, take your little one for a checkup during this time.
The healthcare provider will make sure if your little one’s weight, length, and head circumference are right on track.
They’ll plot their measurements on the baby growth charts.

Your baby’s diet:

At 28 weeks, you might’ve introduced solid food to your little one.
However, it’s normal for some babies to not be too inclined towards solid food, even now.
Remember that the regular inclusion of solid food in your little one’s diet will happen most likely during the age of one.
So, there’s no need to force your child to eat solid food. If you force them, they might create negative associations and might not accept solid food at all.
During family dinners, you can subtly encourage them by making solid food available to them.
Sooner or later, your baby will most likely move onto solid foods.

Your baby’s sleep:

At this stage, your baby’s sleep will be disruptive.
As a result of muscle practicing, where the muscles of the child strengthen as they are sleeping, you might find your little one waking up at odd hours during the night, and crying out for your attention.
Most parents prefer co-sleeping during this time.
This way they can cater to the needs of their child in a better manner.
During breastfeeding, your little one can latch and detach by themselves, by now.
So, mothers can sleep or take a nap as they are breastfeeding their babies.
This makes sleeping a whole lot easier.

Your 28-week-old baby's reflexes

During 28 weeks, most babies will start rolling, and some might even start crawling.
As parents, it’s a good time to be prepared for your little one’s crawling sprees around the house (in case they have started doing it).
By this time, you might notice a couple of baby teeth have sprouted in their mouth.
At this age, your little one is bound to have passed a couple of milestones.
However, it is important to remember that it is perfectly okay if they are progressing slowly.
As parents, you need to understand that milestones are not rules, but rather guidelines.
These guidelines help parents get an idea about how the growth is progressing.

Your 28-week-old baby's health

Tests and Vaccinations:

Your little one will be given a host of vaccinations during the period of 4 to 7 months of age.
By this time, your baby is given the third shot of several vaccines.
It includes DTaP, polio vaccine, Hep B, Hib, PCV, and rotavirus vaccines.
With the help of these vaccinations, your child does not contract any diseases such as diphtheria, polio, tetanus, hepatitis B, flu, and some other ones as well.
Also, your baby will be prescribed to take meningococcal vaccines, if the doctor thinks that your baby is at risk of being infected by meningitis.

Consult a Doctor, if:

Once your baby has been vaccinated, they might have a fever or rashes at the site of vaccination.
It is very common, however, if these symptoms continue to persist for some time, visit your healthcare provider.
Remember to trust your motherly instincts. So, if you notice that something is off with your little one, it is better to take them to a healthcare provider anyway.

Postpartum baby tips: Week 28 after birth

Understanding your on-the-go baby

Many child development experts don’t consider crawling a true milestone, as it is so unpredictable.
On average, babies tend to crawl sometime between 6 and 7 months.
You can expect many complex actions syncing up for crawling to occur.
Young babies more often pull with their arms to try to move forward and let their legs hang behind like dead weight because the higher brain or cortex activates the controlled movement of muscle groups from top to down (starting from the shoulders and arms and eventually proceeding to the legs).
As your little one can control their lower body, they might have become so proficient at rolling or creeping.
So, they don’t feel the need to crawl or they might crawl for a few days.
Some developmentally normal babies tend to skip straight to standing and walking.
After one year, your little one should show some signs of mobility, whether it’s creeping, crawling, cruising, standing, or walking.
If you are too worried or anxious, bring it up with the pediatrician.

Understanding how much you should feed your baby

By 28 weeks, your baby needs 3 square meals a day.
If you offer them new food and they immediately spit it out, don’t get discouraged.
You should wait a day or two and try feeding them again.
According to experts, it might take around 20 tastes before your little one will get used to the idea of new food.
Studies suggest that if at a very young age, babies experience a wider variety of flavors, their palate would be broader as an adult.
Your baby is getting older and there’s no reason to not offer them curry, spicy soup, or other foods (that you enjoy).
You can offer them as long as it doesn’t contain any choking hazards or potential allergens such as peanuts.

The mother after childbirth: What is happening in the twenty-eighth week after giving birth?

You need to child-proof the house

Once your curious little one is on the move, every normal household “stuff” turns into major danger zones.
This includes outlets, furniture, lamps, curtains, cords, cabinets, stairs, cleaning supplies.
Childproofing will ensure that your baby is away from any harmful items and steer kids away from staircases and areas they need to avoid.
Before your baby starts crawling, be sure to put safety measures everywhere, from outlet covers to baby gates, drawer locks to corner guards.
Also, never leave your little one unattended anywhere.
If you need to leave the room, remember to place them in the crib or a pack ‘n play.

You need to stay close with friends who don’t have kids

Every new parent needs support to go through this exhausting, challenging phase of life called parenthood.
This is where your friends will come to the rescue.
Remember not everyone in your circle is in the same life stage as you are.
Sometimes being a parent feels like it’s all-consuming but you don’t have to let it consume you.
When you get together with friends who don’t have kids, don’t let being a parent consume the conversation.

Here are some to keep the important friendships going strong:

Don’t fall off the map – Every day as a parent, you are either fighting to keep your head above water or falling asleep on the couch by 8 pm. You don’t need to have long phone conversations. But try not to let too much time go by without checking in, a simple email or text shows that you care.
Plan a grown-ups-only outing – There’s nothing some good quality friend time can’t fix. Make sure you’re free of baby-related interruptions and distractions. Make room in your schedule for one-on-one time.
Don’t judge: In your inner circle, some people can’t have kids, don’t want to have kids, or just aren’t in a place in life where it seems possible. No matter what the circumstance is, remember to be a supportive friend! Hopefully, they will be too!

Final Thoughts

At 28 weeks, your little bundle of energy is constantly on the move. Their brain development has occurred in a significant manner as well. It’s a good time to follow up on the developmental milestones that your baby is supposed to be passing. However, if they have not occurred as of yet, you don’t need to worry. Remember that milestones are guidelines, not rules. They provide you with a better idea about your baby’s progress. Moreover, remember to enjoy this time with your little one!

FAQs- Your 28-Week-Old Baby: Development, Growth & Health

1. What should a 28-week old baby be doing?

At 28 weeks, your little one might be a chattering, moving bundle of energy. Your little one is probably enjoying their solids, as they are working hard to learn how to crawl and perhaps even about to sit up.

2. What should a baby be doing at 7months?

Here are some movement milestones for your 7-month-old baby:

Can roll both ways (front to back, back to front).

Reach with one hand.

Transfer object from hand to hand.

Sits with and without the support of their hands.

Supports their whole weight on their legs.

Uses raking grasp (not pincer).

3. What are some games and activities for your 28-week old baby?

If your baby starts bouncing on your lap, simply support them with your hands under their arms. This will help their legs develop faster.

For further development, allow your little ones to throw their toys as much as they like. Avoid retrieving the said toys too and let your child move for it themselves. This will provide them with a great workout.

To help your baby stand up and walk sooner, floor play must be given a lot of preference.

On behalf of the editorial team at Parenthoodbliss, we follow strict reporting guidelines and only use credible sources, along with peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and highly respected health organizations. To learn about how we maintain content accurate and up-to-date by reading our medical review and editorial policy.

Simran

Simran has been working as a freelance writer for the past 9 years. She is associated with multiple media houses and juggles hats between writing, editing, reviewing, and content consulting - each project only adding to her love for words.Outside of work, Simran loves painting huge canvases, is obsessed with mint-scented candles and makes sure to show up on the yoga mat each morning.

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