Baby week 5: on the doorstep of the first real smile

Baby Development · theAsianparent · Updated 14 August 2026

This is when the moment comes that forgives every lost night — the baby looks at you, knows you, and smiles. Not a sleep-smile; one for you.

The moment you waited for

Until now the smiles came in sleep — gas smiles, dream smiles, random ones. Around this week the other kind arrives: you lean in, you talk, and the baby meets your eyes, pauses, and smiles back at you.

This 'social smile' is a major milestone — the brain announcing that reading faces and answering them has begun. In one baby it comes at week four, in another at week eight — both normal.

And in the same week, the other side's peak — evening crying is climbing toward its highest stretch (weeks six to eight). The smile and the storm hand in hand — parenting's first great truth.

Your baby this week

With the smile, 'conversation' deepens — you speak and the baby answers with waving limbs, working mouth, coos. This turn-taking game (you-then-me) is language's true first school — no screen can teach it; only a face can.

Vision now tracks a moving object through a half-circle (90-180°). Move a rattle slowly from one side to the other — the eyes will follow. That is this age's best toy and game in one.

Evening crying (colic): a fixed hour, drawn-up legs, a red face, hours of storm — no cure is proven for it under three months, but the try-list is real: carrying against the shoulder and rocking, a low 'shhh', sucking (breast or clean finger), gentle massage, lying tummy-down along your forearm. And the more important list — the nevers: no gripe water, no ghutti, no syrup of any kind.

Weight continues at 150-200 grams a week. The body now runs the milk ledger itself; your job is feeding on demand and counting nappies.

The mother matters too

Six weeks is close — is the postnatal check booked? Body and mind both go on the table there, along with the family-planning question: breastfeeding is not a guarantee.

Set the evening-storm house rule: crying is handled in shifts. One person rocks for half an hour, then the next — crying is not the mother's exam; it is the household's duty roster. And when no one else is home and patience is fraying — putting the baby down safely (in the cot) and stepping away for two minutes is not wrong, it is wise. Shaking, never — not once.

Sleep is still in pieces, but know the tunnel's map: from weeks six to eight most babies begin giving one long night stretch (4-5 hours). This is the last climb, not a plateau.

What to do this week

Prepare for next week's vaccines: date from the tracker above, MCP card in the bag, and that afternoon kept free — the day after vaccines can be a cranky one.

Play the smile game daily — face close, a slow sing-song voice, and then wait. Whatever answer comes — smile, coo, kicking limbs — repeat it back. That is this age's entire school.

Beyond black-and-white, bright-coloured objects now — the red rattle is the classic. Distance matters more than price: 30-40 cm, inside the eyes' grip.

Fix one thing for yourself from this week — a daily nap, or a half-hour walk, or an unhurried bath; every day, guilt-free. For the three-month run, the mother's battery is materiel too.

Week 5 at a glance

The week's essentials in one place. Your doctor may adjust these for your baby.

Item	In week 5
Main event	The social smile — at you, in answer (weeks 4-8)
Vision	Tracks 90-180° of movement
Evenings	Colic climbing to its peak (weeks 6-8) — then down
Never give	Gripe water, ghutti, syrups — nothing
House rule	Crying in shifts; shaking never
Next week	6-week vaccines + mother's check
Daily game	Face-voice-answer — turn-taking 'talk'

When to see a doctor at once

The firm list, same every week — fever under three months (hospital immediately, 108), refusing feeds, fast breathing, lethargy, fits, falling nappies.

The crying line again: an evening storm that comes and goes is colic; crying all day, with fever, vomiting or limpness, or a cry that itself sounds changed and weak — same-day doctor. And to every person who holds this baby, one sentence must travel: a shaken baby is a life-threatening injury — if anger rises, put the baby down and step away; call for help.

This article is general information only and no substitute for personal medical advice. The people who can guide you knowing your baby's health, birth history and test results are your paediatrician or the doctor at your nearest health centre.

Work out the vaccine dates

Enter the date of birth — every vaccine on the national schedule becomes a calendar date, and anything missed surfaces by name. The big 6-week visit falls in exactly these weeks.

Child's date of birth

This is the Government of India's National Immunization Schedule. Everything on it is free at primary health centres, anganwadis and government hospitals. Your ticks stay on your phone — nothing is sent to us. This is not a substitute for the immunisation card; carry the card every time.

Keep in mind:

Private paediatricians may recommend additional vaccines beyond these. Which ones, and whether your child needs them, is a question for your doctor — we don't reproduce that list here.
If the baby was premature, very low birth weight, or has a medical condition — the doctor sets the schedule.
A mild cold or slight fever is usually no reason to postpone a vaccine. Still, show the child at the centre and let them decide.
Mild fever, swelling or soreness at the injection site is normal afterwards. Persistent crying, high fever, fits, or unusual drowsiness — see a doctor at once. Never dose the child on your own.

Frequently asked questions

Q: Five weeks and no smile — are we late? — No. The social smile's window runs to eight weeks, later still for premature babies. If there is no eye-contact smile past eight-ten weeks, mention it to the doctor then.

Q: Baby startles at sound but doesn't turn — can it hear? — At this age startling and stilling are the answer; turning the head toward sound is a later month's trick. If the newborn hearing screen (if done) was fine and there is some response to sound, no cause for worry.

Q: Feeding during the evening crying — will it 'spoil habits'? — Nothing about a baby under three months can be spoiled — a sentence worth writing on the wall. Sucking is its greatest comfort; offering the breast is counted among colic's most correct answers.

Q: Grandmother says tummy-sleeping fixes colic — do it? — Awake, on your lap, supervised — tummy-lying is fine and does soothe. But for sleep, always the back — that rule does not bend for colic; tummy-sleeping is precisely the danger the rule protects against.

Baby developmentBaby development week by weekNewborn careFirst three months

Reviewed by

Nakul Phatak — CEO, theAsianparent India & Indonesia
Head of theAsianparent India; father of one
Roshni Chugani — Head of Marketing, theAsianparent India & Singapore
12 years in the mother-and-baby space; mother of two

Published by: theAsianparent editorial team