{"id":"4f2fc156c0514836a15ee410419d291b","slug":"8-week-old-baby-milestones","question":"8 week old baby milestones","answer":"At 8 weeks, your baby is likely smiling socially and beginning to soothe themselves—these are the big social leaps happening right now. They're also starting to notice the world more intently and tracking movement with their eyes.\n\nThat said, every baby develops at their own pace, and there's a genuinely wide range of what's normal. Some babies hit these markers earlier, others a bit later, and both are completely fine. What matters most is that your baby is engaging with you in small ways—even just looking at your face counts.\n\nIf something feels off to you or you have specific concerns, bring them up at your next pediatrician visit. Your instinct about your own baby is worth listening to.","sources":"[{\"title\":\"Infant and Newborn <span class=\\\"qt1\\\">Development</span>\",\"journal\":\"NIH MedlinePlus\",\"year\":\"2026\",\"url\":\"https://medlineplus.gov/infantandnewborndevelopment.html\",\"label\":\"RELEVANT\",\"score\":0.76},{\"title\":\"Uncoupling of the Infancy Life History Stage.\",\"journal\":\"Hormone research in paediatrics\",\"year\":\"2021\",\"url\":\"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34352793/\",\"label\":\"RELATED\",\"score\":0.736},{\"title\":\"From womb to words: the sex-specific interplay of fetal sex hormones and maternal mood on infant language development.\",\"journal\":\"Frontiers in endocrinology\",\"year\":\"2026\",\"url\":\"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42381876/\",\"label\":\"RELATED\",\"score\":0.724},{\"title\":\"CDC — Developmental Milestones (Part 2 of 4)\",\"journal\":\"CDC Clinical Guidelines\",\"year\":\"2023\",\"url\":\"https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/actearly/milestones/index.html\",\"label\":\"RELATED\",\"score\":0.722},{\"title\":\"Walking Attainment in Very Low Birth Weight Infants in Japan.\",\"journal\":\"Physical therapy research\",\"year\":\"2021\",\"url\":\"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35036253/\",\"label\":\"RELATED\",\"score\":0.713}]","view_count":0,"created_at":"2026-07-11T13:13:11.296Z"}