Your 20-week old baby: what to expect

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Emily Gulla

Writer

Find out what to expect from your baby's sleep this week, plus your guide to teething, and how to settle your baby into nursery.

This page contains affiliate links, which means we may earn a small amount of money if a reader clicks through and makes a purchase. All our articles and reviews are written independently by the Netmums editorial team.

Your baby is almost five months old! They'll be hitting a lot of milestones soon, including their first teeth coming through (if they haven't already!). Here's what to know about their development this week...

Your 20-week-old baby: development

Your baby's sleep

At this stage, your baby will probably be sleeping less than they were when they were a newborn – but they still need a lot of sleep!

According to the NHS, babies between four and 12 months old still need between 12 and 16 hours of sleep per day, including their naps. So they'll still be spending a lot of time sleeping!

By the time your baby is approaching five months, you might see them sleeping for longer stretches of time during the night. In fact, they could be spending around twice as long sleeping at night as they do during the day.

Some babies may even start sleeping through the night around this age, for up to eight hours or longer. You might find they need fewer night feeds and will be able to sleep for longer periods. Of course, this won't be the same for all babies, and some will still need to wake up for a feed during the night for a few more months.

It's important to remember that all babies are different, so the amount your little one sleeps (and when) may differ from the average and from their peers – and some babies will need more sleep than others. Your baby will be the one who guides you, so follow them!

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Still, if you have any concerns about your baby's sleep, make sure to chat to your health visitor.

Find more information on your baby's sleep here.

Your baby's health this week

An exciting development to look out for at this stage is teething.

Different babies start teething at different times but, according to the NHS, most babies start teething at around six months. Some can start earlier, but babies' first incisors usually come through from five months onwards (which is around now!).

Meanwhile, others are born with their first teeth and some don't start teething until after 12 months – so don't worry if your baby doesn't fit into the average!

If you're getting prepared for your baby's teeth to come through (or maybe they've already started!), here's a rough guide as to when the different kinds of teeth will emerge:

• Bottom incisors: These are the bottom front teeth. They're usually the first teeth to come through, and you'll usually see them emerge at around five to seven months – so keep an eye out!
  
• Top incisors: These ones are the top front teeth, and they tend to come through between around six and eight months – so these are the next ones to look out for.
  
• Top lateral incisors: These are either side of the top front teeth, and you can expect to see them come through between around nine and 11 months.
  
• Bottom lateral incisors: These ones are either side of the bottom front teeth, and they'll come through a little later than the top ones, at about 10 to 12 months.
  
• First molars. These are the back teeth. They'll come through a while after your baby's first teeth, at around 12 to 16 months.
  
• Canines. The canines are towards the back of the mouth, and they'll emerge between around 16 and 20 months.
  
• Second molars. These ones will usually be the last teeth to come through, and that can be as late as 20 to 30 months.

Once all the different types of teeth have come through, most children will have all of their milk teeth by the time they're around two and a half years old. So, there's a long way between them getting their first teeth and having a full set!

Not sure whether your baby is teething yet? You can tell by looking out for the following symptoms:

• red and sore gums where the tooth is coming through
• one cheek being flushed
• your baby is rubbing their ear
• your baby is dribbling more than usual
• they are gnawing and chewing on things a lot
• they're more distressed than usual

Some babies' teeth will come through with hardly any pain or discomfort, so your baby might not fit into all of the above. Every baby is different.

Find out more about the signs of teething here.

Your life as a parent

How to settle your baby into nursery

There's no set age for your baby to start attending nursery, but if you're choosing to send them to nursery or to a childminder (even if just for a couple of days a week), or you're planning on doing so soon, you might be worried about how they're going to settle in.

This is totally normal, and it can be a shock to the system for you both to suddenly spend time apart!

Still, sending children to nursery is unavoidable for a lot of parents, and can be great for boosting their social development. You might prefer to send them for a couple of days a week to ease them into going to nursery full time – or you might be heading back to work and plan on sending them to nursery or a childminder for the full week.

Take a look at our advice for settling your baby (and yourself!) into nursery here:

• Make sure your nursery has experience with babies. First of all, make sure that the nursery you're looking at has experience looking after babies (rather than just older toddlers), and that they have enough capacity, as they'll need to meet certain government standards. Ratio-wise, government guidance says that for babies aged 0 to 2 years old there will need to be one adult to every three children. So, make sure this is all in place and that they have facilities for babies.
  
• Try to keep a positive mindset. Although you might feel worried or stressed about your baby going to nursery, it can help to try to stay as positive as you can about the situation. Not only will this keep you calm yourself, but your baby will also be able to pick up on your mood – so if you feel calmer, it might stop your baby from feeling unsettled.
  
• Remember the positive effect nursery will have on your baby! If you're still worried, try to remind yourself of how great nursery will be for your baby! They'll be able to meet and play with other babies, and they'll be able to develop important skills too. Plus, it'll give you the time and freedom to return to work, or even just get some chores done. Hopefully remembering the positives will help you to feel a little more relaxed.
  
• Get to know your baby's key worker or childminder. Getting to know your baby's nursery key worker or their childminder will help you to feel more relaxed about leaving your baby with them. Remember that they're a childcare expert and will take good care of your baby when you're gone! Plus, if you're worried about saying goodbye and leaving your child, trust that they will have the best distraction tactics to keep your baby happy once you leave.
  
• Keep goodbyes short and sweet. On the topic of saying goodbye, lots of experts agree that the best approach is to have a 'clean break', i.e. you say goodbye to your baby and then leave, without hanging around or going back even if they cry. This might be tough but it's the best way for your baby to have a clean break, and rest assured that they'll probably be fine soon after you've gone!
  
• Bring a comforter for your baby. It might help your baby to feel settled if you leave them with something with your scent on it, like a blanket. You might also like to leave them with their favourite toy, or a dummy if they use one, as these things may help to comfort your baby – so long as they don't get lost!

If you're unsure whether nursery is right for your baby, check out our guide to choosing childcare here to help weigh up your options – from nurseries and childminders to nannies and au pairs.

Your feelings as a new parent

While it might feel like your baby has been around forever now, it's still important to check in with your feelings and to be aware of the signs of postnatal depression (PND).

It's still possible for PND to develop at any point for up to a year after your baby is born, and it can affect mums, dads and partners, so make sure you're aware of the symptoms and know where you can get help.

You can read more about postnatal depression (PND) and the symptoms to look out for here.

There's lots of help and support out there, and remember that you're not alone! If you're worried, you can speak to a friend, family member, your health visitor or GP.

You can also get support and advice from others in the same situation on our PND support forum, and you can learn more about PND in dads and partners here.

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Looking for more information on your 20-week-old baby and what to expect as a parent? Check out our other articles below or chat to parents in our forum.

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