[[File:The newborn baby in men.jpg|thumb|300x300px|A newborn infant being held by an adult [[man]]]]
{{Human growth and development}}
An '''infant''' or '''baby''' is the very young [[offspring]] of [[human beings]]. ''Infant'' (from the Latin word ''infans'', meaning 'babyunable to speak' or 'child<ref>https://www.cambridgescp.com/sites/www.cambridgescp.com/files/legacy_root_files/singles/ukdic1/index.html</ref>speechless') is a formal or specialised synonym for the common term ''baby''. The terms may also be used to refer to [[Juvenile (organism)|juveniles]] of other organisms. A '''newborn''' is, in colloquial use, an infant who is only hours, days, or up to one month old. In medical contexts, a newborn or '''neonate''' (from Latin, ''neonatus'', newborn) is an infant in the first 28 days after birth;<ref name="mwn">{{cite web | title = Neonate | work = Merriam-Webster online dictionary | publisher = [[Merriam-Webster]] | url = http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?book=Dictionary&va=neonate | access-date = 2007-03-27 | url-status=live | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070311003331/http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?book=Dictionary&va=neonate | archive-date = 2007-03-11 }}</ref> the term applies to [[Preterm birth|premature]], [[Pregnancy#Term|full term]], and [[Postterm pregnancy|postmature]] infants.
Before birth, the offspring is called a [[fetus]]. The term ''infant'' is typically applied to very young children under one year of age; however, definitions may vary and may include children up to two years of age. When a human child learns to walk, they are called a [[toddler]] instead.
