Baby stages first year

Baby Development Stages: The First Year

Written by Gina Shaw

From helpless newborn to active toddler: It takes just 12 short months for your baby to undergo this incredible transformation. Babies grow and change at an astounding pace, and every month brings new and exciting developments.

New moms and dads often wonder what to expect next and how to know if their baby’s development is on target. Instead of focusing too much on developmental milestones, however, it’s important to remember that babies all develop at their own pace. There’s a fairly wide “window” for when it is normal for a baby to reach a particular developmental stage.

“If your baby reaches one milestone sooner, she may reach another one later, because she’s so busy perfecting the other skill,” says Jennifer Shu, MD, pediatrician and co-author of Heading Home with Your Newborn.

Some babies may say their first word at eight months, while others don’t talk until a little after the one-year mark. And walking may start anytime between nine and 18 months.

Keeping those kinds of variations in mind, here’s what your baby may be doing during each three-month stage of the first year.

Baby Development: One to Three Months

During this first development stage, babies’ bodies and brains are learning to live in the outside world. Between birth and three months, your baby may start to:

Smile. Early on, it will be just to themselves. But within three months, they’ll be smiling in response to your smiles and trying to get you to smile back at them.
Raise their head and chest when on their tummy.
Track objects with their eyesand gradually decrease eye crossing.
Open and shut their hands and bring hands to their mouth.
Grip objects in their hands.
Take swipes at or reach for dangling objects, though they usually won’t be able to get them yet.

Baby Development: Four to Six Months

During these months, babies are really learning to reach out and manipulate the world around them. They’re mastering the use of those amazing tools, their hands. And they’re discovering their voices. From 4 to 6 months old, your baby will probably:

Roll over from front to back or back to front. Front-to-back usually comes first.
Babble, making sounds that can sound like real language.
Laugh.
Reach out for and grab objects (watch out for your hair), and manipulate toys and other objects with their hands.
Sit up with support and have great head control.

Baby Development: Seven to Nine Months

During the second half of this year, your little one becomes a baby on the go. After learning that they can get somewhere by rolling over, they’ll spend the next few months figuring out how to move forward or backward. If you haven’t baby-proofed yet, better get on it!

During this time period, your baby may:
Start to crawl. This can include scooting (propelling around on their bottom) or “army crawling” (dragging themselves on their tummy by arms and legs), as well as standard crawling on hands and knees. Some babies never crawl, moving directly to from scooting to walking.
Sit without support.
Respond to familiar words like their name. They may also respond to “No” by briefly stopping and looking at you, and may start babbling "Mama" and "Dada."
Clap and play games such as patty-cake and peekaboo.
Learn to pull up to a standing position.

Baby Development: 10 to 12 Months

The last development stage in baby’s first year is quite a transition. They aren’t an infant anymore, and they might look and act more like a toddler. But they are still a baby in many ways. They are learning to:

Begin feeding herself. Babies at this developmental stage master the “pincer grasp“ -- meaning they can hold small objects such as O-shaped cereal between their thumb and forefinger.
Cruise, or move around the room on their feet while holding onto the furniture.
Say one or two words, and "Mama" and "Dada" become specific name for parents. The average is about three spoken words by the first birthday, but the range on this is enormous.
Point at objects they want in order to get your attention.
Begin “pretend play” by copying you or using objects correctly, such as pretending to talk on the phone.
Take their first steps. This usually happens right around one year, but it can vary greatly.

Your Baby’s Development: When to Talk to a Pediatrician

What should you do if you think your baby is not meeting growth or developmental milestones, when they should? First, says Shu, trust your instincts. “If you really feel like something’s wrong, then talk to your doctor about it because if there is a problem, we want to catch it as soon as we can," she says. "Early intervention is best, and you know your child better than anyone.”

Remember, however, that it is not exactly when your baby sits up by themselves or says their first words that is important; it’s that they are moving forward in their development. “Don’t look at the time as much as the progression, and see that your child is changing and growing,” says Shu. “It’s not a race. Nobody’s going to ask on a college application when your child first walked or said ‘da-da.’”

Your Child’s Development -- Month by Month

This table shows common developmental milestones that babies reach each month during their first year, in four major categories. Keep in mind that all babies are different and every baby grows at their own pace. There's no precise time that most of these skills first appear. If your child hasn’t reached a milestone by the month it is listed on this chart, it is usually a perfectly normal variation in child development. Watch for progress, not deadlines.

	Gross Motor	Fine Motor	Language/ Cognitive	Social
1 month	Moves head from side to side when on stomach	Strong grip	Stares at hands and fingers	Tracks movement with eyes
2 months	Holds head and neck up briefly while on tummy	Opens and closes hands	Begins to play with fingers	Smiles responsively
3 months	Reaches and grabs at objects	Grips objects in hands	Coos	Imitates you when you stick out your tongue
4 months	Pushes up on arms when lying on tummy	Grabs objects -- and gets them!	Laughs out loud	Enjoys play and may cry when playing stops
5 months	Begins to roll over in one or the other direction	Is learning to transfer objects from one hand to the other	Blows “raspberries” (spit bubbles)	Reaches for mommy or daddy and cries if they’re out of sight
6 months	Rolls over both ways	Uses hands to “rake” small objects	Babbles	Recognizes familiar faces --caregivers and friends as well as family
7 months	Moves around --is starting to crawl, scoot, or “army crawl”	Is learning to use thumb and fingers	Babbles in a more complex way	Responds to other people’s expressions of emotion
8 months	Sits well without support	Begins to clap hands	Responds to familiar words, looks when you say their name	Plays interactive games like peekaboo
9 months	May try to climb/crawl up stairs	Uses the pincer grasp	Learns object permanence -- that something exists even if they can’t see it	Is at the height of stranger anxiety
10 months	Pulls up to stand	Stacks and sorts toys	Waves bye-bye and/or lifts up arms to communicate “up”	Learns to understand cause and effect (“I cry, Mommy comes”)
11 months	Cruises, using furniture	Turns pages while you read	Says “mama” or “dada” for either parent	Uses mealtime games (dropping spoon, pushing food away) to test your reaction; expresses food preferences
12 months	Stands unaided and may take first steps	Helps while getting dressed (pushes hands into sleeves)	Says an average of 2-3 words (often “mama” and “dada”)	Plays imitative games such as pretending to use the phone

Baby Development Stages in the First Year: Month by Month

Buckle up, parents! Your baby’s first year is a whirlwind of milestones. You’ve already seen them take their first breath, heard their first wail, and changed their first dirty diaper. (Only a couple thousand more to go, this year alone!)

So what’s up next?

Developmental milestones are behaviors and physical skills children reach and master as they grow. Some first-year-of-life physical milestones include:

rolling over
reaching for objects
sitting up
crawling

Behavioral/social milestones include mimicking your expressions and crying or laughing to show emotions.

So get your cameras ready — here are the milestones you can expect during your baby’s magical first year of life!

It may seem that your baby is simply an eating, pooping, and sleeping machine at this point. But a lot is going on in that tiny body. Milestones to watch for include:

bringing hands and fists toward mouth (though not always with great accuracy)
developing reflexes — flinching at loud sounds, shutting eyes at bright lights
focusing on objects brought within 12 feet of their face
turning toward familiar sounds and voices — like yours!

Your baby is starting to act, well, more baby-like. By the end of 2 months, your baby is likely to be:

gurgling/cooing
trying to follow movement with their eyes (called tracking), although it may not seem very coordinated
holding their head up and pushing upward with their arms while lying on their tummy

Your baby is progressing from dependent newborn to more independent baby (yay — you might find those 5 minutes to take a shower!). This is when some of that cuteness overload starts to kick in. Watch for:

smiling at the sound of your voice (pro tip: record this and review in 15 years to prove that there was once a time your child liked you)
holding their head and chest up and kicking their legs when lying on their stomach
grasping toys
putting their hand in their mouth with more precision
making more vowel sounds (ooh and ah)
recognizing familiar faces and objects from a distance
trying to imitate your facial expressions

At this stage, your baby is taking the milestones already achieved and perfecting them. For example, they may hold their head up more consistently and for longer periods, grasp toys with more coordination, and copy your expressions with more accuracy. Other milestones are:

holding a rattle and shaking it at the same time
perhaps starting to roll from tummy to back
tracking movement more fluidly
pushing down on legs when held in standing position

Your baby continues to grow, explore, and master. As their strength and coordination increase, you may notice that your baby is:

rolling from tummy to back and then back to tummy
grabbing their feet, and maybe even inserting them into their mouth
moving objects from one hand to another
showing interest in the food you’re eating, a sign they’re getting ready for solid foods

Your baby’s growing up! They may now be:

sitting up briefly without any support
saying consonant (mmmm) and vowel (eeee, ooooo) sounds
playing and expressing displeasure when playtime stops (keep those raspberries coming!)
trying to get things out of reach
recognizing their name
expressing emotion (by crying or whining when sad or angry and laughing or squealing when happy)

Given that they are now getting better and better at grasping and holding objects, the American Academy of Pediatrics says 6 months is a good time to begin to encourage your baby to use spoons and their hands to feed themselves. (We’re warning you: It won’t be pretty.) You can even introduce a sippy cup or regular cup with help.

Your baby continues to build on what they’ve already learned. Milestones include:

sitting up without support for longer periods
responding to the word “no”
recognizing emotions (happy, stern, etc.) by your tone
using their hand like a rake to reach for something (called the “raking grasp”)
responding to expressions — smiling at a smiling face, looking uncertain at a fearful one
putting objects in their mouth to explore them (parenting tip #204: keep all garbage cans — and, for the love of all things sacred, diaper pails! — in a locked position; you’ll thank us later)
tracking objects more smoothly
stringing more consonants together while babbling

You might notice that your little one can now roll over, sit up, and move objects from hand to hand or hand to mouth like a pro. You might also begin to see your baby:

rocking back and forth on their hands and knees or scoot along the floor (precursors to crawling)
pulling up to a standing position
drooling — a lot (some babies will be cutting their first teeth around this age)
continuing to babble (was that a random ma-ma or da-da you just heard?!)
developing stranger or separation anxiety — this is a kind of distress babies feel when they’re separated from their parents or primary caregivers

Don’t worry — separation anxiety passes. We promise you’ll eventually be able to go to the bathroom alone again.

Your baby is on the move! They may be:

crawling
more confidently pulling up to a standing position
playing peekaboo or looking for an object you’ve hidden
using the pincer grip (which involves holding a small object like a piece of cereal or pasta between their forefinger and thumb)
pointing at things they want

Your baby conintues to explore and experiment. Watch your baby as they’re:

moving from pulling to stand or crawling to “cruising,” or walking while holding on to furniture or objects around a room
banging objects together just to hear the sound they make — a kind of auditory assault rivaled only by your neighbor’s garage band
poking at things
putting objects into a container and then taking them out again
feeding themselves finger foods
shaking their head “no” and waving “bye-bye”

In addition to reaching, crawling, and cruising, your baby may be:

continuing to explore language, giving you more mamas, dadas, and maybe even the occasional uh-oh! using the right inflection
understanding simple declaritive statements, such as “don’t touch”
copying your behaviors, like pushing buttons on a play phone and babbling to mimic converation

Congratulations! You officially have a toddler, and you’re no worse for wear — except for maybe that time your baby gave your hoop earring that really bad tug and… well, we digress.

During their twelfth month, your baby will likely be:

cruising, standing briefly unsupported, and maybe even taking a step or two
exploring objects by banging, throwing, and dropping them
saying one or two simple words, such as hi, no, and bye
using objects correctly, if not clumsily (for example, using a spoon to eat and a comb to brush hair)
looking to the right object when you say, “Where’s the dog?” or “Where’s grandma?”

While most babies will reach milestones at roughly (and roughly is the operative word here) the same age, there’s a wide range of “normal.”

Your sister’s baby walked at 10 months and yours is still crawling at 13 months? Normal. Your 9-month-old baby can pick up Cheerios like a vacuum but your neighbor’s baby the same age continues to struggle? Yep, that’s normal too.

Babies born prematurely or with a health issue or congenital disorder can also take more time to reach milestones. And one 2018 study found that girls tend to reach milestones before boys (although the differences weren’t huge).

All along the way, your baby’s pediatrician will be looking out for milestones and watching your baby’s progress. If your baby’s doctor feels there’s a need for intervention (screening, testing, or therapies, for example), they’ll let you know. And don’t shrug off your own intuition. If you feel something needs investigation, speak up.

Keep your well baby appointments (typically 5 to 6 in the first year) and see them as an opportunity to chat with your pediatrician about what’s going on.

Remember that the average ages for reaching certain milestones are just that — averages. Some babies will do things earlier, while others will do them later — and that’s all usually OK.

In fact, one Swiss study published in 2013 found that children who started walking early (younger than the study’s average of 12 months) were neither more intelligent nor more coordinated by their late teen years than children who walked later (the latest was 20 months).

But as always, speak to your child’s doctor if you have any concerns.

Child Development Calendar from the Health of the Nation

The Child Development Calendar from the Health of the Nation medical center is a convenient system that tells parents by months how the baby is developing.

Child development by months

Newborn

How does the baby behave in the first weeks of life? Should I be worried if he sleeps 18 hours a day? What you need to know about the features of feeding the crumbs, and what recommendations for care should be followed?

1 month

What happens to a child at the age of one month, how his behavior changes. Features of development and the emergence of new actions. What you need to know about nutrition, daily care. Planned visits to doctors and testing.

2 months

What happens in the life of a child at the age of 2 months? What behaviors should be taken into account? The appearance of the first emotions of the baby, the development of the vocal apparatus.

3 months

What discoveries do parents expect when a child turns 3 months old? The emergence of new skills, the first conscious manifestation of emotions and desires. What you need to know about the features of feeding?

4 months

What happens to a 4 month old baby? The first serious games and interaction with the outside world. What you need to know about the features of feeding, and what recommendations for care should be followed?

5 months

Transition period from horizontal position. What you need to know about the features of feeding crumbs? What should parents of a five-month-old baby be prepared for?

6 months

What did the baby learn at 6 months of age? How critical is the discrepancy with accepted norms? What you need to know about the features of feeding crumbs, how to introduce the first complementary foods?

7-9 months

What happens to a child aged 7-9 months? The baby begins to sit, crawl or even take the first steps. The first attempts to speak appear. Toys are used in a new capacity.

10-12 months

How does a 10-12 month old baby behave? How does his daily routine change and what games will be more interesting to play closer to the first birthday?

12-15 months

How does a 12-15 month old child behave? What has changed in behavior, and what features of development is important to remember?

15-18 months

How does the child behave at the age of 15-18 months? What you need to know about the features of behavior, what to pay attention to?

18-24 months

How does a child aged 18-24 months behave? What did the baby learn in 2 years? How to make a diet?

Developmental stages of a newborn | Multidisciplinary center Healthy child

From birth to 10 days of a child's life.

Keeps a moving object in the field of view (step tracking) - from a supine position, fixes with a glance for 5-10 seconds a moving object located in his field of view at a distance of 40-50 centimeters. Eye movements are spasmodic, sometimes accompanied by a turn of the head. General movements are inhibited.
Starts and blinks at a sharp sound (auditory orienting reaction) - 2-3 claps are made to the right and left of the child, out of his field of vision.

10 to 20 days of a child's life.

Keeps an immovable object in the field of view - fixes with a glance for 5-10 seconds an immovable object located in its field of view at a distance of 40-50 centimeters. General movements are inhibited.
Calms down with a strong sound (auditory focus response) for 10-15 seconds.

1 month of a child's life.

Follows - smoothly traces a bright object that is in its field of view at a distance of 40-50 centimeters.
Listens to the voice of an adult, the sound of a toy (prolonged auditory concentration)
The first smile in response to the addressed speech.
In the prone position, raises and holds the head for 5-20 seconds.
Emits separate sounds in response to a conversation, sometimes the reaction is delayed by a few seconds.

2 months of a child's life.

Looks at a motionless object that attracts attention for a long time and follows a moving object for a long time (long-term visual concentration).
Turning the head towards the sound stimulus, "search" movements of the head and eyes with a prolonged sound (search reaction).
Smiles, turns head, holds eyes on another child for 15-30 seconds (long-term visual focus on another child).
Spontaneously pronounces individual sounds.

3 months of a child's life.

Visual concentration in a vertical position - a child from a position in the arms of an adult follows for 30-40 seconds a stationary or moving object or the face of an adult talking to him.
An "animation" complex appears in response to speech addressed to him, actively searches with his eyes for the source of the sound (another child making sounds)
Accidentally bumping into toys located at a distance of 10-15 centimeters above his chest, he revives, bumps again, tries to grab the toy and traces the movements of his hand with his eyes.
Lying on his stomach, he leans on his forearms and raises his head up to 2-2.5 minutes. With support, he leans for 45-60 seconds on firm support with his legs bent at the hip joints, leaning on the entire foot. vertical position up to 1-1.5 minutes.

4 months of a child's life.

Recognizes the mother, rejoices - looks at the mother expectantly, as soon as she speaks - smiles joyfully, coos, reaches for the mother. When the mother leaves, she expresses displeasure.
Turns head towards invisible sound source, finds it with eyes and follows for 5-10 seconds.
During wakefulness, a "complex of revival" often and easily arises, laughs loudly in response to a verbal appeal, reaches out to another child.
Examining, grasping and feeling toys that attract attention.
Gulit.
Grabs and holds mother's breast or bottle during feeding.

5 months of a child's life.

Distinguishes close people from strangers (reacts differently to faces) - at the sight of the face of a loved one, a “complex of revival” arises, at the sight of a stranger, movements are slowed down, alertness appears, the child frowns and may cry.
Recognizes the voice of mother and loved one. Distinguishes between strict and affectionate intonation of speech. Differentially reacts to it.
Rejoices at another child, takes a toy from his hands, hums.
Clearly picks up toys from an adult's hands, often picks up toys with one hand, holds them in the hand for 1-2 minutes.
Lies on the stomach for a long time, raising the body and leaning on the palms of straightened arms. Rolls from back to stomach. Stands upright and stable with support for 3-4 minutes.
Long melodious humming
Eats thick food from a spoon, opens mouth and removes food with lips, eats slowly.

6 months of a child's life.

Recognizes his own name (rejoices, turns towards the adult), distinguishes between his own and someone else's name.
Takes toys freely from different positions, plays, shifts toys from hand to hand.
Rolls over from back to stomach. Moves slowly, moving hands or crawling a little, trying to get a toy.
Beginning to babble (says single syllables, often once), listens to the adult and tries to repeat the syllables.
Eats well from a spoon, drinks liquid food from a cup.

7 months of a child's life.

Actively manipulates toys.
Crawls well and a lot in various directions
To the question "Where?" finds a familiar object with a glance (repeatedly called and constantly in one place)
He babbles for a long time, repeats the same syllables.

8 months of a child's life.

Observes the actions of another child, laughs, babbles.
Imitates the actions of adults (rolls the ball, opens the lid, etc.)
He sits, sits, lies down. He gets up, holding onto the barrier with his hands, stands and lowers himself. Steps over, holding on to the barrier.
Performs previously learned actions - performs “patricks”, “give me a pen” without showing.
Loudly, clearly, repeats various syllables.
Holds and eats bread.

9 months of a child's life.

Acts a lot by imitation, uses objects differently.
Moves from object to object, holding on to them with his hands (the objects should be at a distance of about 35 centimeters from each other).
Knows his name and turns to the call. To the question "Where?" finds familiar objects in different places, regardless of their permanent location.
Imitating an adult, repeats known syllables after him.
Drinks from a cup, holding it with his hands.
Neatness skills are being formed (calmly relates to the planting process).

10 months of a child's life.

Performs learned actions independently or at the request of an adult.
With the help of an adult or holding onto the railing sideways, enters a low hill and descends with a side step
Finds and gives familiar objects on command "give".
Imitating an adult, repeats after him previously unknown syllables.

11 months of a child's life.

She rejoices at the appearance of other children, selectively reacts to them.
Masters new actions, performs them by order and by imitation (puts a cube on a cube, removes and puts rings with large holes on the rod). Performs previously learned actions on verbal instructions (without showing).
Stands independently, takes first independent steps.
The first generalizations appear in understood speech (brings 2-3 toys of the same name - ball, car, doll)
Pronounces the first designation words (lightweight words) - “kis-kis”, “av-av”, “give”.

12 months of a child's life

Distinguishes objects by shape (cubes, bricks, etc.), recognizes photographs of a familiar person (mother, father).
Plays with other children, looking for a hidden toy.
Walks independently, without support, with alternating steps.
Understands the word "not allowed", stops the prohibited action.
Easily imitates new syllables, pronounces 6-10 facilitated words.
He drinks from a cup himself, takes the dishes with his hands and puts them on the table.

1 year 3 months of a child's life.

Increasing the stock of understood words, performs at least 3 instructions from an adult.
Actively uses babble and light words.
Oriented in the size of objects (larger or smaller, with a difference exceeding 3 centimeters).
Independently reproduces previously learned actions during the game.
Walks for a long time without sitting down, changes position (squats, leans, turns, backs away).
Eats solid food with a spoon on his own.

1 year 6 months of a child's life.

Summarizes objects according to essential features in understood speech (finds objects that are homogeneous in terms of feature)
Correct analogues of lightened words appear (car - instead of "bee-bee", etc.).
Oriented in 3-4 contrasting forms of objects.
Steps over low obstacles with a side step.
Eats liquid food on his own with a spoon (holds the stalk on top in his fist).

1 year 9 months of a child's life.

Understands a simple adult story from a picture and answers questions.
Uses words and two-word sentences.
Oriented in 3-4 contrasting values of objects with a difference of 3 centimeters.
Walks on a limited surface elevated slightly above the floor without the help of an adult.
Partially undresses with the help of an adult.
Reproduces simple plot buildings - "gate", "bench", "house" of bricks, cubes.

2 years of a child's life.

Understands a short story by an adult without showing pictures about events in the child's experience and answers questions.
Uses three-word sentences, uses adjectives and pronouns.
Steps over low obstacles in alternating steps.
Oriented in 3-4 contrasting colors.
Performs a series of several actions in sequence, using items as intended (the beginning of the story game).
Partially puts on clothes with the help of an adult.

2 years 6 months of a child's life.

Uses multi-word sentences with more than three words. The questions “Where?” and where?".
Models basic geometric shapes (cube, ball, brick, prism, cylinder, cone) and objects of four primary colors.
The game has a plot character. The child independently makes simple plot constructions and names them.
Fully dressable. Doesn't know how to fasten buttons and tie shoelaces.
Steps over an obstacle 20-30 centimeters high.

3 years of a child's life.