Baby Home

Baby Information

Baby Sleep
Adoption
Breastfeeding
Bottle-Feeding
Health & Baby Care
Baby Safety
Baby Development
Newborn Babies
Parenting
Baby Play Time

Baby Tools

Polls
Baby Photo Contest
Baby Birthday Tickers
Immunization Chart

Baby Checklists

Baby Needs Checklist
Bringing Baby Home Checklist

Baby Development Milestones

by Teresa Shaw
0 Comments

Every new parent dreams of the day when their new baby has his or her first “first,” such as lifting his or her head for the first time, cr

com/e/ir?t=babcor-20&l=as2&o=1&a=055338290X">awling, walking, talking and more. These milestones are important, and a delay in any of these areas could be a sign of a developmental problem or even autism.

However, it’s also important to recognize that all babies are different and may not all reach each milestone at the same time; these should be used as general guidelines and not hard-and-fast rules.

The following are some developmental milestones, from "Caring for Your Baby and Young Child: Birth to Age 5, Fourth Edition" (Bantam Books, 2005).

First Month Baby Development Milestones

By the end of their first month, most babies can:

Make jerky or quivering arm movements
Bring hands near face
Make and keep hands in fists
Move head from side to side while lying on stomach
Focus on an object 8-12 inches away
Hear well
Recognize some sounds, including parents’ voices

Third Month Baby Development Milestones

By the end of their third month, most babies can:

Raise head and chest when lying on stomach
Support upper body with arms when lying on stomach
Stretch legs out and kick when lying on stomach or back
Push down on legs when standing on a firm surface
Open and close hands
Bring hands to mouth
Grab and shake hand toys
Follow moving object with eyes
Watch faces closely
Recognize familiar objects and people from a distance
Start using hands and eyes in coordination
Begin to babble and to imitate some sounds
Smile at the sound of parents’ voices
Enjoy playing with others

Seventh month Baby Development Milestones

By the end of their seventh month, most babies can:

Roll over both ways (stomach to back and back to stomach)
Sit up
Reach for an object with hand
Transfer objects from one hand to the other
Support whole weight on legs when held upright
Use voice to express joy and displeasure
Respond to his or her own name
Babble chains of consonants (da-da-da-da)
Distinguish emotions by tone of voice
Explore objects with hands and mouth
Struggle to get objects that are out of reach
Enjoy playing peek-a-boo
Show an interest in mirror images

First Birthday Baby Development Milestones

By the end of their twelfth month, most babies can:

Sit without assistance
Get on hands and knees
Crawl
Pull self up to stand
“Cruise,” or walk holding onto furniture, and possibly take a few steps without support
Use pincer grasp (thumb and forefinger) to grab items
Say “Dada” and “Mama”
Use exclamations, such as “Oh-oh!”
Try to imitate words heard
Respond to “no” and simple verbal requests
Use simple gestures, such as shaking head “no” and waving hello and goodbye
Explore objects in different ways (shaking, banging, throwing, dropping)
Begin to use objects correctly (drinking from cup, brushing hair)
Find hidden objects easily
Look at correct picture when an image is named

.Teresa Shaw is a professional editor and freelance writer with a degree in English and journalism. She writes about motherhood, travel, and cooking, among other topics, for a variety of print and online markets. She enjoys spending time with her husband, daughter, two cats, and dog. Visit her online at http://teresawrites.wordpress.com

From around the web

Comments

Be the first to add your comment!