The first year development of a baby is one of the most fascinating wonders ever. Developmental milestones include acquiring skills such as crawling, walking for the first time, saying dada and mama, and waving bye-bye.
Notably, babies will hit each milestone in almost sequential order and at roughly the same time. Some babies would start walking earlier, and some would be late, but the average baby would hit certain developmental milestones within a definite time window.
Your Baby’s Milestones: 6 Developmental Changes to Expect in the First Year
Developmental changes to expect in your baby’s first year
In the first year, babies learn to reach out, focus their attention, learn motor skills and language, and develop love, trust, and bond with their parents.
First month
- By the end of the first month, most babies will be able to:
- Focus on objects up to a foot away
- Hear clearly
- Recognize sounds such as their parents’ voices
- Touch the face with their hands
- Discern black and white patterns
- Make jerky motions
- Fist up
- Prefer the sight of human faces
Third month
- By the end of the third month, most babies will be able to:
- Support the upper body with arms when lying on the stomach
- Kick when lying down
- Raise their hands to touch the mouth
- Hold and shake toys
- Follow movement with their eyes
- Recognize objects from a distance
- Babble and make other sounds
- Imitate sounds
- Smile when they hear their parents’ voices
- Play with people
Seventh month
By the end of the seventh month, most babies will be able to:
- Reach out to grab objects
- Sit up
- Stand while being supported
- Discern colours, having fully developed colour vision
- Express emotion with different sounds
- Acknowledge their name when called
- Babble consonant chains like da-da-da-da
- Play peek-a-boo
12 months
By their first birthday, most babies will be able to:
- Sit without assistance
- Crawl
- Walk alongside walls and furniture while holding the material for support (some would start to walk without support)
- Pull themselves up to a standing position
- Say dada and mama
- Imitate words
- Wave bye-bye
- Use objects such as drinking water from a cup
- Identify objects when called
Parenting tips to support your child’s developmental milestones
There are many things you could do to support your baby as they learn new skills:
- During this time, spend time with your baby and talk to them a lot. They would find your voice comforting and become more accustomed to the sound.
- Respond to your baby’s sounds by repeating the same sound and adding more words. This can foster their language learning.
- Read and sing to your baby a lot in their first year. Never mind that they won’t understand the words; it will help build their cognitive development as they become familiar with words and sounds.
- Praise your baby when they make their first attempts to stand and walk. Perhaps, consider getting some baby walkers online to encourage their mobility. Make the learning-to-walk process a playful activity.
- Cuddle up with your baby and get them toys, such as stuffed animals. That can help them feel relaxed, cared for, and secure.
- Watch your baby for signs and get them to rest when they appear tired after hours of play.
- Move your baby to safe areas and show repugnance when they approach or touch things they shouldn’t.
Final words
Child care is hard work. Do your best to care for yourself mentally, physically, and emotionally as you’ll need all the vigour to give your child the best support during this time.
About the author
Rohani is a contributor on various platforms. Her expertise in different niche and her thoughts on different topics has helped her broaden her vision to a vast level. She has always been so keen on various marketing tactics which have helped her clients to reach an immense good level.
