The first year of a baby's life is an exciting one, filled with many milestones and major changes. With everything that goes on, parents and caregivers may feel overwhelmed trying to keep track of what their baby should be doing and when. This guide will provide a comprehensive overview of the important milestones babies typically reach during the first year of life, as well as information on the five stages of childhood development and some “red flags” to watch out for.
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The Importance Of Monitoring Milestones And Development.
What Are The 5 Stages Of Baby Development?
The Importance Of Monitoring Milestones and Development
Just as you monitored their growth during the prenatal stage - monitoring a baby's developmental milestones is vital for many reasons:
It allows parents and caregivers to identify learning delays and potential issues early on, which enables early intervention and treatment. This can be especially important for conditions like autism, which are most effectively treated when caught early.
It helps parents and caregivers track their baby's progress over time, giving a reference point for development and highlighting potential areas of extra support.
This reference point can also help parents understand their child’s pace of development, which sets expectations for the future.
It enhances the bond between a child and their parents, and gives a better look into the child’s abilities, interests, and personality.
What are the five stages of baby development?
Before we dive into important milestones, it’s worth looking at the five stages of childhood development. While we’ll only be discussing the first few of these in this blog (you can click each title to be brought to a more in-depth blog post on the age range of your choice), here’s how it is often divided up:
Newborn Developmental Milestones (birth to three months): Babies are focused on developing their basic physical abilities, such as breathing, crying, and moving their limbs. They are also developing their vision and hearing and starting to reach for and grasp objects.
Infant Developmental Milestones (3-12 months): Infants are developing their social skills, learning to vocalize, and gaining control of their limbs and muscles. They are also beginning to track objects with their eyes, reaching for and grasping toys, and rolling over and sitting up with support.
Toddler Developmental Milestones (1-3 years): Toddlers are developing their fine and gross motor skills, such as walking, running, and climbing. Their language skills continue to grow, expressing themselves through simple words, phrases, and gestures.
Preschool Developmental Milestones (3-4 years): At this stage, children are developing their cognitive skills and starting to understand concepts such as numbers, colors, and shapes. They reinforce emotional and social skills, such as expressing their feelings and interacting with others.
School Age Children Developmental Milestones (5+ years): School age children continue to expand their cognitive, emotional, and social skills. They grasp more complex concepts such as time and money, and learn to read, write, and do basic math problems. The influence of friends and other external factors begins to be felt more strongly.
What Should Babies Be Doing Each Month?
What are the most important baby milestones? If you’ve been seeing us as your prenatal chiropractor in Calgary its likely you’ve heard all of these from us already but if you’re new to us it is important to know that while every child is different and there is natural variation in the list of milestones here, this is a good overall guide for what to expect in the first few years of life.
Remember to adjust for premature birthdays. For example, if your child is born two weeks early, then many of the milestones (especially the earlier ones) will be delayed by approximately that much time. However, they’ll still line up with where they should be relative to the official due date.
One thing to note is that research has recently shown a link between the motor skills of crawling and the overall development of balance, coordination, and subsequent motor skills. It’s one of the most important baby milestones, so keep an eye out for this power move!
0-3 Months Milestones
Motor
Babies should be able to lift and hold their head up while lying on their stomach, and push up with their arms.
They can open and close fists, bring their hands to their mouth, and move arms and legs off the surface they’re lying on.
Sensory
You should notice them visually tracking and reaching for a toy held above them, with their head centered.
Babies can be soothed with rocking, gentle sounds, and other calm sensory input, and they enjoy movements.
Communication
Babies should respond to sounds or voices.
They should be showing interest in faces, with eye contact, coos, and smiles.
They will show different cries for different needs.
Feeding
Babies should latch onto nipples or bottles, drinking 60-180 mL of liquid per feeding, up to 6 times a day.
Click here to read our deep dive into Milestones of Development in Newborn Babies (0-3 months)
4-6 Months Milestones
Motor
Babies use their hands to support themselves while sitting, and can roll onto their back. If standing with support, they will put their whole weight on their legs.
Babies will reach for nearby toys or their feet while on their back, or transfer toys between hands.
Sensory
Babies will use both hands with toys, often bringing them to their mouth.
Babies at this stage should be generally happy if not tired or hungry, and not upset by normal sounds.
Communication
Babies should react to sudden noises, like from a toy, and they listen/respond when spoken to.
Consonant sounds will likely appear in babbling, which can be used to get attention. Different sounds may be used for different feelings.
Feeding
Babies should show interest in food, opening their mouth if a utensil approaches. They can start to eat pureed food, which can be moved in the mouth.
7-9 Months Milestones
Motor
Babies can get into a sitting position unassisted and sit without support, reach for toys without falling, and start to crawl with more control.
They will turn their head to visually track objects while sitting.
Their fine motor control is improving, with the ability to pick up smaller objects with thumbs and fingers.
Babies can imitate others while playing.
Sensory
Babies enjoy different movements, like bouncing or rocking.
They use hands and mouth to discover more about the size, shape, weight, and textures of objects.
Babies should be able to focus on objects both near and far.
They can lie down on back or stomach, sit, crawl, or stand with assistance while studying their surroundings.
Communication
Babies should have more variety of sounds and combinations while babbling, recognize their own name and other words, and recognize the names of familiar people and objects. They will imitate sounds they hear.
They can follow simple commands using gestures, or make gestures of their own (like shaking their head “no”).
Feeding
Babies can hold a bottle and drink from it, and can process thicker foods. Teeth will start to appear, and teethers may be in use.
They can sit in high chairs, and look/reach for nearby foods and objects.
Babies have noticeable reactions to unfamiliar scents or flavours.
They will stay full longer after meals.
10-12 Months Milestones
Motor
Babies can pull themselves up and walk along furniture or other objects. This turns into independent standing and perhaps first steps!
They will move into new positions to explore and get objects they want, which they can pick up with just a thumb and forefinger if it’s small.
Babies can maintain balance while sitting and throwing, clap their hands, and place objects in containers.
Sensory
Put on your favourite playlist! Babies enjoy listening to music.
Babies will spot objects in the distance, and crawl closer or further as desired.
Hands, fingers, and mouth are heavily used to explore toys and objects.
Communication
The first word should appear, often “mama” or “dada” which is used intentionally. Babies should also respond to simple directions, and babbling is becoming more like adult speech in its rhythms and sounds.
Hand movements become more intentional, such as reaching out to be picked up.
Feeding
Babies can use their fingers to bring their own food to their mouth, and will do so with soft ones like fruits, veggies, pasta noodles, etc. They may even start using utensils at this stage.
Smells, tastes, and new foods get a noticeable reaction.
Click here to read our deep dive into Milestones of Development in Infants (3-12 months)
13-18 Months Milestones
Motor
At this stage, children should be walking independently with rare falls.
They can squat to pick up toys, and will stack things together.
Sensory
Your child’s fashion sense is growing – they can help to get dressed and undressed.
They sleep on a regular schedule.
Communication
Around a dozen words may be used, and more still are understood.
Simple directions are consistently followed, and gestures are common.
Imitation, speech-like sounds, and repetition are used.
Yes/no questions can be answered verbally or with head movement.
Feeding
Children at this age can hold and drink from a cup, while eating more and more chopped foods (no longer mashed or pureed).
Because of the natural variations in these milestones, it’s hard to know what is “normal” and what should be considered a red flag – even the experts are divided sometimes! But speaking of things to watch out for…
Red Flags of baby development in the first 12 months
Let’s say right from the start that if you have concerns about your child’s development, you should talk to your pediatrician or other specialist for a more accurate assessment. Everyone’s circumstances are different, and many individual factors need to be considered. With that said, some common evidence-based ‘red flags’ to watch out for in the first 12-18 months include:
If a baby is not saying any words by 15 months, or no word combinations by 24 months (delay in language development).
If a baby is not showing interest in others or not responding to social cues such as pointing and reaching (delay in social development).
If a baby is not yet walking, is having persistent difficulty walking, cannot hold their head up, or struggles with regular milestones like sitting up or crawling (delay in motor development).
If a baby loses the ability to do something they previously could, such as sitting up or crawling, it may indicate a regression.
If a baby has persistent difficulties in communication, such as not responding to their name, not making eye contact, or not showing interest in others (delay in social and emotional development).
More Information about Baby Development
Watching your child grow is a joyful journey of discovery for everyone – and understanding the typical milestones for each stage of development gives parents and caregivers the tools to make that journey the best that it can be. Every child is unique, and it's a privilege to be there for their first giggles, words, brave solo steps, and beyond.
Whether you already have a young child or you are expecting one, we’d love to help you along the way! Reach out today to find out what we offer, and we look forward to supporting you and your child through all your experiences together!
If you are looking for more milestones of development as your children age check out these newer posts:
