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The First Year: Your Baby's Development

All milestones are relative. Don't get hung up on them. : ) It's perfectly normal for a baby to be 'ahead' in one place and 'behind' in another. If you are concerned about your baby's development, the best thing to do is check with your child's doctor. This is just a general guideline and if you read enough of them, you'll notice some variations which should help reassure you that it doesn't generally matter if a baby doesn't do something exactly in the month you expect. This list is compiled from parenting magazines, child development books, the papers my doctors gave me as my children have grown, and child development and parenting websites.

Jump to the month of your choice: 1st Month - 2nd Month - 3 to 4 Months - 5 to 6 Months - 7 to 8 Months - 9 to 11 Months - 12 Months

1st Month

Physical	Mental/Language	Emotional/Social
Can move both sides of his body equally well. May be able to lift his head when lying on his tummy. Will follow an object with her eyes but will not turn her head to continue following the object once it is out of sight. Makes basic distinctions in vision, hearing, smelling, tasting, touch, temperature, and perception of pain. Has reflex reactions such as the startle reflex, grasp reflex, and step reflex**. Eats every one and a half to three hours.	Baby communicates primarily through crying. Soon you may be able to distinguish what he needs by the sound of his cry. She will respond to loud noises and may already find music soothing and/or stimulating. She is already starting to make connections between events. For example, she cries, you pick her up. Has a short attention span.	Responds to faces and voices. Makes eye contact for one to five seconds. Recognizes the smell of breastmilk. Recognizes her mother's unique smell. Recognizes mother. Will spend nearly all of her time either eating or sleeping and very little time in a 'quiet awake' period. Quiets at soft music, singing, or a soothing voice. Is comforted when swaddled in a blanket, being rocked, patted, by sucking, and by hearing monotonous noises.

*startle reflex: When baby's position is quickly changed or he hears a sudden loud noise, he extends both arms with open hands, then brings his arms to his chest with an embracing movement. He may also cry out at the time.
**grasp reflex: Grasps anything placed in her hand, clenches it briefly, then just lets go.
***step reflex: When baby is held upright with his feet touching a firm surface, he will make little stepping movements forward.
rooting reflex: In search of food, opens mouth and turns head toward the side where her cheek is stroked.
sucking reflex: Sucks on anything placed in her mouth in hopes of food or to soothe herself.

2nd Month

Physical	Mental/Language	Emotional/Social
Will lift head when lying on tummy. Color perception is developing. Explores his surroundings visually. May be able to hold a rattle for a short period of time. Arm and leg movements become smoother. Reflexes gradually fade and are replaced by voluntary movement. Can focus clearly 8 to 10 feet away. Likes bright colors better than pastels. Attempts to push at a dangling toy. Will follow movement with eyes.	Begins to coo and grunt along with crying. Prefers patterns of increasing complexity and of curved lines and shapes. Prefers to watch moving objects (for example, a black and white mobile). Will turn head and eyes together toward an interesting sound. Prefers the human voice to other sounds. More visually alert when sitting up. Begins to associate lying down with sleeping. May begin to suck at sight of breast or bottle in anticipation of a feeding.	Increased fascination with faces. Quiets and stops sucking to study a face. Stares at himself in the mirror. May become distracted from a feeding by hearing other people in the room or from hearing mother talk. May smile responsively. Turns away from eye to eye contact when tired of interaction. Demontrates individuality in personality and temprament. Settles into a sleep/feeding cycle with more awake time. May sleep 5 to 7 hours a night. (Yay!)

3 to 4 Months

Physical	Mental/Language	Emotional/Social
Supports her head Lifts head 90 degrees when lying on tummy which is enough to look around. Will roll from tummy to back first then later on (maybe a month or more depending) she will roll from back to tummy. Will push chest off the floor when lying on tummy. Will seem to bear her own weight if you hold her in an upright standing position. She may even bounce a little. May start cutting her first tooth. Four to six months is the time to introduce your baby to rice cereal. Check with your doctor about the best way to do this. Enjoys kicking her legs and simple splashing in the bathtub. Likes to feel different textures. Bats at swinging objects. Grabs onto your clothing and hair.	Increases range of sounds when cooing. Coos more frequently. Will begin laughing and squealing when happy and excited. Prefers bright colors like red and yellow. Explores everything using her mouth. Enjoys listening to speech and music. Is quieted by music. Is starting to see that certain sounds bring certain reactions. Begins to suck at the sight of breast or bottle in anticipation of a feeding. Begins to anticipate regular activities like bath time. Begins to enjoy bath time.	Distinguishes between familiar persons and strangers Will no longer smile at everyone indiscriminately Begins to expect feeding, changing and bathing and notices changes to routine. Recognizes familiar objects like a favorite blanket. Will make her first attempts at conversation - she will babble, wait while you respond, then babble back. Responsive to play for up to an hour at a time. May drool and be fussy if teething. Senses if her behavior is unacceptable to a parent. Demands social attention. May cry if play is interrupted. Attempts to soothe self when crying. Expresses joy, unhappiness, contentment, frustration, tiredness and increasingly finds other ways to express feelings besides crying. Shows distinct signs of tiredness. (Yawn, rub eyes, refuse to play, becomes irritable.)

5 to 6 Months

If you haven't done so already, baby proof the house now! Your little one will soon be all over the place and getting into everything. He has grown out of his infant seat at this point and you may find it harder to take him places for long periods of time. He will begin showing more interest in toys and will start putting everything in his mouth. (And I mean everything!)

Physical

Mental/Language

Emotional/Social

Sees in full color.
May begin sitting alone.
Plays with feet and hands.
Reaches for objects.
Grasps and plays with rattle.
May cut first tooth.
Will push himself up when lying on tummy when he wants to look around.
Will begin eating solid food.
May stand when holding on to something.
May be able to feed self a cracker or cookie.
Will hold two toys at once.
Will put toys in his mouth.
May begin crawling.

Real babbling begins. May begin combining vowel and consonant sounds.
May make raspberry (razz) sounds or 'vroom' sounds.
Imitates sounds he hears.
Alternates the pitch of his babbling to reflect his mood.
May point at new things.
Enjoys manipulating other people's faces by poking and pulling as he tries to understand the difference between self and others.
Recognizes names, basic words, familiar household sounds.
May notice and explore genitals with hands.

Firmly attached to his mother and primary caregivers.
May begin initiating play.
Laughs more often.
Is more expressive of moods and feelings.
May develop a fear or anxiety of strangers.
May get frustrated when he can't do something and express it by yelling or screeching.
Very curious about the world around him and wants to explore his surroundings in more detail.
Plays by himself longer because he can do more things.

7 to 8 Months

Physical	Mental/Language	Emotional/Social
Has increased control of her trunk and hands. May begin pulling herself up to a standing position. Looks for a dropped object. May work towards walking while holding on to furniture. Can pass an object from hand to hand. Learns 'pincer' grasp where she uses thumb and forefinger to pick up an object. Will have mastered crawling. (However, some babies do skip crawling altogether.) Enjoys splashing in the tub. Learns how to voluntarily release (controlled release) an object.	Expands babbling skills. Combines consonant and vowel sounds. May be already developing music preference. (My son likes electronica. I thank the Cosmic Duck Collective for many peaceful hours. :) May prefer certain songs over others. Enjoys listening to simple books. Pays greater attention to her surroundings. Explores the concept of cause and effect. Will perform the same action over and over again (like dropping a toy) to see what happens. Can distinguish between household and outside sounds.	Has a specific emotional attachment to the mother. May protest being separated from mother. May enjoy simple games like peek-a-boo and pat-a-cake. May smile at her own image or try to kiss her own image in the mirror. Has no awareness of danger to curb her exploration. Is developing a sense of humor. May develop trouble sleeping at night. Take out any toys in her crib and try to make bedtime a soothing, no play time. Cuddle time before bedtime may help her unwind and prepare to sleep.

9 to 11 Months

Physical	Mental/Language	Emotional/Social
Will take first steps. May begin walking without assistance. May begin drinking from a cup. Can pick up small objects. Claps and clasps hands. May begin to wave "bye-bye" Likes to bang things together. Learns to poke things. May display a hand preference. Can get into a lot of trouble if left unattended. May forget to hold on as she cruises furniture. May be able to push up from floor to stand. Has a firmer grasp and can hold two objects in one hand. May carry a spoonful of food to her mouth but she will spill most of it. Pats, pinches, rolls, pokes, and squeezes various objects. Likes to put small objects in a larger container.	May begin to understand the word "no" (usually without obeying) Understands other simple words and associates (for example, going 'bye-bye' or having nap time). May begin to say "Dada" and "Mama" to the right parent. Responds to name. Classifies objects by shape and size. Finds an object hidden under another object. Follows verbal direction after a demonstration (like "pat the bunny"). May develop preferences for specific books. May be quiet for a long period of time during which she may be simply interested in a toy or she may be exploring the toilet. : ) Needs constant supervision! Cooperates with dressing. Bends halfway over to look through legs to see the world from a different perspective.	Loves to play games. May turn away from strangers or cry. Responds to one step commands. Indicates wants with gesturing. Understands more than can communicate. Gives and takes objects. Learns attitudes and respect from watching her parents. Learns to discern between "good" behavior and "naughty" behavior. Calls attention to good behavior and seeks approval.

12 Months

Physical	Mental/Language	Emotional/Social
Is very mobile using a combination of crawling, walking and cruising. Can walk unassisted. (Many babies don't master walking until 14 months.) Loves to stand and may resist sitting down. (Especially dangerous at bath time!) Will fall often when walking. Can sit down easily on a child-sized chair. Likes to climb inside or under things to see how he fits. Reaches for an object while looking away from it. Likes banging and pounding things. Can hold two objects then place one under his arm or in his mouth and grasp a third object. Can squat and push up from a squatting stance to stand.	Explores objects in more detail by rolling, spinning or pushing them. Prefers toys that move. Enjoys figuring out different ways to make the same thing happen. Likes to test to see if toys will sink or float in the bathtub. Imitates what he sees others doing with specific objects (mommy combs her hair, baby combs his hair). Is interested in what adults do. Says one to three words. Waves bye-bye. Can undress himself and may do so frequently.	Loves to imitate behavior, especially of primary caregivers. Gives affection to people and favorite toys. Distinguishes himself as separate from other people. May begin to display temper tantrums when frustrated or can't have his way or when forced to choose between two things. Repeats actions that make people laugh. Has no problem being naked in public.

Teen Pregnancy Information Center

The First Year: Your Baby's Development