Seeing your baby reach those all-important milestones and progress before your eyes creates some amazing moments that you’ll remember forever, but what key milestones should you be looking out for in your baby’s first year - and when are they most likely to occur?
Before we cover those magical milestones, it is important to remember that babies progress at different stages, and if your little one doesn’t hit these milestones ‘on time’ - it’s not to say they won’t a month later! When it comes to your baby’s development, the main milestones you should be looking out for are physical and cognitive.
0-3 months Baby Cognitive Milestones
In the blur of those first newborn days between feeds and diaper changes you may find that not much changes day to day with your baby, but slowly and surely they will begin to react and become more mobile - making things much more exciting!
Hearing
Babies have their hearing from birth, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll react to sounds right away. Within 3 months, your baby will start to react to familiar sounds such as your voice or noises you make. For example, if you make a noise they find funny they may smile or laugh - or if you raise your voice / they hear a sound that is unfamiliar or they don’t like - they may cry. They might also be startled by loud noises, and begin to recognise your voice - which will have a calming effect on them. You can also start to introduce music to your baby’s life and this may prompt arm and leg wriggling if the sound is pleasing to them - so make sure to play your best tracks!
Vision
By 3 months, your baby will recognise your face and react to you as well as other close family members / friends they see regularly. Babies should be able to follow and focus on objects that are close by, for example, when waving a finger from left to right they can track it with their eyes. This may also encourage them to start reaching for things - in most cases, your hair!
0-3 Months Baby Physical Milestones
Smiles
Perhaps one of the most rewarding physical milestones your baby will make in their first few months is smiling. Not gassy smiles, and not sleepy smiles - real smiles! There is nothing more joyful than seeing a true smile from your little one, especially when they’re staring back at you. You can encourage your baby to smile by talking to them, singing to them, and using the tried and trusted game of ‘peek-a-boo’. If it doesn’t work the first time, don’t give up as babies learn behaviour through repetition.
Holding head up
Most babies will attempt to lift their head within their first few months and tummy time can help encourage this and aid in your baby’s neck strength. Holding up their head is the first major milestone for your baby who will then begin to learn to make all their other movements, such as wiggling, crawling and eventually walking. To begin tummy time, rest your baby on your stomach multiple times a day for 5 minutes or so at a time. Your baby will be eager to see you and will start to lift their head, introducing them to the familiarity of the activity. Soon after, you should be able to place your baby on a safe mat, blanket or the Babocush to free up your arms also! Your baby will begin to reach out with their limbs, and that newborn scrunch will start to unfurl as they make use of their newly found arms and legs!
Reaching / Grabbing
As your baby’s vision and limb mobility starts to sync up, so will their ability to grab absolutely everything in sight! Typically, this may start with your hair, hands, or any dangling object which could include your necklace or earrings - or their playmat. Although they may not be able to fully grab and hold onto these items, their reaching action is a good indication that your baby is on the right milestone path. Around the 6 month mark is when your baby will be confidently grabbing and holding onto items, so enjoy the peace while it lasts!
3-6 months Baby Cognitive Milestones
From 3 months onwards, your baby has exited the ‘newborn’ stages. They look like their own person with distinguishing features, and you can even begin to learn details about their own little personality they are starting to develop! With this comes some new additional upgraded baby features that will make being a mom all the more fun.
Laughs & little noises
There is nothing quite like a baby laugh to make you feel like you’ve suddenly become a comedian! Once you find something that makes your baby laugh, it’s one of the sweetest sounds in the world. Funny faces, blowing bubbles, belly raspberries, singing and doing some of the silliest things you could never do in public will all encourage your baby to laugh. You may find that the most random interactions will prompt a giggle from your little one. Laughing is an important milestone for your baby as it shows their great and growing communication skills. Baby laughter, just like crying, is instinctual and not something your baby can control - which means they are naturally reacting to you, your voice and your expressions and are able to exhibit important emotions. After all, laughter is a very important interaction for your baby to learn! Your baby will also begin to make simple sounds like ‘baa’ and ‘gaa’ which may initially sound like grunts. These are your baby’s first steps into speaking, so make sure to encourage more of these through repetition - even if it feels silly!
Passing objects & encouraging sensory
Your baby’s development is so amazing that at month 3 your baby will have been reaching out for objects, but at month 4 - 6 they can grab those objects and move them from hand to hand. This is great at encouraging their eye hand coordination which will in turn help develop their hand and wrist movement skills. Objects to consider for this could be a set of toy keys (avoid giving your baby your own keys due to choking hazards) or the classic baby rattle. Baby sensory is excellent for tactile play that introduces different textures and sensory experiences such as bubbles being blown. Introducing your baby to different stimuli helps improve their understanding of their own senses and the world around them. You can easily create baby sensory experiences at home with household items or you can go to a baby sensory class. Either way, your baby will be very aware of their hands and feet and will want to start making use of them!
3-6 months Baby Physical Milestones
Rolling over
Whilst your baby has been mostly stationary on the playmat, you’ll start to notice their ability to wiggle from side to side and eventually wanting to roll over. This is another important milestone as it signals their growing strength in their upper body muscles and tummy which will eventually lead to them being able to sit up. If you see your baby beginning to make moves to roll over, ensure you are supervising them at all times.
Lifting their head
All that tummy time is finally paying off, and your baby should be able to lift their head with ease around the 4 month mark. They’ll finally have a 360 degree view of everything that’s going on around them and this will open their world even more, so get ready for extra laughs, smiles and expressions! Your baby lifting their head on their own is another sign they are ready for their next steps of sitting up, crawling, and eventually walking.
Sitting up
Towards the six month mark, your baby may be able to sit up unaided. This will help improve their play and sensory abilities, as they won’t require your support to start exploring. This sitting up will also encourage their bum shuffling and crawling, as they may want to grab objects that are out of their reach causing them to go wandering! Babies can still be a little bit wobbly, so although you don’t have to be beside them constantly - make sure to keep an eye on your little one to avoid any bumps. You can also create a softer landing for them by putting down soft blankets and cushions.
6-12 months Baby Cognitive Milestones
From 6 months onwards, your baby’s development will really start to speed up and those newborn days will seem like a distant dream! You’ll really have to keep an eye on your little one as they’ll want to get into everything and anything they can.
Speaking
From 6 - 12 months your baby may be able to say single words, such as the all-famous ‘Dada’ before ‘Mama’ and other one or two syllable words. Whilst your baby might not necessarily understand what they’re saying, they’ll understand what reaction it produces - i.e. your attention, so will begin to use it frequently. Babies may also attempt to say common names they hear such as pet names or relative names. This sets the scene for your baby’s first birthday and onwards, where they’ll begin to piece these words together to eventually say their first sentence.
Understand instructions
Just as they are beginning to understand your reactions to their speech, your baby can begin to comprehend instructions. The most important perhaps being ‘no’ as they pull almost every tissue out of the box. This is a good instruction for your little one to learn, not only to discipline them but to also keep them out of harms way - for example reaching for hot objects.
Moving objects around
Whilst your baby has been practicing moving objects from one hand to another, they’ll learn the skill of putting objects away, and lifting objects out. This is particularly useful when it comes to tidying up their toy boxes! Your baby may also drop / throw objects purposefully and pick them up and your first sign of this may be their sippy cup ceremoniously flying across your kitchen floor. If you like, this is your baby’s first introduction to their own free will. It’s great to embrace this mobility and thinking in your baby - but don’t forget, they understand instructions now!
6-12 months Baby Physical Milestones
Holds hands
When smiles, laughs and ‘mama’ becomes a regular feature in your day - the day your baby first holds your hand may be one of the most meaningful interactions in their first year. They’ve been doing lots of practicing holding various objects and now, they want to hold your hand, in particular, to help them lean against things and potentially start to walk. Whilst your baby has one thing in mind to get from A to B, it’s a special feeling to know they are looking to you first for support.
Tries to stand / is standing
As soon as your baby can see everything from ground level, all of a sudden they want to see everything from a height! Your little one will be angling to lean against your sofa or will try their very best to stand. If you want to encourage them to stand, you can hold them up under their arms and let them wriggle their legs and feet about to get a feel for it. You may want to put their feet on top of yours and show them the motion of walking. Remember, babies will progress at different stages so don’t be concerned if your baby isn’t doing this at the 6 month mark or even the 12 month mark, however your baby will need to be rolling over and sitting independently before they can move onto this next important milestone as this shows the strength in their muscles. If your baby is showing signs of wanting to stand and leaning against items for support, make sure to supervise them to avoid any bumps. Bumps may still happen, but it’s important to positively encourage and reassure your little one that unless they are injured they can just get up and go again. To avoid any accidents, make sure to add cushioned corners or edge protectors to sharper furniture.
Crawl/Walk
With sitting up mastered, your baby may begin to bum shuffle or skip this step altogether and go straight to crawling, or perhaps even walking! Some tell-tale signs that your baby is ready for this milestone include displaying confidence, or perhaps overconfidence when trying to stand up and walk, changes to their sleep routine and fussiness. Babies typically go through a growth spurt at around 10 months and if their sleep is interrupted around this time this could be an indication your little one is gearing up for their next milestone. Your baby may also be fussier than normal as they have their own frustrations trying to stand up and walk and are pushing themselves to do so. This is your opportunity to really encourage your baby to crawl and walk if they are displaying signs of this behaviour. For crawlers, lift your baby up under their arms or by holding their hands (if they are steadier) and get them to start using their feet, walking along with them with their feet on top of yours. While it is a great sign that your baby is crawling, ultimately you want to get them on their feet so make sure to give them a taste of this. For walkers taking their first few steps, you should make this a fun and safe activity for them. Encouraging your little one to walk between you and your partner / family member or friend in a short enclosed space, knowing they can fall onto you if they become wobbly, will instill some confidence in them. Eventually, you can make this space between you both bigger, which will get your baby to walk longer distances unaided.
Your baby might not hit all of these exact milestones at these months - they might hit them earlier or later. If you feel that your baby isn’t reaching the milestones they should be, contact your family doctor for professional advice.
For more information on baby milestones and development, read our blogs below;
● Celebrating Milestones: Your Baby's Journey Through Tummy Time
● Fostering Cognitive Development: Activities for Babies Age 6 to 9 Months
● Sensory & Motor Development: Milestones From 6-12 months
