Baby Development Milestones

Babies develop according to their own timetable, reaching milestones at varying ages. The progression through these milestones occurs in a predictable sequence and within broad time frames. Babies who develop slowly may reach the steps at the latter end of the scale and those who develop early may reach the step before expected, but both are perfectly healthy and developing as normal.

Types

• Child development consists of three main categories. Physical development describes the way in which your baby uses or moves his body. Social and emotional describes how your baby interacts with others and how he expresses his emotions. Intellectual refers to language development and communication.

Features

• Physical development: At birth, your baby is unable to hold her head up and does not have control of body movements. She gradually gains control between birth and 6 months. For the first few months, your baby can focus on objects about 10 inches from her face or about the distance between the mother's face and the child when feeding. By 6 months, vision develops and she is able to focus on other objects. At 4 months, she can sit with support and can roll from the side to the belly.
  By the time your baby is 6 months old, she will be able to sit on her own and begin to follow a regular sleeping and eating schedule, generally taking two naps a day and eating three meals a day. By 8 months, she will be able to hold her own spoon and drink from a cup, crawl with the belly on the floor or creep on her hands and knees and pull herself up to a standing position. She will develop the pincher grasp and be able to pick up things between the thumb and finger and be able to drop things. At this stage, she may enjoy dropping objects over and over or throwing her favorite toy, expecting you to get it for her. By age 1, most babies will about triple their birth weight.

  Social and emotional development: Socially and emotionally, your baby develops from a helpless infant unable to communicate his needs to a toddler who is able to express his fears and desires and is eager interact with you. From birth to 6 months, your baby develops trust in you to provide for his needs. He will communicate with you by crying, and you will soon learn to recognize what individual cries mean. He will express fear with a startled look and cry. He may get excited easily and may show frustration when his needs are not met immediately. He still desires cuddling as a form of comfort. At 6 weeks, he will smile in response to others and by 4 months, he will smile broadly at family members and familiar people.
  Between 6 and 12 months, your baby will begin to enjoy talking to himself in front of a mirror and respond to his own name. He will begin to understand what is expected and may follow simple rules. At this age, he may show signs of a fear of strangers or separation from you.

  Intellectual development: Between birth and 6 months, your baby will learn to follow objects with her eyes, coo and make other babbling sounds, turn toward a sound and quickly forget objects that she can no longer see. She will likely put anything she touches into her mouth. This is the way she explores the world.
  Between 6 and 12 months, your baby will likely begin to say "Mama" or "Dada," wave goodbye, play patty-cake and look for objects that are no longer in view. She may say a few words that are understandable to those who spend time with her. By 12 months, she may speak her first word that is understandable to others.

Function

• Each step in your baby's development builds a foundation for skills he will master later. Learning to crawl and to sit unsupported build strong muscles that will allow him to learn to walk. Babbling and cooing develop and exercise muscles needed for speech. Allow your baby to progress through the sequence of stages without trying to hurry him to the next step.

Misconceptions

• Many parents worry that their baby is not developing as quickly as he should or mistakenly assume that children who learn to walk and talk early are more intelligent that those who develop more slowly. Some babies develop faster in one area than another. Your baby may walk earlier than expected, yet speak his first words later than others her age. This is perfectly normal. If you have concerns, speak to your pediatrician.

Considerations

• Provide your baby with plenty of opportunities to interact with you and encourage her efforts to master new tasks. Talking to your baby helps her develop communication skills and to build a strong bond with you. Provide interactive toys that encourage exploration.