Then you bring your child home from the hospital and you start to watch and wonder. You’re never such what’s “normal” for your baby. As your child grows physically, mentally, and emotionally, he or she will begin to develop new skills and abilities. Your baby will smile, recognize you and other family members, and even start to talk. But when is all this supposed to happen?
A baby’s development falls on a spectrum. It’s important not to panic if your baby isn’t crawling by seven months. Children develop at their own pace and most children will eventually catch up. If your baby is on the far end of the spectrum and you’re worried, speak to your pediatrician. A qualified doctor can usually assess your child for developmental delays. However, most children will develop all of the following skills.
0 – 6 Weeks
Newborns don’t do much. They’re too busy adapting to their new environment. It’s hard going from a warm, safe, dark womb to the bright and cold surroundings of the outside world. Your baby will squirm as he or she learns about the body they can now move freely. Your child may also grimace or smile, but this is usually due to gas.
Babies in this age bracket tend to respond on instinct. Most of what they do is based on survival. The mouthing reflex, for example, is an instinct designed to allow the baby to feed, as is the ability to latch onto a nipple. These responses are based upon certain stimuli, but they are not cognitive abilities. A baby’s cognitive abilities will begin developing at around the 4-6 week mark.
6 – 8 Weeks
Babies in this age range start to look around and focus on many different things in their environment. Motor reflexes begin to develop, though they are still slow and very awkward. Babies at this stage are not very steady, but they do attempt to move their heads around.
At around 6 weeks, babies begin to truly smile. Your child may greet you with a smile when you enter a room, and may attempt to turn towards the sound of your voice. Though his or her social circle is still limited to parents and perhaps other very close relatives (such as a sibling in the same household), the baby is beginning to develop socially.
2 – 3 Months
By this time, the strength of a baby begins to grow exponentially. Your baby may start to rock back and forth in an apparent attempt to roll over, and may even begin supporting himself on his hands if you place him on his stomach on a firm surface. Generally by 3 months babies learn to roll over onto their backs, but don’t be surprised if your baby then finds himself stuck. Babies at this stage do not have the strength to roll themselves back onto their stomachs.
Socially, your baby will begin to recognize other people. Your child may start responding to a beloved aunt or grandparent, and may even giggle when “Grandpa” comes to play. Your baby’s social circle is starting to widen, and he’s beginning to realize there’s a wider world than simply his parents.
3 – 4 Months
By this stage, most babies have learned to control their neck muscles enough to support their own heads. This means that your own baby will be able to look wherever he wants. And he’ll usually want to look at whatever is the brightest or fastest moving object in the room. This is a good age to invest in a mat with activity bars dangling overhead, and your baby will finally show an interest in these types of things.
Your child is also learning some basic motor coordination. He’ll learn to control the movement of his hands and feet, and may appear to be attempting to crawl (though actual crawling will not occur just yet).
Children at this age are also learning how to play, and the basics of cause and effect. By about 3 months, a baby understands that if he shakes a rattle, it makes a sound. He’ll also start to realize that you’ll pick up anything he drops. This may become a game to him, as he tosses various toys and expects you to pick them up.
4 – 6 Months
This is a very exciting stage for a baby. Most children have greater control of their hands and necks, and begin to truly roll around, back to front and front to back. Many babies even learn that they can roll to get around, their very first attempt at mobility.
Children also begin to have ‘conversations’ at this age. They will coo or gurgle at you, expecting a response. While this conversation doesn’t make sense quite yet, it is your baby’s first attempt at communicating with you through language.
Socially, children of this age love to play games. Peek-a-boo is especially popular, as is This Little Piggy. He’ll also begin to make associations regarding his own body, so this is a good age to begin teaching certain parts of the body, such as feet, hands, and nose. Don’t expect him to catch on immediately, but he’ll get it eventually.
7 – 11 Months
For many babies, this is the stage where truly mobility is gained. Crawling or scooting begins, usually followed by pull himself up using furniture. But the end of this stage, most babies have learned to walk while holding onto furniture. Some may walk independently.
Independence first begins to develop in the second half of a baby’s first year. He might choose to look at a cloth or board book without your help, and may become frustrated if you do attempt to render aid. This is a phase where it’s important to respect his independence as he begins exploring his world.
Most children begin talking at this phase. They’ll use simply words associated with familiar items, such as ‘ball’, ‘Mum’, ‘cat’, and other easy words. To encourage this, use words to communicate with him, putting everything he wants into words. Don’t expect full sentences to come out of your child just yet. Linking words to items is progress enough.
12+ Months
Infancy is generally considered to end around the 12-month mark. After this, children are generally referred to as toddlers. A baby will begin walking right around now, and may develop a resentment of all those baby gates you’ve carefully placed around the house. He’ll also start using more words, and may even join two or three words together. They may not make sense, but it’s a start.
This is an age of frustration on the part of your child. Expect him to be annoyed when something doesn’t go his way. This is a normal and healthy part of development. Expect him to challenge you as he passes his first birthday. This is his way of learning what the rules of his world are, so be consistent.
The first year of a baby’s life is truly amazing. Your child will go from a tiny infant barely capable of moving to a toddler dashing through your kitchen. Spend this first year engaging your child, and remember that most of his brain’s development will happen during this year. Don’t waste this precious time with your baby at he learns who he is and his place in the world.
