Baby Development: Your Child’s First Year

Your Child’s First Year – What You Need to Know About What’s Happening With Your Baby’s Development

One of the best experiences of having a baby is being able to see them develop well month after month. But how do you know that it is indeed the case? We come up with this simple guide to help you follow the various developmental stages your baby will go through during his first year.

The first half of a baby’s life

1. The first three months

During his first three months, your baby is starting to slowly adapt to life outside of the womb. Here, his eyes start to track movement near his face and eye crossing starts to decrease. Along with this, he will be able to grip with his hands and will try to reach objects at a distance.

Another major development here is her ability to smile. At first, it will be only to himself, but as he reaches his third month, he will begin to respond to your smiles. He will also begin to get your attention and make you smile back at him.

2. Four to six months

During the second quarter of your baby’s first year, he is starting to interact more with the outside world and learning how to use his hands. For instance, he will reach and grab your hair, as well as manipulate toys around her.

His motor skills also start to improve. When lying down, he will be able to slowly roll from front to back or from back to front, the former being the first one to usually develop. Your baby will also start to sit up with support and is able to control his head motions better.

Your young one’s communication skills also grow another level. If before he just smiles, you will now be able to hear him laugh. He also starts to vocalize sounds that might seem like language.

The second half of a baby’s life

1. Seven to nine months

At this point, your baby starts to become more active in moving around. Here, he will start experimenting on how to crawl, first by dragging himself on his stomach. Once he gets the hang of it, he will slowly try to lift his body off the ground and do a standard crawl with his knees and hands. Hence, you should start baby-proofing your house’s rooms.

At this point, he is also able to sit upright without any support. And from there, he will also be able to pull himself up to a standing position.

This is also the period when he is able to respond to familiar words, such as his name and will also be able to utter simple syllables like such as “Mama” and “Dada”. Your baby will also be able to respond to simple commands like “no”, where she would momentarily stop and look at you. He is also able to play simple games like peekaboo and clap when delighted.

2. 10 to 12 months

The last quarter of his first year serves as a major transition period, with him acting more like a toddler. Here, he begins to become a bit more independent, slowly learning to feed himself. For that, he learns to grip small food pieces (and other small items) in between his thumb and forefinger.

Her communication skills also develop rapidly, with his vocabulary expanding and words like “Mama” and “Dada” being used to mean specific objects or persons. Your baby is also now able to point to objects he wants to get. He also begins to copy how you use objects, such as pretending to talk on the phone.

But perhaps the biggest development that marks his first year is his first step. At first, he will grab hold onto things and furniture and use it to support himself as he moves around the room. By the time he reaches his first year, he will finally be able to take his first unassisted steps.

Some important reminders about a baby’s first year

One thing that you need to keep in mind here is that, while the above developments are expected to happen at particular months, babies develop at different rates. Hence, some might be able to walk even before they reach their first birthday while others might take some time before they would be able to do so.

Also, while your baby might reach a particular milestone earlier than most, he will likely reach the next later than expected, as he will be busy practicing his new skill. Thus, don’t panic if your baby seems a little late in developing a particular skill. Give him some more time and you will be surprised.

In case you are still worried that your child is indeed not progressing as normally, then you can talk to your child’s doctor. He will conduct some tests to see if your child is still within the estimated window for the particular development. From there, he will determine if there is indeed some developmental problems that have to be corrected.

Remember that your child’s development is not a race. Instead, guide your child as he slowly perfects the new skill he acquired while waiting for the next milestone to appear.