Baby growth in the first year is quite a journey. There are many baby development milestones that happen. With our list, you’ll know what to expect and when to look out for it.
We fill in the baby growth and development charts in our red books. Yet, so much more happens. During this first year just be sure to have your camera handy for taking pictures and recording video of your baby growth.
Baby milestones timeline
Development in the first year is faster than at any other time. Here we’ve listed the baby development stages for you. It’s a time of many memorable moments, enjoy the journey.
Baby’s first year book
A nice way to keep all your baby’s milestones is in a book. You can note all the dates they reached them. You could even print off pictures to stick in and you can see their development. This way you’ll never forget the journey and when they’re older you can share that journey in detail.
Here are two great Baby’s first-year books on Amazon that are very highly rated.
Baby’s First Year Memory Book: A Simple Book of Firsts and
As You Grow: A Modern Memory Book for Baby
Alternatively, you could use a photo printing app such as Free prints photobook. You can get a book made up of your memories. They also make great gifts for the grandparents.
Baby growth: Keep in mind
All of the baby growth milestones listed in this article are approximations. No baby is the same, some may crawl earlier than others. Then they may start feeding themselves later than others. These are not fixed dates.
The biggest gap is walking, some babies can start walking at 10 months. While others don’t start until 18 months old. You normally don’t need to be concerned. If you do have questions though do ask your health visitor or GP.
Watch the video
There are lots of cute babies in our baby milestones video. It’s a summary of the key milestones, scroll to the bottom to watch it now. Keep reading for a more in-depth look at a babies growth.
The first month milestones
- Your baby will be taking everything in and looking around all the time.
- They will soon start to recognise you.
- Any loud and sudden noises will easily alarm them.
From 1 month to 6 weeks milestones
- Babies start to respond to their parents.
- GET THE CAMERA: At 6 weeks you should also see their first smile, enjoy.
Between 4 weeks to 3 month milestones
- They will start trying to lift their head when they are lying on their tummy.
- Does your baby seem to be fascinated with their hands? They’ve just discovered that they can open and shut them by 3 months.
2 month milestone
- In month 2 it’s possible that they’ll start to be able to roll from their backs onto their fronts. Some might not start this activity until nearer 4 months though.
3 to 5 month baby growth milestones
- They’re starting to get stronger during this time. Then they will then start to reach out and grab for things.
- Your baby will begin to enjoy playing early in this timeframe. If you make faces they’ll love trying to copy you.
Around 4 to 6 month milestones
- Their motor skills start to improve and they’ll be able to move their arms and legs on purpose.
- They’ll start making sounds and they’ll really enjoy it too.
- They can now roll onto their backs from their fronts or vice versa.
5 month baby growth milestones
- Your baby will be lifting objects and then putting them into their mouth. They do this as a sensory exploration and to understand objects.
Halfway: The 6 month baby milestones
- Babies start to develop their hand-eye coordination. They’ll learn to be able to pass objects hand to hand.
- 6 months is about baby crawling age too. Some babies may not start crawling until 12 months though. It won’t be long before they’re able to pull themselves up with the aid of furniture.
During 6 to 8 months
- Your baby is getting much stronger now. They can now sit up without support.
- Around this time they will start “cruising” – Walking while steadying themselves or if you help them.
- May start imitating words, It’ll probably be Dada. It’s not because they like dad better. It’s just because Dada is easier to say.
In months 6 to 9 month baby growth milestones
- Most little ones start teething. They’ll also attempt to crawl. Also with your help or the help of furniture they can start to pull themselves up to stand.
7 month milestones
- Babies will start responding to the sound of your voice. When they hear you they will turn their heads to see where you are.
From 9 to 11 months
- Babies learn to drop things, they’ll also start passing them to you.
- They may be afraid of strangers and cling to adults they know.
- They’ll be able to point at things they want.
10 month milestones
- Some babies can start to walk alone at 10 months, but don’t be concerned if yours doesn’t. It can be around 18 months for other babies. They will be a bit wobbly as they start to gain strength in their legs. This means they will trip and fall often but they will generally be alright.
Baby growth at 11 to 12 months
- They can now stand without support.
- They’ll start enjoying feeding themselves. Beware though, if you’ve got carpet you may want to put a sheet down. A lot of food will end up there.
- They can now say mama and dada to the right parent.
If you’ve enjoyed this article we’d really appreciate it if you could share it so others can too. Let us know what you like best in the comments below or you can now watch the cute babies in the video.
You may want to read our article about the eRedook here to track other baby growth moments on your phone.
Find out about The national child measurement programme on the NHS website here.
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