Child Development
No two babies — not even siblings — develop in the exact same way. Some babies develop and grow faster, while other babies may take a bit longer. Each baby is different, so it is important that you are aware of some of the physical, mental, and social changes that often occur during the baby’s first year of life. Below are a few month-by-month suggestions of activities and behaviors you can look for in your baby:
1 Month:
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Makes eye contact |
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Grows quiet and still when staring at faces |
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Uses hand to grab or clutch someone |
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Looks sideways with eyes to look at something |
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Cries for assistance |
2 Months:
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Soothes him/herself with sucking |
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Holds head up for a few seconds |
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Holds objects for a few moments or longer |
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Becomes excited at people and objects |
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Can swing at objects |
3 Months:
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Begins to recognize family members |
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Smiles easily |
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Gurgles and coos to respond to sounds |
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Holds, shakes, and/or moves a toy |
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Turns head and neck when you make a noise |
4 Months:
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Laughs when playing or tickled |
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Is quieted by music |
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Rolls over between his/her stomach and back |
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Begins teething |
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Turns head in all directions |
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Holds head up for a short time |
5 Months:
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Imitates sounds, movements, and facial expressions |
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May resist strangers |
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Likes to play at mealtime |
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Rolls over easily |
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Brings feet to mouth and sucks toes |
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Grasps objects more easily (like a rattle or bottle) |
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Utters vowel sounds and a few consonants (d, b, l, m) |
6 Months:
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Stops crying in response to music |
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Turns head when name is called |
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Twists body in all directions |
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Tries to crawl |
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Plays with food and tries to feed self with fingers |
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Holds cup by the handles |
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Utters more consonants (f, v, th, s, sh, z, m, n) |
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Changes mood very quickly |
7 Months:
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Begins learning meaning of "no" by sound of your voice |
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Crawls more easily |
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May have one or two teeth |
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Holds an object in each hand |
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Uses fingers to grasp objects |
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Makes sounds like ma, mu, da, di |
8 Months:
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Pushes away objects not wanted |
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Shouts for attention |
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Excited when sees oneself in the mirror |
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Crawls with an object in one hand |
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Uses furniture to pull self up |
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Stands while leaning on something |
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Says "Mama" and "Dada" |
9 Months:
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Chooses which toy to play with |
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Likes playing near parent |
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Imitates coughs and mouth noises |
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Turns around when crawling |
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Climbs on people and objects |
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Becomes bored if playing same game too long |
10 Months:
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Likes to play peekaboo |
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Walks holding on with both hands |
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Climbs up and down from chairs |
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Sits down from standing position |
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Begins preferring one hand more than the other |
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Responds to music by bouncing or humming |
11 Months:
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Likes hide-and-seek or rolling a ball back and forth
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Stands on toes |
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Turns pages of a book |
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Lifts spoon to mouth |
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Pulls off socks and shoes |
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Recognizes words as symbols for objects (like pointing to the sky when you say the word "airplane") |
12 Months:
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Shows affection to family and favorite objects
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Does not want to nap |
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Takes one or two steps without holding on to anything |
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Walks with help from a toy or person |
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Climbs out of a crib or climbs up stairs |
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Says two or three words besides "Mama" or "Dada" |
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Identifies animals in picture books or magazines |
Source: American Baby First Year of Life. 2005.
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