Development Milestones for Children

Babies are all unique and develop in different ways, though there are some rough development milestones, that most babies adhere to during their infancy. However, one must consider that just because a baby might be slightly late to crawl compared to its peers, the same baby could hit a growth spurt and start walking before the others.

Milestones months 1-6

• In your baby’s first month, they should be able to lift their heads when lying on their tummy and also follow objects with their eyes This is also the time when they should began smiling and be more expressive with their faces.

• Month two, the baby should start to vocalize and be able to support a little weight on their legs and lift their heads and shoulders. 

• Third month sees them rolling over and making all kinds of sounds as they experience the possibilities of the new world around them. 

• By the end of month four, your baby may be able to sleep about six hours at night without waking. They should be able to lift their heads up fully and follow an object intently and also start exploring objects with their mouth. 

• By month five as they start teething, they will begin to reach for objects and by the sixth month, they can hold their bottle and be able to roll over on their backs.

Milestones months 6-12

• The following development milestones for the next six months sees your baby rapidly developing. By month seven they start to imitate sounds and recognize the direction of people’s voices around them.

• By month eight they begin to respond to their names, start to develop specific cries for different needs, also they can get on arms and knees.

• By month nine, they begin to reach for toys and, when they drop them, they look for them. Also, during feeding time they may now start reaching for the spoon.

• By the tenth month, they can start pulling hands and practice standing holding onto someone or something.

• The final development milestones towards the end of their first year include opening and closing cabinet doors, responding to music, pulls off hats and socks and also tries to walk.