Baby developmental milestones

What most babies are doing at each month of the first year, and the reflexes they are born with. Every baby reaches these at their own pace.

After a tedious and tough pregnancy, it is a boon to see your little one lying huddled in its cot or in your arms. Your baby goes through several developmental changes throughout the first year of his life that sees him moving out of his cot and slowly attempting to take his first step to the new world of discovery and exploration. Here is a milestone chart showing various developmental aspects of a baby through its first year. Each infant differing from the other will also vary in developing their various skills. You may even contact your childcare provider if you have any doubts about your child’s development.

Baby Developmental Milestones Chart (1 month to 1 year)
Age	Motor Activities	Vocalization	Sight/hearing skills	Social and Communicative behavior	Other Activities
1 Month	Jerky arm movement.Might lift their head slightlyInitial gripping (Palmar grasp reflex)Outward flexing of big toe(Babinski reflex)	Mainly communicate by crying.	Cross-eyedAttracted to contrast colors.Sees objects clearly (8 – 12 inches away).Gets startled (Moro reflex) at loud, high-pitched sounds.Recognizes mother’s voice.	Gives a reflex smile mainly while sleeping.	Recognizes the smell of mother’s milk.Rooting reflex
2 months	Smoothened arm movementAttempts Lifting head/chest for a short span.Strong sucking reflex, attempts to suck fingers.	Gurgling, cooing or low grunts can be heard.	Sees up to several feet.Attracted to a variety of colors, designs and shapes.	Social smile (seen in most children)Face and voice recognition of parents.	Begins to drool,
3 months	Raise head/chest at a 45-degree angle for a longer span.Bring both hands togetherOpen/Close fingersAttempts to pick up toys/objects.	Cooing, babbling, gurgling making vowel sounds continues.	Eye contact with the mother.Responds to mother’s voice.Startle reflex goes away.	Strongly recognizes any person or object.	Looks at reflection in the mirror.
4 months	Good coordination of both hands.Kicking and pushing of feet.Starts rolling overTendency of putting things into their mouth (mouthing).	Babbles, raising and dropping of voice	Follows objects and people.Distinguishes between shades of the same color.Grabs at colorful or shiny objects.	Love getting attention.Changes facial expressions indicating different emotions	Repeats an action.Initial signs of teething may be seen.
5 months	Rolling over improvedSits with support.Can pull small objects to themselves	May repeat 1-syllable sound (like ma-ma, da-da)Makes bubble, razzling sounds.Sticks tongue out of their mouth to produce a weird noise (Blowing raspberry).	Realizes direction of soundsFamiliar to regular noises, objects.Sharpened vision, better color recognition.Recognizes small objects.	Raises arms to be picked.Some may display an action nearly corresponding to hugging.Early signs of stranger anxiety.	Laughs at funny things.Laughs when you sneeze.
6 months	Can do multiple rollovers on their own.Can shift objects from one hand to the other.Sitting is improved.	Responds to sounds by making sounds.Makes sounds to express happiness and anger.	Enjoys sound of splashing water or blocks hitting the floor.	Stranger anxiety increasesDemands attention.Has a favorite plaything.Early signs of separation anxiety.	Teething starts in most babiesLoves pressing softballs or biting a teething ring.
7 months	Looks for something that has been dropped.Crawling seen in some babies.Sitting posture better (some can sit without support).	Develops non-verbal communication skills.	Sort toys based on their size.Few babies start responding to their names.	Separation anxiety continuesObject permanence seen.Stranger anxiety increases.	Starts understanding relation of one object to the other.Enjoys hiding games.
8 months	Crawling improvesTries standing up with support.Can pick up objects effortlessly.Tendency of dropping and throwing things.	Verbal skills improved.May understand meaning of few basic words(bye bye)	Recognizes people and objects from a distance.Uses motor skills with senses (crawls to get a toy they want).	Separation anxiety increasesRealizes their own likes and dislike.	Start to realize their daily routine.Enjoys toys with functions (mobile phone)
9 months	Attempts to figure out working of toys.Can crawl with ease.Some of them may even clap.Uses thumb and finger to hold objects (pincer grasp)	Prominent babbling .Understands the tone of their parents.	Is a good listener.Observes things within a radius of three to four meters carefully.	Has changing moods.Personality develops.Understands the meaning of the word “no”Tries waving	Understands parents’ body language.Responds to gestures like blowing kisses or waving.Distracted easily.Wants grownups to react to their activities.
10 months	Can use both hands for doing different work at the same time.Some start pointing.Starts clapping gradually.Sits unsupported.Starts walking with support.	Starts understanding many simple words and phrases.Repeats sounds.	Most of them respond to their names.Hand-eye coordination improves.	Some of them begin waving bye-bye.Engages themselves in parallel play.Separation and stranger anxiety very high.	Enjoys the dropping gameAfraid of things beyond their understanding.Slight chance of head banging
11 months	Some babies stand without support for a short span.Some try standing on toes or on one leg.Enjoys climbing.Pointing more developed.Enjoys pushing, throwing and knocking down everything.	Communicates better through several gestures (grunts, nods and waving)Babbling sounds more like a conversation.	Arranges toys according to size and color.Attracted to bright colorful books.Follows directions given through gestures.	Can focus on something for a longer time.Temper tantrums increased.Communicate needs to parents to certain extent.	Loves opening cabinets, almirah or drawers.Cooperates while dressing.
12 months	Some walk a few steps without support.Most of them use their hand and finger to put bits of food into their mouth.Interested in games involving more energy.Enjoys banging things.	Increase in vocabulary.Imitates parent’s language.	Understands what they are being told.Hand –eye coordination very smooth.	Have favorites among people.Level of curiosity increases.May show affection by trying to kiss.	Starts using objects the manner in which they should be used.Discovers ways to make a thing happen.Begins ‘pretend play’

All 27 pages in baby developmental milestones

1 Month Old Baby: Developmental Milestones

Your newborn will go through a lot of vital physical, mental and motor development in the first month of his life.
2 Month Old Baby: Developmental Milestones

Your baby is gradually growing in size as well as showing other signs of development as he steps into the second month of his life.
3 Month Old Baby: Developmental Milestones

Your three-month-old is gradually getting bigger and stronger day by day, showing development in his motor, communication, and other skills.
4 Month Old Baby: Developmental Milestones

In the fourth month, your baby will show a marked improvement in terms of physical, cognitive and communicative development.
5 Month Old Baby: Developmental Milestones

The fifth month of your baby’s life will certainly be a fulfilling and eventful one for you, as by now he will be showing a lot of new skills that he was…
6 Month Old Baby: Developmental Milestones

Here we will take a look at all the developmental milestones your baby acquires at the sixth-month.
7 Month Old Baby: Developmental Milestones

Let us take an insight into what milestones your seven-month-old achieves. Physical development Growth Details Boys Girls How much should a 7-month-old…
8 Month Old Baby: Developmental Milestones

Your eight-month-old will show a steady progress in terms of physical and mental development.
9 Month Old Baby: Developmental Milestones

Let us take a look at the set of new skills your baby learns in the ninth month. Physical development Growth Details Boys Girls How much should a 9-month-old…
10 Month Old Baby: Developmental Milestones

Your baby is very close to his first birthday, being more independent this month as far as his motor, communication, intellectual and emotional development…
11 Month Old Baby: Developmental Milestones

Your baby is just one step ahead of transforming into a toddler. It will be a fulfilling month for you to see your kid getting independent as well as…
12 Month Old Baby: Developmental Milestones

It is celebration time now as your infant steps into his first birthday. Let us take a quick review of what your little one has achieved till now.
Baby Drooling

Drooling is the excessive secretion of saliva in an involuntary manner, flowing outside the mouth [1] .
Baby Rolling Over

Rolling over being one of the biggest developmental milestones, marks the beginning of the first of his motor movements, which is followed by sitting,…
Moro Reflex

What is Moro reflex Moro reflex is one of the prime infantile reflexes, named after Ernst Moro, an Austrian pediatrician who was the first to describe it.
Palmar Grasp Reflex

What is the palmar grasp reflex? One of the most important infantile reflexes, the palmar grasp reflex refers to a baby closing his fist around anything that…
Pincer Grasp

Pincer grasp definition It is one of the most important fine motor skills where a baby learns to pick and hold small objects with his index finger and thumb…
Rooting Reflex

What is the rooting reflex In rooting reflex, one of the important infantile reflexes, the newborn reacts at the instant his cheeks are stroked, turning his…
Separation Anxiety

What is separation anxiety Separation anxiety is a kind of cognitive development in babies where they begin to realize the importance of people in their…
Stepping Reflex

What is the stepping reflex? Newborn infants move their legs as if to walk, when they are held upright with their feet almost touching a hard surface.
Stranger Anxiety

Stranger anxiety is an important behavioral development seen in babies where they get upset and distressed on interacting with someone whom they are not…
Teething

The process where the milk teeth of an infant grow out through their gums is known as teething (odontiasis).
When Do Babies Crawl?

Being an important part of an infant’s development, crawling is the middle phase succeeding rolling and preceding walking where the baby gets into motion…
When Do Babies Sit Up?

Babies achieve an important milestone in their developmental process when they learn to sit on their own without any support, trying to get a feel of the…
When Do Babies Smile?

Smiling is one of the first communicative responses made by babies after birth. The initial smiles seen on your newborn’s face are unintentional.
When Do Babies Start Laughing?

In the initial months after birth, babies would mostly express their needs to parents by crying.
When Do Babies Start Walking?

It is an interesting and fulfilling experience to see your baby finally taking those independent steps to explore the world around him after overcoming a…