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Your baby develops and grows with each new day, and as a parent, you may be excitedly awaiting certain milestones - your baby's first step, the day when your little one begins to crawl, and of course, the ever-anticipated first word.
It's such a thrill for you as a parent, seeing your baby's "firsts."
But what are these milestones and when should you expect your baby to reach them? How can you tell if your child is just a late bloomer or is actually delayed? Is there anything you can do to help your child achieve these milestones earlier in life?
We're here to take you through the early years and developmental stages that your baby will pass and provide you with useful information to help them achieve their milestones. |
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0 Months Old
By this time, most babies:
- Can lift their head for short periods while on their stomach
- Respond to sounds and voices, especially parents' voices
- Can focus on objects 10 inches away
- Prefer to look at faces and high contrast patterns
- Are alert for 1 out of every 10 hours
- Have strong reflexes
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1 Months Old
By this time, most babies:
- Can smile responsively
- Follow objects with eyes
- Make noises other than crying, such as gurgling and cooing
- Can lift head to 45 degrees
- Have begun to unfurl hands and relax muscles
- Can briefly hold objects
- Enjoy visual stimulation
- Start to associate crying with need-fulfillment
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2 Months Old By this time, most babies:
- Laugh
- Open and shut hands
- Push down with legs when placed on surface
- Kick legs when put on back
- Raise head and chest when put on tummy
- Bring both hands together
- Know difference between parents and strangers
- Can make extended vowel sounds like “ooh” and “aah”
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3 Months Old
By this time, most babies:
- Can lift head fully and hold it steady
- Sit with support
- Can bear weight with legs
- Babble and make new sounds
- Explore objects with mouth
- Laugh hard when tickled
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4 Months Old
By this time, most babies:
- Roll over (stomach to back)
- Can grasp a toy
- Play with hands and feet
- Can see across the room
- Babble and try to mimic sounds
- Show interest in bold colors
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5 Months Old
By this time, most babies:
- Turn towards sounds and voices
- Roll in both directions
- Can sit with minimal support
- Can stand with help from others
- Try to wiggle forward on floor
- Open mouth for spoon
- Observe your mouth movements
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6 Months Old
By this time, most babies:
- Sit without support
- Imitate many sounds
- Make two-syllable sounds
- Can hold a bottle
- Can drink from a cup with help
- Are ready for some solid foods
- Copy some facial expressions
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7 Months Old
By this time, most babies:
- Respond to own name
- Combine two or more syllables
- Say ‘dada’ and ‘mama’ to both parents (not specific)
- Babble enthusiastically
- Get up on all fours, and rock or lunge forward
- Pass objects from hand to hand
- Chew on objects
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8 Months Old
By this time, most babies:
- Can stand while holding on to something
- Point at objects
- Can get from tummy to sitting
- Turn head away when finished eating
- Are interested in own reflection
- May start to be shy or afraid of strangers
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9 Months Old
By this time, most babies:
- Can crawl
- Can pull self up to standing and ‘walk’ with furniture
- Pick up small objects with finger and thumb
- Can wave goodbye
- Makes two-syllable sounds
- Looks for objects after dropping them
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10 Months Old
By this time, most babies:
- Say ‘dada’ and ‘mama’ to right parents (specific)
- Can stand unaided for a few seconds
- Respond to name
- Understand the concept of "NO"
- Clap hands and bang objects together
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11 Months Old
By this time, most babies:
- Have mastered crawling
- Use gestures to indicate what they want
- Enjoy mimicking others
- Put objects in containers and take them out
- Can drink from a cup
- Identify self in mirror
- Pull off hats/socks if dislike them
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12 Months Old
By this time, most babies:
- Can stand alone
- Bend over to pick up objects
- Use 2 or 3 words skillfully, eg., “hi” and “bye”
- Understand simple instructions
- Shake their heads for ‘no’
- Bounce to music (with support)
- May form attachment to items
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13 Months Old
By this time, most babies:
- Can take few steps, or walk
- Can stand alone well
- 'Speak' jargon (like foreign language)
- Empty content from containers
- Stack two blocks and disassemble
- Enjoy looking at own reflection
- Finger feed
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14 Months Old
By this time, most babies:
- Can walk, and possibly run
- Can climb up stairs
- Can say up to 5 words apart from “mama”/”dada”
- Drink from cups
- Scribble with crayons
- Play with ball
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15 Months Old
By this time, most babies:
- Can walk backwards and run
- Show temper when angry
- Says ‘no’ frequently
- Can turn pages of book
- May like to sing
- Can point to body parts when asked
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16 Months Old
By this time, most babies:
- Runs well
- Can draw a line
- Like riding toys
- Use a few words regularly
- Try to climb
- Can walk up stairs
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17 Months Old
By this time, most babies:
- Can say 10-20 words
- Can join words and make their first sentence
- Try to kick a ball forward
- Can feed self with spoon or fork
- Have some control over bladder and bowel
- Can throw objects
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