You may also notice your baby may try to begin to lift his head while lying on his back. Look for these milestones. By the end of the first month, your baby may have grown 2.5 inches in length and gained 4-7 ounces per week.
Month 2
During this month you may begin to notice that your baby has different cries that mean different things. Look for this sign of growth and development. He may also begin to vocalize and use his voice for things other than crying during this stage of development. When he hears a sound, he may search it out and is eager to follow items that are dangled in front of him. He may even be able to lift his head while lying on his stomach and if you watch carefully, you may even notice a first real smile. By the end of the second month you baby may have grown another inch and gained 1-2 pounds.
Month 3
Playtime will start to get fun as your baby may enjoy standing up while you hold his hands and can begin to really hold his head up when he sits. He may even hold objects and can follow objects moved in front of him up to 180 degrees. Your baby definitely recognizes you and familiar people and may even smile, squeal and coo when he is excited. This is an exciting time for social growth and development. You may also notice that when you speak to your baby he even tries to speak back. By the end of this month, your baby may have grown another inch gained an additional 1-2 pounds.
Month 4
Your baby may now begin to sit up and have a bit more head control. When he is on his tummy, he may even lift his head and shoulders to a 90 degree angle. He may really enjoy playing with toys now and interacting with people. He may laugh, babble, grasp and reach for toys as he works on his hand and eye coordination. Test to see if he has reached this milestone by holding toys in front of him. By the end of this month, your baby may have grown another inch gained an additional 1-2 pounds.
Month 5
Your baby may begin teething this month, so get out those drool bibs! He may also roll over. He may be more interested in toys and putting everything in his mouth at this stage of development including his hands and toes. Socially your child is in a growth spurt. Social development this month may include expressing sadness when something is taken away and smiling in the mirror at himself and others. As far as growth, your baby may again have grown another inch and gained an additional 1-2 pounds.
Month 6
Your baby may seem to experience rapid growth in physical development this month. He may be interested in pushing himself of the floor when on his stomach, holding his own bottle, grabbing at items and his body, putting anything and everything in his mouth and rolling from his back to his stomach often. During this stage of development your baby may love visual stimuli and will adjust his body to see something that catches his attention. His verbal growth may include more verbalization and saying one word syllables. Listen carefully and you may hear your baby say “ma” or “da.” By the end of this month your baby may have grown a half an inch and gained a half of pound.
Month 7
For physical development this month your baby may reach some exciting milestones. Your baby may be able to bear all his weight on his feet when you help him stand (and he may even try to dance!), may sit alone without your help, may push himself up with one hand from his tummy and may play with toys with both hands. He may now know his name and respond to it and talk when others are talking. His physical growth this month may include a growth in length of one half of an inch and a weight gain of one half of a pound.
Month 8
During this stage of development your baby may be sitting up completely by himself for longer periods of time. He may try to pick up items and reach for toys. Verbally, his development may include understanding the word no, recognizing familiar words and combines syllables to babble words like “mama” and “dada”.
You'll notice this milestone during this month of development: your baby may now hate having his diaper changed and getting dressed and isn't afraid to let you know! Your baby's growth continues as he may gain another half of inch in length and half of pound in weight.
Month 9
During this stage of development, your baby may begin to crawl. He may also begin to pull himself up to a standing position using a couch or other piece of furniture within reach. At this stage of development he may understand “no” although he may not always adhere. You may also notice that your baby begins to use his thumb and finger to pick up small items like cereal. Your baby's growth continues as he may gain another half of inch in length and half of pound in weight.
Month 10
During this stage of development your baby may begin to say a word or two and definitely says “mama” and “dada” with meaning. An exciting time in development, your baby may begin to wave bye-bye, enjoy reading picture books and repeat and mimic you both physically and verbally. Your baby's growth continues as he may gain another half of inch in length and half of pound in weight.
Month 11
This month your baby may begin cruising around, walking as he holds onto furniture. This stage of development will bring out the explorer in baby who will learn to understand his environment by reaching for and touching most everything. Your baby may shake his head no, express frustration and even roll a ball back and forth with you. Your baby's growth continues as he may gain another half of inch in length and half of pound in weight.
Month 12
This last stage of growth and development in your baby's first year is exciting. Some of your baby's milestones this month may seem huge! Your baby may walk when you hold one hand and even try to take a step or two on his own. Your baby may try to play with toys, build with blocks and turn the pages of his favorite books.
He may show affection by giving lots of hugs and kisses to familiar people and understand a lot of words. Verbally, he may be saying a few words with meaning and may begin to imitate sounds like a cow mooing or dog barking. Your baby's growth continues as he may gain another half of inch in length and half of pound in weight. |
