Baby Milestones

Milestone is a pretty common word that we hear when talking about babies and young children. A milestone is an action or event marking a significant change or stage in development according to the dictionary. For example, crawling or sitting up would be considered a big milestone for a baby.  In this blog post I will be discussing the different millstones according to certain months during the first year of your child’s development. Keep in mind that every child develops at a different rate, but most reach similar milestones around the same time.

0-3 month old baby using motor skills

At 0-3 months a baby begins developing motor skills, which means they might start turning and lifting their head. The way they kick and pay attention to objects starts getting more noticeable. Another thing that they start developing is their vision and hearing. Your baby does not know that you are its mother but it will start to focus on your face and colorful shapes as well as feeling comfortable with you. They will also recognize your voice and the people who are most around him or her. The last thing that you should expect from the time they were born up to the three-month mark is communication. Of course they are not telling you they they are hungry or that they are cold, but they will begin to smile if they like something or cry when they are uncomfortable. He or she might even reach or signal toward things that they want.

3-6 month old baby sitting up by himself

During the 3-6 month period your baby is beginning to act like a real little person. It will begin to gain weight and sleep through the night (sometimes). One of the things that they begin to do is being more alert when they hear sounds and will often turn towards those unexpected sounds. Around this time is when you will begin to hear your baby’s voice for the first time. He or she will coo and do those goo-goo ga-ga sounds that we are familiar to, along with beginning to reach for surrounding objects. Probably the most amazing thing that your baby will do is learning to roll over. This certain milestone leads to bigger things like crawling and walking.   

6-9 month old baby girl standing up with support

The 6-9 month mark is when so many changes happen because they finally have more control over their body.  This is when you will see your baby be more interactive and start saying things like dada and mama. They can sit up by themselves and even start crawling although not all kids do, some just start walking later in their development. This is where you will see him or her trying to stand up and become a bit more independent. Things like pointing and self-feeding, although not perfect, begin to happen.

9-12 month old baby beginning to walk

Finally the 9-12 month time is the last set of months before your baby turns 1. Let me just tell you that time is going to fly by and your delivery day is going to seem like it was just yesterday but you will soon snap out of it because he or she may be giving you kisses or pointing at something. It may also be calling you or responding to you when you say no or stop.  Your baby might be walking by now and if not it will happen in a matter of months.

As long as you are encouraging and you set an example for your child he or she will develop at the proper time. Every child is different and wont achieve every milestone at the same time all you have to do is give your baby time to discover him or herself. Children lead my example therefore whatever you do or say will be seen by you little bundle of joy.

Web links:

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/milestone

http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-living/infant-and-toddler-health/in-depth/infant-development/art-20048012

http://www.babystages.ca/milestones-3-6-months/

http://www.webmd.com/parenting/baby/features/baby-milestones-6-to-9-month?page=2

http://www.kidspot.com.au/familyhealth/Development-Babys-first-year-Baby-communication-9-to-12-months+2518+212+article.htm

Picture Links:
http://cdn.sheknows.com/articles/2013/01/cute-baby-crawling.jpg

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