First Year Milestones
In their first year of life, your baby will achieve a ton of new skills as they grow from an infant into a toddler. Let’s explore the key developmental milestones your baby should reach in their first 12 months, and what you can do to support their development in the first year.
Your Baby's Milestones at 2 Months Old
Fine and Gross Motor Skills
- Opens hands for brief periods
- Moves both arms and both legs
- Holds their head up briefly during tummy time
Speech and Language Skills
- Reacts to sudden or loud sounds in the environment
- Makes simple sounds like grunting or vocalizations
Cognitive Skills
- Looks at a toy or other interesting object for a few seconds at a time
- Watches you when you move around the room
Social and Emotional Skills
- Looks at your face when you hold them or speak to them
- Smiles when you talk or smile
- Calms down when picked up
Feeding Skills
- Nurses from breast or bottle easily
- Turns their head toward a nipple and opens their mouth to feed
Your Baby's Milestones at 4 Months Old
Fine and Gross Motor Skills
- Holds a toy in their hand
- Brings hands to mouth
- Pushes up on their elbows or forearms during tummy time
- Holds their head steady when sitting or held
- Rolls from their tummy to their back
Speech and Language Skills
- Responds with sounds when you talk to them
- Makes cooing sounds or other vocalizations
- Turns their head toward the sound of your voice
Cognitive Skills
- Opens their mouth when they are hungry and see the breast or bottle
- Looks at their hands with some interest
Social and Emotional Skills
- Gives small or short laughs
- Makes sounds or moves to get your attention
- Smiles at you
Feeding Skills
- Opens their mouth for the breast or bottle
- Puts hands on breast or bottle during feedings
Your Baby's Milestones at 6 Months Old
Fine and Gross Motor Skills
- Pushes up with arms straight during tummy time
- Rolls onto their tummy from their back
- Leans on hands for support while sitting
Speech and Language Skills
- Takes turns “speaking” with you, like having a conversation
- Makes squealing or excited sounds
- Blows raspberries with their tongue
Cognitive Skills
- Closes their lips to show they are not hungry
- Puts things in their mouth like toys
Feeding Skills
- Interested in eating baby food like purees
- Opens mouth for a spoon
- Moves food to back of mouth with their tongue to swallow
Your Baby's Milestones at 9 Months Old
Fine and Gross Motor Skills
- Can sit up by themselves
- Moves objects from one hand to another
- Sits without needing support
- Uses fingers to pull food closer
- Moves around by crawling
Speech and Language Skills
- Imitates different sounds like “mamama” and “bababa”
- Lifts their arms to show they want to be picked up
Cognitive Skills
- Hits two objects together to make noise
- Looks for something that has dropped out of sight, like a spoon or a toy
Social and Emotional Skills
- Makes different facial expressions like happy, sad, or surprised
- Enjoys playing peek-a-boo
- May be shy or fearful around strangers
- Looks at you when you call their name
- Reacts when you leave the room
Feeding Skills
- Picks up food with their fingers
- May try to use a spoon on their own
- Tries to use a cup or straw
- Enjoys more variety in soft foods
Your Baby's Milestones at 12 Months Old
Fine and Gross Motor Skills
- Pulls their body up to stand
- May walk while holding onto furniture
- Uses thumb and finger to pick up small objects like food
Speech and Language Skills
- Calls parents by a special name like “mama” or “dada”
- Understands the word “no”
- Waves goodbye to others
Cognitive Skills
- Tries to find things that you hide during playtime
- Puts objects into containers
Social and Emotional Skills
- Enjoys playing games with you like pat-a-cake
- May enjoy playing with other children their age
Feeding Skills
- Uses a spoon more accurately
- Takes bites from larger pieces of food
- Closes lips while swallowing
- Enjoys more variety of soft foods
How to Help Your Baby Achieve Their First-Year Milestones
Supporting your baby’s development during their first year is important. It’s also fun and gives you a chance to enjoy spending time together. Here are some practical tips to help your baby achieve their first-year milestones:
Give Baby Plenty of Tummy Time
Tummy time helps strengthen your baby’s neck and upper body muscles, which is important for later milestones. Give your baby plenty of time on their tummy following their pediatrician’s instructions to encourage gross motor skill development.
Encourage Exploration
By giving your baby a chance to explore their surroundings, you help foster their cognitive development. Make sure they have age-appropriate toys and give them time to touch and examine the things in their environment in a safe way.
Spend Time Playing and Interacting
Regular interactions promote the development of key social and emotional skills. This can be very simple: just talk, sing, make eye contact, and respond to your baby’s attempts to communicate with you.
Read Stories Aloud
Reading stimulates language development and introduces your baby to new sounds and words. Read age-appropriate books with colorful images, and give your baby time to look at the pages and enjoy the story.
Facilitate Motor Skills Development
Motor skills are crucial for physical development. Provide safe spaces for exploration, use toys that encourage reaching and grasping, and give your baby time to practice sitting and crawling.
Reach Out to Let’s Communicate for Personalized Support
Remember, every child develops at their own pace, and these suggestions are general guidelines. Pay attention to your baby’s cues, celebrate their achievements, and seek professional guidance if you have concerns.
Let’s Communicate Pediatric Therapy Services is here to support you and your child on their developmental journey. If you need help or have any questions, give us a call at (678) 963-0694 today.
