1GIF
The absolute explosion of mental and physical skills a baby acquires from birth to year one is absolutely mind-boggling. One mom decided to document the most monumental changes she noticed in her own child every month during the first year to share with friends, family, and any expecting parent who’s curious what to expect of their own child. The folks over at Brightside also added some typical traits & abilities the average baby will begin to demonstrate each and every month during year one for extra insight.
NOTE: Every baby develops at a slightly different rate, so all the listed monthly baby capabilities are more based on the trends, but are by no means accurate for every baby. So new parents, don’t panic if your baby does something later or doesn’t do it at all. And if you are truly worried about your baby’s development, consult with your doctor, NOT with a website ; )
2
Turns head side to side
Keeps hands in tight fists
Has strong reflex movements
Focuses only 8 to 12 inches away
Prefers high-contrast patterns
Recognizes their mother’s smell
Hearing is fully developed
Head flops back if unsupported
Jerky movements
3
Starts smiling at people
Coos, makes gurgling sounds
Turns head toward sounds
Puts hands in the mouth to self-soothe
Focuses on certain parts of your face
Smoother movements
Can hold their heads up and begin to push themselves up when lying on their stomachs
4
Lifts head and chest when lying on the stomach and supports their upper body with the arms
Opens and closes the fists
Grasps and shakes hand toys
Follows moving objects
Recognizes familiar objects and faces from a distance
Smiles at the sound of your voice
Begins to babble
5
Smiles consciously at people
Copies movements and expressions
Responds to affection
Uses eyes and hands together (reaches for toys when in sight)
Holds head steadily when unsupported
Pushes down on legs when feet are on a hard surface
6
Can sit for longer periods of time when supported
May sleep through the night
Color perception has sharpened
Holds things using all of the fingers
Rolls over to the stomach and back
7
Likes looking at themselves in the mirror
Responds to their own name
Puts consonants and vowels together (“mama”, “baba”, “dada”)
Brings things to the mouth
Sits with no support
May start teething
May start crawling
8
Reaches with one hand
Transfers objects from hand to hand
Develops full-color vision
Distance vision matures
Distinguishes emotions by voice tone
Can find partially hidden objects
9
May develop separation anxiety
Starts to stand up while holding onto things
Pulls self up
Picks up things using an index finger and a thumb
Starts expressing anger
Shows more emotions
Starts dancing when music is heard
Plays peekaboo
10
Has favorite toys
Understands “no”
Makes a lot of different sounds and noises
Copies sounds and gestures of others
Picks toys they want to play with
Moves things smoothly from one hand to the other
11
Squats to pick something up off of the floor
Mastered the pincer grasp
Understands and follows simple commands
Asks to be picked up by raising the arms
Can drink from a sippy cup without help
12
Points to things when asked where they are
Stands with no support for a short period of time
Cruises around holding onto furniture or your hands
Experiments with standing on one foot or the toes
Hand-eye coordination improves
Feeds themselves finger foods
Throws temper tantrums
13
May start walking
Pulls themselves up to stand
Puts objects into a container and takes them out
Pokes with the index finger
Tries to imitate scribbling
Pays increasing attention to speech
Says, “mama” and “dada”
Uses simple gestures
Tries to imitate words
Explores objects in different ways (throwing, banging, shaking)
Begins to use objects correctly (brushes hair, drinks from a cup, “talks on the phone”)
Shows preference for toys or people
14GIF
Via notaperfectmama; h/t Brightside