Infant Milestones Month by Month: Baby’s Growth from 0 to 12 Months

You need to be aware that witnessing your baby grow and develop can be truly joyful yet dizzying at the same time. Fret not. Here is a guide, especially for major infant milestones month by month, that can be accommodating for first-year moms.

Infant Milestones: Your Baby’s First Year

Milestones by age are accomplishments most kids achieve by a specific age. Moreover, infant milestones refer to everything your baby does that indicates they are growing and developing as anticipated.

4 Types of Development Milestones to Check

Most children’s developmental milestones, including infant milestones month by month, belong to four primary groups.

• Motor skills
• Language and communication
• Social and emotional
• Cognitive

Infant Milestones Month by Month

Below are checklists to give you an overview of the developments you may expect as your child grows.

Newborn (0 – 1 month)

• Besides crying, newborns sleep approximately 16 hours daily.
• Their motions are reflexive or involuntary due to the infant’s built-in reflexes (root, startle, sucking, grasping, etc.).
• When lifted, their head droops and requires constant support.
• Occasional uncoordinated eyes, and they might appear cross-eyed.
• Focus first on a face or a light source
• Raise their head while lying on their stomach
• Bring their hands to their mouth
• Their motions are abrupt and unpredictable.

Baby (1 – 3 months)

• Disappearance of certain protective reflexes
• Stronger neck muscles.
• Follow moving objects, familiar faces, and light
• Move hands or objects to their mouth
• Move their head side to side while lying on the tummy
• Look at their hands
• Open and close their hands
• Listen to sounds or even music
• Recognize known voices, particularly their parents
• Grip, then drop an object
• Leg movements are active.
• Mimic certain sounds (cooing, vowel noises)
• Cry gradually turns purposeful (such as hungry, tired, etc.)
• Smile back
• React to social interaction, might coo

Baby (4 – 6 months)

• Disappearance of infant reflexes
• Well head balance
• Sit with support, back is curved
• Use legs to support the body when held upright
• A 6-month-old baby can roll from front to back and vice versa.
• Transfer objects from one hand to the other
• Seize feet and toes while reclining on the back
• Perform “swimming” actions with limbs when lying on the tummy
• Start drooling
• Nap 2-3 times daily, lasting 1-3 times each
• Sleep for extended periods at night (6-8 hours regularly)
• Full-color vision, long-distance sight

Baby (7 – 9 months)

Infant milestones month by month checklists:

• Easily roll over from front to back and vice versa
• Sit by leaning forward on hands, then without support
• Bounce when propped to stand
• Move onto hands and knees, and sway back and forth
• Creep, scoot, or crawl backward and then forward
• Rise into a standing position
• Extend their hand and grip any object with their entire palm
• Hit the toys on the table
• Grasp an object in both hands
• Grip a bottle
• Engage in peek-a-boo
• Hold the object with thumb and finger (8 – 9 months)
• Start teething, typically two lower middle front teeth, followed by two upper middle front teeth
• Learn to sip from a cup
• Place everything in the mouth
• Nap typically 2 times, occasionally 3 times daily, lasting 1-2 hours each (on average)
• Wake at night and weeps

Baby (10 – 12 months)

• Rise to an upright position
• Return to a seated position from standing
• Cruise or stroll while grasping furniture
• Stand beside furniture without gripping it
• Walk while gripping your finger or hand
• Start to take steps and walk independently
• Accept and send back a rolled ball
• Pick up food and small items using fingers
• Self-feed with finger foods
• Drink from a spout cup
• Flip through pages in a book, frequently multiple at once
• Clash items against each other
• Mimic scribble
• New teeth keep coming; 4-6 by the age of one
• Nap twice during the day and sleep up to 12 hours at night with no feeding
• Awaken at night searching for parents

Things to Watch Out For

Let’s not be overwhelmed by the above checklists. Every baby is indeed unique and grows at their own speed. Baby’s first year is a period of exploration, movement, and increased curiosity. Supervision is a must – do not leave them unattended.

Remember that these infant milestones month by month serve simply as guidelines, and you shouldn’t feel concerned if your baby appears to need more time. If you have any worries, consult your pediatrician for further information. If you find this article helpful, feel free to share and discuss it with other fellow new moms.