Your Baby’s Year One Milestones
(Birth – 12 Months)
From the day your baby is born, they’ll start the long and rewarding journey toward achieving their developmental milestones. Their first year is appropriately named because it will be full of firsts, from first smiles to first words and more.
On this page, you’ll find all of the developmental milestones your baby should achieve by their first birthday. If you have any questions or concerns about your baby’s development, reach out to us to schedule a free consultation today.
Your 2-Month-Old’s Developmental Milestones
At two months old, your baby starts to become more expressive and aware of their surroundings. These early milestones lay the foundation for their future growth and are key signs of your baby’s healthy development.
Language & Communication Milestones
- Reacts to loud sounds
- Makes sounds other than crying
Cognitive Milestones
- Watches you move around the area
- Looks at a nearby toy for a few seconds at a time
Social & Emotional Milestones
- Looks at your face when you’re nearby
- Seems happy to see you when you walk over
- Smiles back at you when you talk or smile
- Calms down when you pick them up or speak to them
Movement Milestones
- Opens hands for a brief amount of time
- Moves both arms and both legs
- Holds head up during tummy time
Feeding Milestones
- Turns head towards nipple and opens mouth
- Latches to nipple
- Sucks and swallows milk successfully
Your 4-Month-Old’s Developmental Milestones
By four months, your baby is becoming more interactive and curious about the world. This stage of development often comes with more physical milestone achievements that highlight your baby’s growing strength and coordination.
Language & Communication Milestones
- Makes cooing sounds like they’re talking
- Responds with sounds when you talk to them
- Turns their head toward you when you speak
Cognitive Milestones
- Looks at hands with interest
- Opens mouth when they see the breast or bottle (if they’re hungry)
Social & Emotional Milestones
- Gives small or short laughs
- Moves, smiles, or makes sounds to get your attention
Movement Milestones
- Holds a toy when you put it in their hand
- Brings hands to mouth
- Uses arm to swing at toys
- Pushes up onto elbows and forearms during tummy time
Feeding Milestones
- Holds head up when their body is supported
- Brings hands to the breast or bottle during feeding
Your 6-Month-Old’s Developmental Milestones
At six months, your baby is hitting some exciting milestones! This stage of development is all about discovery. You’ll see your baby start to become more social, expressive, and active each day.
Language & Communication Milestones
- Takes turns making sounds with you, like having a conversation
- Sticks their tongue out and blows
- Makes squealing sounds
Cognitive Milestones
- Puts things like toys in their mouth
- Reaches out to grab a toy
- Closes lips to say “no” to more food
Social & Emotional Milestones
- Recognizes familiar people
- Enjoys looking at themself in a mirror
- Laughs with full belly
Movement Milestones
- Rolls from tummy to back
- Pushes up with straight arms during tummy time
- Leans on hands for support when sitting up
Feeding Milestones
- Brings hands or toys to mouth
- Sits with support in a highchair
- Opens mouth for a spoon
- Uses tongue to move food to back of mouth to swallow
Your 9-Month-Old’s Developmental Milestones
By nine months, your baby is becoming more mobile and communicative! They’re getting close to their first birthday, and they’re full of excitement and curiosity about everything around them.
Language & Communication Milestones
- Makes different sounds, like “ma-ma-ma” and “ba-ba-ba”
- Lifts arms to get picked up
Cognitive Milestones
- Bangs two objects together
- Looks for things that fall out of sight (like a spoon or toy)
Social & Emotional Milestones
- Is shy or clingy around strangers
- Smiles or laughs when you play peek-a-boo
- Looks over at you when you call their name
- Shows different facial expressions, like happy, sad, or surprised
- Reacts by looking for you or crying when you leave
Movement Milestones
- Can sit up by themself
- Uses fingers like a rake to bring food closer
- Switches objects from one hand to the other
- Sits upright without support
Feeding Milestones
- Leans forward to accept food from a spoon or fork
- Brings foods to mouth with hands and starts to feed themself
- Starts trying to hold a spoon
- Starts to drink from a cup with some spills
Your 12-Month-Old’s Developmental Milestones
By their first birthday, your baby is reaching some exciting milestones that show just how much they’ve grown! It’s an exciting time as they continue to explore the world and connect with those around them.
Language & Communication Milestones
- Pauses briefly or stops when you say “no”
- Waves goodbye when people leave
- Calls parents by a special name like “mama” or “dada”
Cognitive Milestones
- Puts toys or other objects into containers
- Looks for things when they see you hide them
Social & Emotional Milestones
- Plays games with you, like pat-a-cake
Movement Milestones
- Pulls themself up to stand using furniture
- Can take some steps while holding onto furniture or you
Feeding Milestones
- Holds a bottle or sippy cup with both hands, though they may still spill
- Holds a spoon during mealtime
- Feeds themself with their fingers
- Takes a small bite from a larger piece of food
- Begins chewing food on both sides of mouth
- Closes their lips to swallow
Activities Parents Can Do at Home to Support Your Baby’s Development
Your baby’s first year is a time of incredible growth and change, and you can play an important role in supporting their development through everyday activities. Here are some simple, fun, and engaging ways to help your baby reach their developmental milestones:
- Language and Communication Skills: Even though your baby isn’t talking yet, you can still support their language development by talking to them. Describe what you’re doing and sing simple songs to help your baby start to recognize the rhythm and patterns of language.
- Cognitive Skills: Help your baby develop their visual tracking skills by moving a toy slowly from side to side and watching them follow it with their eyes. As they get a bit older, you can introduce the idea of cause-and-effect with simple activities like shaking a rattle or playing peek-a-boo. This helps them understand that actions can cause things to happen.
- Social and Emotional Skills: As your baby grows, you can start playing simple games like peek-a-boo or making faces to encourage social engagement and make them laugh. These interactions lay the groundwork for healthy social development and emotional regulation.
- Movement and Physical Skills: Tummy time is essential for building the muscles your baby needs for rolling, crawling, and eventually walking. Place your baby on their stomach for a few minutes each day while they are awake, and gradually increase the time as they grow stronger. You can make tummy time more fun by lying down face-to-face with them or placing toys just out of reach to encourage reaching and pushing up.
- Feeding Skills: If your baby is ready for solid foods, offer soft, mashed foods like pureed fruits and vegetables. Let them experiment with different textures and flavors to encourage sensory development. You can also let them try to hold their own bottle or sippy cup, and let them feed themselves with a small spoon or their hands.
Schedule an Appointment Today
Empower your child to overcome the challenges of retained reflexes with Sensational Development. Give us a call at (516) 799-2900 to schedule an evaluation today and find out how we can help your child achieve a sensational future.
