As a parent, one of the most exciting and rewarding experiences is watching your baby grow and develop. From their first smile to their first steps, every milestone is a cause for celebration. Understanding baby milestones can help you track your baby’s development and ensure they are reaching important milestones at the appropriate time. In this blog post, we will explore the 24 achievements that babies typically reach in their first two years and what you can do to support their growth and development.
Month 1: Smiling and Recognizing Faces
In their first month, babies start to smile and recognize familiar faces. This is a crucial milestone as it shows that your baby is starting to understand the world around them and form attachments to their caregivers. You can support this milestone by making eye contact, talking and singing to your baby, and showing them pictures of familiar faces.
Month 2: Holding Up Their Head
Around the second month, babies begin to develop neck and head control. They can now lift their heads and turn them from side to side while lying on their stomachs. You can help your baby strengthen their neck muscles by doing tummy time and gently supporting their head during playtime.
Month 3: Grabbing and Reaching
At this stage, babies start to discover their hands and begin to reach and grab for objects. You can encourage this milestone by providing your baby with safe and developmentally appropriate toys to play with. Soft, textured toys are perfect for this stage as they are easy for babies to hold and explore.
Month 4: Rolling Over
Around the four-month mark, babies start to roll over from their stomachs to their backs and vice versa. This is an exciting milestone as it shows that your baby is gaining more control over their body and developing their gross motor skills. You can support this milestone by giving your baby plenty of tummy time and providing them with interesting toys to reach for.
Month 5: Sitting with Support
Around five months, babies can sit up with support. This milestone is an important step towards independent sitting and eventually crawling. You can help your baby develop their sitting skills by placing them in a supported sitting position and playing with toys within their reach.
Month 6: Solid Food and Babbling
At six months, most babies are ready to start solid foods. This is a significant milestone as it marks the beginning of your baby’s transition to solid foods and helps them develop their taste buds. Additionally, babies start to babble and imitate sounds, which is an essential step towards language development. You can support this milestone by introducing a variety of healthy and age-appropriate foods and engaging in conversations with your baby.
Month 7: Crawling
Around seven months, babies begin to crawl, which is a major milestone for their physical development. Crawling helps babies strengthen their upper body and arm muscles and prepares them for walking. You can encourage this milestone by creating a safe and stimulating environment for your baby to explore and move around.
Month 8: Understanding Simple Instructions
At this stage, babies can understand simple instructions, such as “no” and “bye-bye.” This milestone shows that your baby is starting to understand language and follow basic commands. You can support this milestone by using simple and consistent language with your baby and praising them for following instructions.
Month 9: Pulling Up to Stand
Around nine months, babies start to pull themselves up to stand by using furniture or other objects for support. This is an important milestone as it shows that your baby is developing their leg muscles and preparing for walking. You can help your baby practice standing by providing them with safe and sturdy objects to hold onto.
Month 10: Babbling and Responding to Their Name
At this stage, babies start to babble more and can respond to their name. This milestone is an exciting step towards language development and shows that your baby is recognizing and responding to familiar sounds and words. You can support this milestone by talking and singing to your baby and using their name frequently.
Month 11: Cruising
Around eleven months, babies start to cruise, which means they can move around while holding onto furniture or other objects for support. This milestone is a crucial step towards independent walking and helps babies develop their balance and coordination. You can encourage this milestone by providing your baby with safe and sturdy furniture to hold onto and practice walking.
Month 12: First Steps
At twelve months, most babies take their first steps, which is a significant milestone for both the baby and parents. This milestone shows that your baby is developing their gross motor skills and gaining more control over their body. You can support your baby’s first steps by creating a safe and supportive environment and praising and encouraging them.
Months, 24 Achievements: Understanding Baby Milestones
Month 13: Scribbling and Playing with Toys
Around thirteen months, babies start to scribble and play with toys in a more coordinated manner. This milestone is a critical step towards developing fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination. You can support this milestone by providing your baby with age-appropriate toys, such as crayons and blocks, and encouraging them to use their hands.
Month 14: Walking Independently
At fourteen months, most babies can walk independently. This milestone is a significant achievement that marks the end of the first year and the beginning of toddlerhood. You can support your baby’s walking by providing them with plenty of opportunities to practice and explore their surroundings.
Month 15: Understanding Simple Instructions
Around fifteen months, babies can understand and follow simple instructions, such as “pick up your toy” or “give me a hug.” This milestone shows that your baby is developing their language and cognitive skills and can understand more complex concepts. You can help your baby develop this milestone by using simple and consistent language and giving them opportunities to follow instructions.
Month 16: Kicking and Throwing
At sixteen months, babies start to kick and throw objects, which is a crucial milestone for developing gross motor skills. You can support this milestone by providing your baby with a soft ball or other toys to kick and throw.
Month 17: Running and Climbing
Around seventeen months, babies start to run and climb, which is a significant milestone for their physical development. This milestone helps babies develop their coordination, balance, and strength. You can encourage this milestone by creating a safe and stimulating environment for your baby to run and climb.
Month 18: Sorting and Matching
At eighteen months, babies start to sort and match objects based on color, shape, or size. This milestone is an essential step towards developing problem-solving skills and critical thinking. You can support this milestone by playing sorting and matching games with your baby and providing them with age-appropriate toys.
Month 19: Building Towers
Around nineteen months, babies can start to build towers with blocks or other objects. This milestone shows that your baby is developing their fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination. You can support this milestone by providing your baby with building blocks and encouraging them to stack them.
Month 20: Identifying Body Parts
At twenty months, most babies can identify and point to their body parts, such as nose, eyes, and ears. This milestone is an essential step towards developing language and understanding the world around them. You can support this milestone by pointing to and naming different body parts during playtime.
Month 21: Pretend Play
Around twenty-one months, babies start to engage in pretend play, such as pretending to cook or feed a doll. This milestone is a crucial step towards developing imagination and creativity. You can encourage this milestone by providing your baby with props and toys that encourage pretend play.
Month 22: Using Utensils
At twenty-two months, most babies can use utensils to feed themselves. This milestone is an important step towards independence and helps babies develop their fine motor skills. You can support this milestone by providing your baby with child-sized utensils and encouraging them to practice.
Month 23: Language Development
Around twenty-three months, babies start to put words together to form simple sentences. This milestone is an exciting step towards language development and helps babies communicate their thoughts and needs more effectively. You can support this milestone by talking and reading to your baby and encouraging them to use words.
Month 24: Toilet Training
At twenty-four months, some babies may start showing signs of readiness for toilet training. This milestone is a significant achievement that marks the end of the second year and the beginning of toddlerhood. You can support this milestone by creating a positive and encouraging environment and being patient with your baby as they learn.
In summary, understanding baby milestones can help you track your baby’s development and ensure they are reaching important milestones at the appropriate time. From smiling and recognizing faces to toilet training, each milestone is a crucial step towards your baby’s growth and development. By providing a supportive and stimulating environment, engaging in activities that encourage development, and being patient and responsive to your baby’s needs, you can help your baby reach these milestones and celebrate their achievements.