Observing baby development stages month by month is certainly a great source of joy to all parents. But do you know exactly what to expect across all realms of your little one’s growth and health: physical, social-emotional, speech and language, cognitive and nutrition?
As you go through these crucial baby development stages month by month — from the moment your baby is born right up until he or she is ready to start pre-school — are you aware of red flags to watch out for?
Yes, it’s a lot of work and research. And it can be overwhelming. Which is why we’ve done the legwork for you, bringing you all baby development stages month by month — zero to 72 months to be precise — in one handy article. (In other words, newborn to age six).
As you scroll down, you’ll find links to 64 articles (the first month is broken down by week) spanning birth to age six of your child’s life. Each article gives you a detailed description of your baby’s overall development, including vaccination reminders and when you should bring your baby to the doctor.
Let’s start with your baby’s first year of life.
What can you expect in your baby’s first year of life?
Baby Development Stages Month-by-Month: 0 to 12 (newborn to age one)
An astonishing amount of growth and development takes place in your baby’s first year. Within the first couple of months, you’ll see your baby’s beautiful personality play peek-a-boo. Your heart will melt with love as that first gummy smile is flashed at you. And it’ll keep melting at every little adorable thing your baby does.
You will also notice their rapid growth in both height and weight as the baby crosses his development stages month-by-month. Most babies double their birth weight by five to six months of age, and the weight has been tripled by the time they turn one.
At the same time, a baby’s brain undergoes immense growth during this period. For the first six months, much of it is fuelled by the best brain food in the world: your breastmilk! As the baby grows older, he will achieve many significant firsts including his first taste of solid food, first smile and their first steps and words. Who’s the proud parent? Yes, you are!
For an in-depth read of baby development stages month by month, from week one to 12 months, just click on the relevant link below. Don’t forget to read about when vaccinations are due:
Twelfth Month (One year)
Tips To Care For A Newborn In The New Normal
The post-pandemic world is a lot about taking excessive precautions. As parents, here’s what you need to do to protect your little one.
- Maintain social distancing when you bring the newborn home from the hospital. With the uncertainty around the COVID-19 virus, it’s imperative to limit interactions from relatives and guests within confined spaces.
- Opt for using social media or applications like Zoom call, Skype or even WhatsApp video call to engage with people and introduce your baby.
- For the visits that can’t be avoided, make sure to keep the baby at a distance from visitors at least they’ve been sanitised completely. Even for family members and parents at home, the baby should only be handled after you’ve taken a bath or sanitised to minimise risks.
- Wearing a face mask at all time, especially with visitors can be a more favourable practice to adopt in the early months. Your infant has low immunity and you do not want to do anything that would risk his health.
- Use a stroller with a cover or a child seat with light fabric on top when stepping out with your newborn for hospital visits or even to a supermarket. Confined spaces aren’t great for a child’s growth and that’s why you need to be cautious about stepping out of your home until the cases subside.
Baby Development Stages Month By Month: 13 to 24 (age one year and one month, to age two)
From those first tentative steps at around 12 months, be amazed at how mobile your baby gets by age 24 months!
What?! Who’s this big baby and where is that tiny newborn? That’s right – your sweet baby is growing up right before your eyes.
You now are officially the mum and dad of a toddler! As we follow baby development stages month by month, this year of your little one’s life heralds many more exciting changes.
By the time they are 24 months old, your baby will most likely be able to walk and run. They’ll be speaking the most adorable baby talk and their personality will shine through clear and bright.
Your little one’s sleep should settle into a predictable pattern this year, and they’ll develop their own quirky tastes when it comes to food and drink.
Remember their brains are still developing at a speedy pace, so you want to fuel this with plenty of nutritious food, and emotional and cognitive stimulation.
Let’s take an in-depth look at baby development stages month by month, 13 months to 24:
Why hello little chatterbox! | Image courtesy: iStock
Baby Development Stages Month By Month: 25 To 36 (age two years and one month, to age three)
Welcome to the year of tiny and not-so-tiny tantrums, big personalities and an abundance of love! Hello Terrible Twos!
Much has been said and written about toddler tantrums. In fact, the change can be so overwhelming that you might feel anxious about managing your little one’s emotions during these years.
And while it’s true that sometimes they can be extreme, most of the time a “tantrumming” toddler can easily be calmed down with a few tricks. So, don’t be too hard on yourself.
Tantrums aside, this year will see rapid holistic development in your tot. They might have lost that characteristic baby chubbiness by now and will have long limbs and strong bodies.
Their gross motor skills have also evolved to be quite advanced, but you’ll still need to help them hone their fine motor skills, such as grasping and using a pencil correctly.
Read about your toddler’s exceptional development across all areas this year, month by month:
34 months (2 years, 10 months)
35 months (2 years, 11 months)
Your babies are growing so fast and will soon be ready for preschool | Image courtesy: stock
Baby Development Stages Month By Month: 37 To 48 (age three years and one month, to age four)
Congratulations, mums and dads! You have done an amazing job of raising your baby so far. You’ve weathered through the worst of those tantrums, and probably are now pros at handling them! Now, you can be prepared to be rewarded with calmer and more rational behaviour from your mini-me.
This year, your little one will likely start pre-school. They’re regular little chatterboxes and will happily ask you a zillion questions each day. From a helpless newborn to a proper little person — look at how far they’ve come!
This is the age when your little one will show several strong signs of growth and development. It’s the period when the “whys” become a prominent part of their vocabulary, and their sentences turn longer and curious with each passing day. The age of three is also when children can physically climb a flight of stairs with alternating feet, can throw and even catch a ball, and makes circles or lines using a pencil or crayon.
With your three-year-old starting pre-school, he will be making new friends, learn new things in school and will also be toilet trained for the day. You can also be prepared for a lot of make-believe games as his mind opens to newer possibilities. This is the age when children learn about teamwork, sharing, and pretend play.
Growing In The New Normal
In this new normal, your children will also learn to accept face masks as a regular part of human life. They will learn and understand how to respond to facial expressions with the mask on, at least in public spaces. Let’s not forget social distancing and sanitisation will now be second nature. This is likely to be the case with adults too as we learn and adapt to live in this post-pandemic world.
Want to know more about how they’ll develop every month this year?
46 months (3 years, 10 months)
47 months (3 years, 11 months)
Baby Development Stages Month By Month: 49 to 60 (age four years and one month, to age five)
While your little one will always be a baby to you, he is now growing up fast. Children at the age of five speak a lot, are quite sassy and all set to begin their new journey in schools.
Your child is probably in pre-school where the foundation to a life of infinite learning opportunities is being laid carefully. Don’t forget to add layers to this foundation — like love, happiness, confidence-boosting and care — to make it even stronger.
By the end of this year, your child will amaze you with just how much they have developed, both physically and mentally.
Let’s take a closer look at each month of your little one’s holistic development this year:
58 months (4 years, 10 months)
59 months (4 years, 11 months)
Baby Development Stages Month By Month: 61 to 72 (age five years and one month, to age six)
By the end of age six, your child will be ready to embark on a brand new adventure of learning in primary school.
Your child’s brain will spark plenty of new and exciting connections that will fuel his cognitive and emotional development. At the same time, your child will also go through a physical transformation with longer limbs, more adult-like bodily proportions and chubbier cheeks. It’s also a time when children tend to lose the baby voice for better speech clarity and enunciation.
Your little one’s pre-school teachers will continue to engage your child in fun learning activities that foster creativity, literacy, numeracy skills, and more. As a parent, your role is to take that learning to the next level by reinforcing it at home. And most importantly, showing your little one every day that he/she is loved and cherished.
Here’s how your child’s development will blossom every month of this year:
70 months (5 years, 10 months)
71 months (5 years, 11 months)
So, mums and dads, your little one’s journey to greatness has only just begun and you are doing a stellar job at nurturing them. Remember along the way, if you have any doubts regarding your child’s health, you should always consult a paediatrician for expert advice.
Register now for SPF webinars here.
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