Healthy Baby Development Milestones for the First 3 Months

Baby development teaches new parents to spot the behaviors that indicate that their baby is on track in terms of meeting specific milestones for growth, bonding and development. If after reading this article, you become worried that your baby is not meeting certain milestones, take action and make an appointment with your pediatrician. Before we talk about the various stages of physical growth and development, let me make an essential point. Beyond satisfying your child's physical needs, such as feeding, changing diapers and providing a quiet environment for restful sleep, what your baby needs most from you is your undivided love and attention. Since a baby's cries and coos are his or her only means of communication, respond to them with tenderness. Don't buy into the old (and neglectful) idea that too much love will spoil a baby. An infant needs and deserves all the love and time you have to give. In fact, this is necessary for healthy development. (If you are responding to your child's physical and emotional needs and your child is not meeting developmental milestones, there may be something else wrong.)


Keep in mind that the follow milestones are guidelines. Each baby develops in his or her own way. Don't panic if you're baby isn't doing everything on the list specified for each month. The key is to look for progressive movements and engagement with the people and world around him.
Baby Development: 1st Month
• Lift his head and start to turn it to the side
• Chooses human faces over other objects
• Turns head when hearing sounds or voices
• Responds or startles at loud noises
• Exhibits strong reflexes
• Eyes can focus on items or faces held about one foot away
• Moves arms
• Squints in the sun and at bright lights
2nd Month


• Smiles at you (your baby's smile will absolutely win you over!)
• Coos and makes sounds (which sound like sounds we make, like "ooh")
• Follows objects with eyes (to encourage this, hold an object near your baby's face and move it to see if he can track it.)
3rd Month
• Lifts head up
• Can raise head and chest when placed on tummy
• Can open and clench his hands
• Can grasp and shake objects
• Reaches for nearby objects
• can kick and flex legs vigorously when placed on back
• Imitates the sounds you make
• Neck is strong enough to hold up head
• When held upright with feet touching a hard surface (like the floor), the baby pushes with his legs
• Shows interest in objects that have patterns
Remember that baby development is individual to each child. Your baby may not grow in the exact same way specified in this article. As I said before, the key is to look for progressive development. If growth stops or regresses, seek the advice of a professional.
About the author: Laura Ramirez is the award-winning author of Keepers of the Children and the publisher of Family Matters Parenting Magazine. She lives with her husband and two boys in the sage-dotted foothills of Northern Nevada.

Learning, Play and Your 1 to 2 Year Old

The majority of a child's social skills come as a result of play. During this stage, through play, your toddler will learn to form relationships and will begin to imitate adult actions and experiment with social activities.
What will my baby learn?
Most babies say their first words by 12 months to 14 months. Between 15 and 18 months, your baby will enjoy language games that ask him to identify things, such as: "Where's your ear?" and "Where is Mommy?" Vocabulary will grow quickly, but pronunciation likely won't keep pace. Be patient and resist the temptation to correct your baby's pronunciation; instead, emphasize the correct pronunciation in your response. Soon he'll try to form sentences and questions with a combination of words and gestures.
At this age, your baby will begin symbolic play for the first time - he'll imitate things he sees you do, and he'll use objects for their intended purpose. He'll attempt to brush his own hair with a hairbrush, or he'll use the phone to "talk" to you.
Your child may fluctuate between wanting independence and wanting to cling to you. This is absolutely normal - children this age are learning about their separateness from you but are still very dependent on you for comfort and reassurance. Give your child as much freedom as you safely can, and be there when he needs to be a "baby" for a while.
What should I do?
Remember that safety is your responsibility. Your baby may be learning how things work and what things do, but that doesn't mean he understands what is harmful or dangerous. Take a look at your house from you toddler's point of view, and periodically check your childproofing efforts.
"Lessons" should be in the form of games to keep your child's interest, and they should be stopped at the first sign of boredom. Removing the pressure from a lesson or playtime will teach your baby that learning is fun, and he'll look forward to the activity in the future.
Your toddler will be very interested in experimenting with social activities and imitating adult actions in make-believe play. Give him toys that encourage symbolic play, such as kitchen sets, dolls, and dress-up clothes. Allow him to "shadow" you as you do chores or everyday activities, and give him some "chores" to do, such as brushing his teeth or putting on his shoes.
Great toys for exploring and experimenting include trains, play garden tools, outdoor toys (swing sets, slides), blocks, large crayons, baskets, and pots and pans. Shape sorters, pegboards, nesting toys and simple puzzles allow your baby to enhance his analytical skills. As always, read to your child. He will now follow along with the story and point out objects and people in the picture.
Your toddler will be fascinated with other children at this age. One or two playmates at a time is plenty. Don't expect your toddler to "play" with other children in a cooperative way or to be enthusiastic about sharing toys; he's not mature enough yet. You'll need to be there at all times to diffuse conflict. Nevertheless, children this age can learn a lot from each other by imitation.
Enthusiasm and applause can be two very powerful tools for stimulating your child to learn. Pay attention to his successes, no matter how small, and he'll be encouraged to try for more.
Learning milestones
Although babies develop at different rates, most babies this age:
• Engage in symbolic play
• Speak at least 15 words by 18 months and use two-word sentences by age 2
• Imitate your expressions and actions and follow your instructions
• Attempt more independent activity
Check with child's doctor if you are concerned that your baby has not reached any of the above milestones.