Children grow quickly during the first year, often tripling their birth weight and doubling their height, according to Keep Kids Healthy. Your infant's development depends on loving interaction and communication. Talk to your infant during routines, introduce books and colorful pictures, encourage him to follow you with his eyes and give him opportunities to play on his stomach during active times of the day to encourage healthy development.
Types
Milestones for infants indicate progress in one or several developmental areas, including sensory, fine motor, gross motor, social and/or language skills. Sensory development refers to growing awareness of sight, touch, taste, sounds and smells. Fine motor skills include grasping and more intricate skills, such as "holding a spoon or picking up a piece of cereal between thumb and finger," according to Medline Plus. Gross motor skills refer to control of larger body movements, including head control, sitting, crawling and early walking, adds Medline.
Birth to 2 Months
At birth, infant movements are usually reflexes, according to the National Network for Child Care, but newborns are already developing trust in parents and caregivers as their needs are met. At 1 month, your infant can lift her head slightly for short periods of time when placed on her tummy. She can also watch people or objects and make sounds from her throat, according to the Educational CyberPlayGround. Babies this age recognize familiar voices and sounds. Your 2-month-old will lift her head and chest during tummy time, turn toward sounds and follow people or objects with her eyes, according to Keep Kids Healthy.
3 to 5 Months
At 3 months of age, your infant smiles in response to your voice, increases body movement and recognizes his bottle, according to the Educational CyberPlayGround. Four-month-old infants smile and laugh in response to stimulation and demonstrate increased control over their muscle and nervous systems by sitting with support or rolling from side to stomach, according to the National Network for Child Care. At 5 months, your infant will roll over from stomach to back.
6 to 8 Months
Six-month-olds can roll from back to stomach, sit with very little or no support, imitate sounds and reach for people or objects, according to Keep Kids Healthy. During the seventh and eighth month, infants continue to develop gross motor skills, such as crawling and pulling up to a standing position. Fine motor developments include grasping and picking up toys and food and transferring items from one hand to the other. Infants this age will jabber and copy sounds and can wave good-bye.
9 to 12 Months
Expect your 9-month-old to say "mama" and "dada," crawl with mastery and recognize her name, according to the Education CyberPlayGround. You might begin to see anxiety from your infant in response to strangers or when separated from parents. Infants between 10 months and 1 year of age will continue to pull up and begin to walk with support. At this age, your infant learns to pick up small food or objects with her thumb and forefinger and can probably say three to four words.
