Babies' first years are a time of extremely rapid development. In just a few short months, an infant changes from a helpless baby to a child who can walk, talk and accomplish amazing feats of learning. It's astounding, but it is important for parents to familiarize themselves with the expected developmental milestones and to contact a health care professional if their child seems to be deviating from the norms.
Motor Skills Development
Some developmental milestones are easy to spot, since they involve things your child learns to do. Newborns have little voluntary control. By 3 months, a baby should be lifting the head, following objects visually and grabbing for a rattle. Joyce Powell and Dr. Charles Smith of the National Network for Child Care note that the child should also be vigorously wiggling by this age. By 6 months, the head should be steady, baby should find toes, roll and sit with support. A 1-year-old can drink from a cup, crawl and pull up to a standing position. Two-year-olds can run, climb and jump, according to the editors of Parenting Magazine. Three-year-olds are quite coordinated, and can throw, kick and catch balls, and color a picture.
Social Development
Smiles come as early as 3 months. Babies also understand simple games like peek-a-boo at this time. The 6-month-old baby can imitate expressions, laugh and notice reflections. One-year-olds make a plan and act on it, look for hidden items and enjoy music, according to Powell and Smith of the NNCC.org. The editors of Parenting magazine remind us that from 18 months onward, toddlers are straining toward independence.
Cognitive Development
Infants can turn towards sounds or lights and recognize bottle or breast. By 6 months, they will open their mouths to feed. One-year-olds copy sounds, according to the National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities. Editors of Parenting magazine state that toddlers enjoy books by 12 months. According to Powell and Smith, 18-month-olds identify objects, match shapes and colors, find humor, solve problems, and follow single step directions. Two-year-olds dismantle things, name body parts, and learn to pretend. Three-year-olds become more elaborate in their play, discuss feelings, laugh at silly things, and solve more elaborate puzzles.
Language Development
Perhaps most exciting of all are the changes that take place in children's language. Infants don't seem to have much use for words, but they are learning even from birth. A 3-month-old coos and uses different cries to communicate. By 6 months, babies babble and understand a few words. They will carry on "conversations" that have intonations like real language. One-year-old babies may recognize their own names and names of family members, say a word or two, and understand simple directions. The editors of Parenting magazine note that by 18 months babies may begin to put words together. They name familiar items and people. Two-year-olds gain more control over their words, generally speaking in short sentences and phrases. Their vocabularies grow quickly, and they often ask "What's that?" Three-year-olds begin to make jokes, play word games and ask many short questions. It becomes difficult to recall the helpless infant that lived in the house just three short years ago when you see the capable person your 3-year-old has become.
