The most exciting year for us parents is to witness our baby’s first year’s growth and development. Every month can be filled with first times and surprises! Baby monthly milestones is written with the intention to give new parents a quick view on their development progress in terms of communication skills, social and emotional development, physical development as well as thinking and learning skills.
It’s good to know your baby’s milestone from 0 – 12 months to equip ourselves with the right things to do and the right words to say. Sometimes, we may feel the stress as we might wonder if our baby’s right on track, especially if they don’t achieve these milestones at the said time. Don’t worry because a baby’s development doesn’t always unfold the way it is in the textbook. This article serves as a guide for you to understand their development and behavior.
Baby Monthly Milestones
At Birth
When your baby is born, he starts to communicate with you through a scream. That way, he begins to breathe and learn to coordinate his vocal cords, tongue, and mouth.

Newborns can’t see very far yet, so they can only look at objects fifteen inches away. They prefer to look at faces rather than shapes and things, so they must see you and your adoring eyes. Remember that at this point, they can only see black and white with shades of gray.
0 – 2 Months
Babies start developing from head to toe. Thus, you’ll notice how they can hold their heads before they learn how to walk. At this stage, they start to develop the following skills:
Communication Skills:
You’ll notice how they develop distinct cries indicating that they’re hungry, in pain, or tired. Your baby gurgles, coos and smiles when being talked or played to and turns their attention to whoever is speaking.
Social and Emotional Development:
Baby brings fist to his mouth. This is his way to comfort himself. He also starts to smile to show he’s happy.
Physical Development:
Holds up the head and may even push his arms when on his belly. Your baby has good head control when you hold him in a sitting position.
Thinking and Learning:
They express their boredom to you by fussing and crying, especially if they want a new activity or new scenery.
It’s time to talk to your doctor if you observe that something is not right. Maybe he does not play with his hands, has one eye crossed, legs and hands don’t move in unison.

3 – 4 Months
At this stage, babies are gaining more purposeful control of their bodies. They may start to hold their bottle with almost no assistance needed.
Communication Skills:
Your baby can babble, laugh and make sounds with increasing intensity. That means he would cry a lot louder to show that he’s annoyed and uncomfortable.
Social and Emotional Development:
They develop a social smile and enjoys playing with other people. Babies can express themselves with face and body and even initiate some movements.
Physical Development:
They begin to roll, sit with support and reach out for toys and objects.
Thinking and Learning:
Your baby is beginning to learn about emotions and communication. They’ll watch faces intently and link them to what you say.
It’s time to see your doctor if you find your baby crying a lot and isn’t making eye contact with you; also, if he isn’t lifting his head or reaching for toys.

5 – 6 Months
This is the best time to talk to your baby about anything. Stock up on picture books and make animal sounds. Singing nursery rhymes to him would improve their memory and listening skills.
Communication Skills:
They begin to pronounce consonants such as “da” and “ba”. Your baby can also recognize it when you call their name.
Social and Emotional Development:
They’ll feel startled at loud noises and even express fear by crying. They can express happiness, sadness, pleasure, and displeasure.
Physical Development:
He begins to push to a crawling position and rock back and forth with their knees. They would also roll over both ways from back to front, from front to back. Your baby can also sit with support.
Thinking and Learning:
Your baby starts to play on his own. You’ll hear him chuckle, babble, and laugh to himself.
It is best to update your doctor if your baby can’t sit up with support, show little interest in others, and rarely smile.

7 – 12 Months
At this stage, babies begin to demonstrate strong head control, and when they start to understand the meaning of some words, like “mama” or “dada”. He can recognize your voice, so he’ll turn to you upon recognizing your voice.
Communication Skills:
Babies listen to you when you talk and try to respond. They can also imitate sounds and can now have pretend conversations with you.
Social and Emotional Development:
You can find your baby pointing at things for a reason. They can also seek attention and want to take part in activities. They’ll even start to laugh!
Physical Development:
At nine months old, your baby will creep and crawl. Allow them to play in a safe area on the floor, and place their favorite toys to encourage him to reach for them. They could also hold their bottles and feed themselves with finger food.
Thinking and Learning:
When they see themselves in the mirror, they’d smile. They’ll also experiment during play, so you can expect them throwing bowls and watching them fall or throwing toys at the wall.
Red flags that you should watch out for include difficulty grasping toys in a controlled way and not moving smoothly between positions.

Childproofing your home is the best thing you can do once the baby is born. Once they become more mobile, remember to lock up anything poisonous that they may put into their mouths, such as household cleaning and car care products. Make sure that locks are also in place.
Otherwise, encourage their development and have fun as you witness all these baby milestones from 0 – 12 Months along the way.
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