Child development by months up to a year

Observing your child grow and change is one of the most satisfying experiences a parent can have. New achievements and intriguing developments occur every month. By being aware of what to anticipate at every turn, you can encourage your child’s development and recognize their accomplishments.

This manual offers a month-by-month schedule of a child’s growth from birth to one year. It highlights important abilities and behaviors that your baby will probably pick up as they get older. We’ll go over the key developmental phases to anticipate, from their first smile to their first steps.

You’ll be better able to understand your baby’s development and meet their needs if you keep track of these milestones. Let’s explore what makes every month of your child’s first year so unique and how you can support their growth at every stage.

Month	Development Milestones
0-1 Month	Newborns focus on faces, recognize parents" voices, and have reflexive movements. They begin to track objects with their eyes and start to lift their head briefly when lying on their stomach.
1-2 Months	Babies start to smile socially, make cooing sounds, and hold their head up better during tummy time. They also begin to develop better control over their arm movements.
2-3 Months	Increased head control, begin to push down with legs when feet are placed on a hard surface, and start to reach for toys. They also show more interest in their surroundings and start to babble.
3-4 Months	Babies can push up to their elbows during tummy time, start to grasp objects, and enjoy playing with their hands. They also begin to smile at people and recognize familiar faces.
4-5 Months	Increased ability to roll over from stomach to back, better hand-eye coordination, and begin to explore objects by putting them in their mouth. They also start to laugh and make more varied sounds.
5-6 Months	Babies sit with support, begin to babble more, and can transfer objects from one hand to another. They start to reach for and grab objects more effectively and show interest in self-discovery.
6-7 Months	More advanced rolling and beginning to crawl, sitting without support, and can pick up small objects using a pincer grasp. They also start to understand cause and effect, such as shaking a rattle.
7-8 Months	Begin to pull up to stand, more coordinated crawling, and start to use simple gestures like waving. They also explore their environment with more curiosity and show a preference for certain toys.
8-9 Months	Can stand while holding on to furniture, begin to say simple words like "mama" or "dada," and may start to cruise along furniture. They also develop more fine motor skills, such as pinching with their fingers.
9-10 Months	Improved standing skills, may start to take steps while holding onto furniture, and develop more complex babbling. They also show interest in imitating actions and can play simple games like peek-a-boo.
10-11 Months	Can walk with support, begin to say a few words clearly, and understand simple instructions like "come here." They also enjoy more interactive play and may start to show preferences for certain people or toys.
11-12 Months	First independent steps, can say several words, and start to follow simple directions. They also begin to use objects appropriately, like brushing their hair with a brush, and show more problem-solving skills.

Contents

First month
Second month
Third month
The fourth month
Fifth month
Sixth month
Seventh month
Eighth month
Ninth month
Tenth month
Eleventh month
Twelfth month
Video on the topic
Ninth month of life. Child development calendar
Child development up to one year by month. Child development calendar. Features of child development.
First month of life. Child development calendar
Child development calendar from 0 to 12 months
CHILD DEVELOPMENT FROM 1 TO 12 MONTHS | Baby development up to a year
Child development by months – a calendar of physical and mental development of a baby up to a year
The second month of life. Child development calendar

First month

The adaptation period is another name for the first month of a newborn’s life. The child gains life experience beyond the comforts of their mother’s warm belly. In this period, the infant:

sleeps a lot – up to 20 hours a day,
eats a lot (read more about this in the article breastfeeding>>>).

The closest family members have the responsibility of providing a comfortable environment for the child—avoid overcooling or overheating. This is the recommended temperature for a newborn’s room>>>, change diapers frequently, and feed them on schedule.

Of course, it’s crucial to show your baby your affection by holding him close, conversing with him, and singing to him.

The child can already follow bright toys with his eyes and turn his head by the time he is one month old. The article provides details on when a newborn starts to see. Red is the first color that babies see.

Take note of this very helpful exercise: move a bright toy (preferably red) from bottom to top, left to right, at a distance of 30 cm from the baby’s face. A baby as young as one month old can already follow the toy’s movements.

Even a month-old baby looks up at the sound. Discover when a baby starts to make sounds>>> By shaking a rattle to the infant’s left and right, you can verify this.

Certain natural newborn reflexes are retained by the infant in the first month of life, but they totally vanish by the fourth month:

sucking reflex (can suck objects that are in the mouth);
swimming (if you lower the baby into the water belly down, the baby will make movements reminiscent of swimming);
grasping (if you touch the palm, the baby will clench his fist);
searching reflex (if you touch the cheek, he looks for the mother"s breast);
step reflex – if you put the child on his feet (while holding him), he can "walk".

Your baby will attempt to lift his head slightly and will train his neck, back, and shoulders if you place him on his stomach.

By the time they are one month old, physically mature babies can already hold their heads.

Additionally, in my lesson video:

Second month

The "month of revival" is another term used to describe the second month of a child’s development. Your baby can now stay awake for up to 50 minutes at a time and sleeps less. The infant’s hearing and vision both get better, and they can now focus on objects that are between 30 and 60 centimeters away. The infant can gaze at a mobile or other toys in his crib for approximately fifteen minutes at a time.

At the age of two months, babies already lift their heads and hold it in an upright position for some time.
Some babies already know how to roll over from side to back. More about when a baby begins to roll over>>>
The baby is exploring his hands – he can bring his fists to his mouth and suck on them;
Infant reflexes are still preserved, but they begin to fade little by little;
The emotional sphere is also developing. At two months, the so-called "revitalization complex" is formed. This skill takes pride of place in the child"s development table; this is one of the most important milestones up to a year, confirming the normal functioning of the nervous system;
The baby can already recognize his parents, is happy with them. When you bend over the crib, the baby begins to quickly twitch his arms and legs;
In the second month of life, your child will most likely give you his first conscious smile. If this does not happen, it"s okay; it means this joyful event will happen a little later. Find out when the baby starts to smile>>>
At two months, the child can coo – makes melodious vowel sounds, sometimes can even pronounce "agu", "aga", "abu". Children like their own "speech", they listen to it with pleasure. The article contains information about when the baby starts to coo>>>

Sing to your child and engage in more communication, and you’ll notice that the baby will join in on your songs!

See the article What a Child Should Be Able to Do at Two Months >>> for more information about this age group, and don’t forget to watch my video tutorial:

Third month

Your baby’s cognitive, emotional, and physical abilities continue to develop throughout the month.

The child is better and better at holding his head;
When on his stomach, the baby rises up on his forearms and can look around;
By the third month of life, the fists straighten out, the baby already knows how to take a rattle, reaches for objects that interest him;
Babies continue to explore their hands; by the end of the month, the most active of them already grab their knees (the first stage in exploring their own legs);
Everything that gets into the baby"s hands ends up in his mouth;

Fascinating! The truth is that the tongue’s and mouth’s mucous membranes are far more sensitive than fingers. Babies use their mouths to investigate the objects in their environment.

The expansion of the emotional spectrum is a characteristic of a child’s third month of development.

Some babies can already laugh, others are just beginning to smile;
The baby carefully watches the facial expressions of loved ones and can already “read” their mood and imitate their facial expressions;
The baby’s speech development continues. The baby can coo for a long time and with pleasure, increasingly pronouncing not only melodious vowel sounds, but also syllables.

The fourth month

A child’s fourth month of life is marked by quick changes in both their physiology and psychology:

The baby already holds his head confidently: both when he is held “upright”, and when he lies on his stomach; he can turn it, following objects or reacting to sounds;
The baby can rise on his elbows, lying on his stomach. Some babies already lean on straightened arms;
From three to four months, your child learns to roll over on his own – both from his stomach to his back, and from his back to his stomach. The most active children can already roll around the room, or even crawl on their bellies! Interesting information about when a child starts crawling>>>

Crucial! Recall that leaving a child in an adult bed is no longer safe. It is preferable to transfer him to the ground, where he will have more room for training and won’t be able to fall.

4 months is the age of conscious manipulations with objects. The baby can take a rattle and play with it himself;
The child is good at distinguishing his loved ones;
At this age, the fear of being left without his mother is strong, so the baby often does not let her go for a second. Pay more attention to him and wait, this period will soon pass;
At four months, the baby already has favorite toys, can be interested in his reflection in the mirror, listens attentively to various sounds: the sound of a rattle, the ringing of a bell, voices, music;
The speech development of a child is laid in the first year of life. At 4 months, cooing is replaced by babbling: intelligible syllables "ba", "ma", "gu" appear.

Fifth month

In the fifth month of life, the child refines their motor skills:

can confidently roll over in different directions;
lying on his stomach, rising on his elbows or palms;
takes the "preparation for sitting" position: half-lying on the hip, leaning on one of the handles;
tries to reach for an object of interest;
can stand if supported by the armpits;
grabs his feet, pulls them into his mouth, licks them.

A crucial social skill is developed by the child in the fifth month of life: he starts to distinguish himself from strangers. The infant is content to sit in his parents’ arms, but if someone tries to take him or approach him, he may scowl or even cry.

A five-month-old can play independently with a variety of objects, including picking them up, tossing them, knocking them over, licking them, etc. A picture book might pique the baby’s interest in the fifth month of life. Youngsters adore examining faces, particularly those with a variety of expressions. possess an interest in color periodicals.

Read short poems to them and explain what’s on the pages. By doing this, you’ll help your child develop speech skills in addition to keeping them occupied for a considerable amount of time.

You can already teach the child simple words like "mama," "papa," and "baba" at this age. Even at five months old, some babies are already repeating them.

At five months old, babies are able to laugh aloud, show happiness with a smile, experience anger and sadness, and are still developing their full emotional repertoire. A child who does not receive enough attention from adults may exhibit erratic behavior.

Sixth month

Another period of transition in a child’s normal routine occurs during the sixth month of development:

It is at this time that children begin to crawl on their bellies, and mothers have to remove many objects from their reach;
At six months, the child can already be seated in a semi-reclining position for a short time. Children do not yet know how to sit on their own. Find out from the article, and when does a child start to sit?>>>
Six-month-old babies, lying on their tummy, try to get up on their knees – this is an important stage of preparation for both sitting and crawling. If the child succeeds, after a while he begins to swing in this position. Such movements are completely normal and indicate the development of the baby;
The child confidently holds various objects, can take them with either hand, transfer them from hand to hand;
6 months – the age of exploring the surrounding space. The child puts everything he can reach into his mouth, can break toys;
At six months, the first everyday skills are formed: with the beginning of complementary feeding, children learn what a spoon is; learn to drink from a cup held by an adult. Detailed information on the introduction of complementary feeding and nutrition of a child>>>
The child"s intellect develops. At 6 months, children begin to understand the consequences of their actions: if you throw a cube, it will fall, if you press a button, you will hear a squeak;
Speech development continues. At six months of age, babies confidently pronounce syllables, master the first consonants: "z", "s", "f".

Seventh month

A baby who is seven months old is growing increasingly active:

Babies confidently crawl on their bellies, some can already move on all fours.

You should not be concerned if your child crawls backwards because they will eventually learn to control their own body.

At seven months, babies can sit with a straight back for some time. Particularly active ones can stand with support, try to get up on their own. Read to find out when a child starts walking>>>
Fine motor skills are developing: the child can hold an object in each hand, knock them against each other, arbitrarily take, put, throw toys.

Crucial! Due to their tendency to put everything in their mouths, seven-month-old babies should have all small parts of their toys securely fastened.

The seventh month of a child"s development is the time when you need to stimulate the cognitive interest of the baby. Tell him about the objects that surround him, show and name the main parts of his body.
At seven months, children can already show objects at the request of their parents ("Where are the eyes?", "Where is the watch?").
Everyday skills are improved. Now, during feeding, the baby removes food from a spoon, continues to master drinking from a mug. Some children already drink from a spill-proof cup or a straw themselves.

Complementary foods are easier to introduce when a child is seven months old because they start to mimic adults.

At this age, a child imitates the sounds that animals make; he can say "woof-woof", "me-me". Pronounces many syllables.

Note: The baby’s fine motor skills must be developed in order to activate the speech center. This is appropriate for toys that have large wooden beads of different colors and shapes strung on a rope.

Eighth month

During the eighth month of life, a child’s attempts to stand up are consistent.

The baby crawls to any support and tries to give the body a vertical position. Not all children can do this maneuver yet. If you put a child next to a support, he will stand;
The most active children can already walk along the support, and also move their legs when an adult holds them by both hands or under the armpits;
An eight-month-old child can crawl on all fours, explores the room where he lives, knows the layout of the rooms, and moves around the apartment on his own;
A child can sit, sits down on his own from a “standing on all fours” position;
The little person’s games are becoming more and more meaningful. The baby can put toys in a box or some kind of container. Some children can already put rings on the base of the pyramid and take them off, try to put cups one inside another.

Your child might want to eat on his own at this point using a spoon. If you support this desire, your child won’t need to learn this skill from you in the future.

The baby has already mastered simple games: "peek-a-boo" (hides behind his hands, hides his face on his mother"s chest or, for example, in a blanket on the bed), "patty-cake" (clapping his hands), shows "flashlights". Enjoys listening to music, can sing along and even dance, especially if he has seen his parents do it;
The child understands simple requests: bring a toy, show a chandelier. Many children already know how to show some parts of their body;
Speech is constantly improving. The baby tries to repeat words after adults, new syllables are formed. Perhaps, right now the baby will pronounce his first meaningful word.

Ninth month

The nine-month-old baby continues his attempts to get up on his feet;
He already stands up more confidently and stands near support, moves along sofas, beds, in a playpen;
While crawling, he can turn around and crawl in the opposite direction. He can sit up from a lying position and get up from a sitting position;

Crucial! At this point, the child tries to get up on a chair or sofa by himself and climb off. In order to stop potentially dangerous falls, parents should always be on the lookout.

The baby tries to reach everything that he sees. If it does not work, it can express his discontent with a scream. It is at nine months that the child actively shows its character. Can begin to resist dressing and hygienic procedures, even if before that he endured everything meekly. The child experiences the fear of loss of mother and does not even want to let her out of sight for a short time.

New abilities emerge in the child’s development during the ninth month:

The baby learns to crush and tear the paper, turn the books;
You can give your child plasticine, just make sure that he does not eat him. The kneading of plasticine will strengthen the brush, develop fine motor skills. In addition, children really like this activity;
The vocabulary of the crumbs is constantly updated. Children quickly memorize the names of all objects that adults show them, also know the meaning of the words “give”, “bring”, “put”, “eat”, “impossible”, and others.

Tenth month

The child is in the tenth month of development, and his abilities are still getting better. The young person tries to walk and is already able to stand up on their own. able to stand and sit upright. Scratches around the apartment with agility.

By this age, kids’ games get better:

Thanks to the active development of fine motor skills, the child can already hold two to three small objects in one hand. At 10 months, the baby develops a dominant hand;
Children understand how to play with toys: they can roll a car, assemble and disassemble a pyramid (the rings are not put in order yet). They know how to play with a tumbler toy, they can build a tower from two cubes;
The child can be involved in a game with children if adults show him how to do it;
Children like to put cups inside each other;
They can roll and throw a ball;
Open and close cabinet doors, pull out and push drawers. They can put a toy in a cabinet or drawer;
Transfer small objects to different boxes and containers;
They begin to combine objects, for example, push a ball with a stick;
Enjoy playing with food and water;
Begin to show interest in construction sets made of large parts, but they don"t assemble them yet, but disassemble them;
Can turn the pages of cardboard books.

Babies as young as ten months old like to mimic adults and their facial expressions. Take advantage of the child’s interest by learning new, simple words to pronounce together. After you, the infant will repeat them.

Children can easily recall animal names and mimic their sounds by the time they are ten months old.

A basic request can be answered by the child with show, hide, or bring. Youngsters can already identify their nose, eyes, and body parts by name. Able to generalize ideas: they could display their hands, a doll’s hands, their father’s hands, or the hands of the girl in the photo.

See the article "What a Child Should Be Able to Do at 10 Months" for more information about this age group.

Eleventh month

At eleven months, your baby is strong enough to start taking his first steps without support. The child can walk a short distance from one adult to another, or from a support to mom. The baby actively moves around in any room: crawls, sits, stands, walks with support.
Self-service skills continue to develop. The little person tries to eat with a spoon, drink from a cup, tries to put on or take off his own clothes. You can keep the baby busy for a long time if you offer him a box of clothes. The child"s independence must be encouraged, especially since children at this age love to be praised.
The eleventh month of a child"s development is the time of the first meaningful dialogues. The baby perfectly understands the meaning of the words "yes", "no", "no" (find out from the article how to explain to a child that you can"t>>>); can nod positively and shake his head negatively.
In addition, the baby looks and points at an object of interest. This is how the baby communicates with adults, parents and the child begin to understand each other better. The number of syllables pronounced is growing. At this time, two or three clearly pronounced words may appear in the baby’s speech (most often these are “mom”, “dad”, “woman” and some kind of onomatopoeia, for example, “AB”).
Eleven -month -old children begin to master the skills of polite communication: they easily remember the gestures “hello” and “for now”, willingly wave their pen.

Note: Parents are advised to consistently ask their child to say hello and goodbye in order to establish this positive habit, even though for them it’s just a game at this point.

The kids are quite gregarious at 11 months old and can go from laughing to sobbing very quickly. frightening in a strange place and terrified of strangers. These signs point to a child’s typical psychological development and shouldn’t worry parents.

Twelfth month

The child’s twelfth month of development marks a sort of shift from infancy to childhood. Psychologically, parents expect far more from a one-year-old than from an eleven-month-old, even though this boundary is highly conditional.

At one year, a baby most often begins to walk.

If your child isn’t crawling yet, don’t worry; it’s normal for them to do so until they are one and a half years old and isn’t a sign of a disease.

At this age, a little person already knows how to squat to pick up a toy; can put one object down and take another. Children know very well where everything is, and will look for a toy exactly where they left it;
Babies learn to step over obstacles: first holding an adult"s hand, and then on their own;
Everyday skills are developing: the child eats with a spoon, drinks from a cup, puts on and takes off hats and socks;
If the baby was potty trained, at one year old such children can already ask to go to it. Information about at what age to potty train a child>>> At one year, a child eats food in pieces, can chew. If the chewing teeth have not yet grown, children chew with their gums (they are quite hard);
The one -year -old child understands everything that they say to him, even if it seems to his parents that this is not so. He is very good at reading moods and succumbing to them: he is happy and sad with his mother. Psychologists strongly advise against sorting out relationships and arguing in front of the child. Since the baby does not yet know how to cope with his emotions, this can cause him serious trauma.

The infant not only comprehends all that is said to him, but he also babbles a lot and speaks words clearly.

Crucial! Teachers at this age view words as stable sound combinations that have a consistent meaning.

Between two and ten words make up a child’s vocabulary by the time they are a year old; some may know even more.

At the twelfth month of life, the child"s games become more complex. The baby identifies certain toys, can feed them, rock them, put them on the potty.

It’s an amazing experience to watch your baby grow and change during their first year of life. New accomplishments and milestones are reached every month, from their first smile to their clumsy first steps. By being aware of what to anticipate at every turn, you can encourage their development and cherish these fleeting moments.

Recall that every child develops at a different pace throughout the first year of life. Although the calendar provides a broad overview, it’s crucial to treasure their individual journey. No matter how minor an accomplishment may seem, acknowledge it and create a nurturing atmosphere that sparks their interest in learning.

You can make sure your baby has a positive and fulfilling start in life by monitoring their development and making adjustments to suit their needs. Relish this incredible period of development and discovery, understanding that you are contributing to the establishment of their future prosperity and contentment.

It can be thrilling and daunting to watch your baby grow during their first year of life. This journey can be made easier with a child development calendar, which breaks down what your baby usually learns and experiences every month from birth to one year old. This guide gives parents a clear picture of normal developmental progress and what to expect as your baby grows, helping them to track milestones from the first smiles and sounds to the first steps and words.