What to expect the first year

 

Skills such as taking a first step, smiling for the first time, and waving “bye-bye” are called developmental milestones. Developmental milestones are things most children can do by a certain age. Children reach milestones in how they play, learn, speak, behave, and move (like crawling, walking, or jumping).

What to expect the first year? In the first year, babies learn to focus their vision, reach out, explore, and learn about the things that are around them. Cognitive, or brain development means the learning process of memory, language, thinking, and reasoning. Listening, understanding, and knowing the names of people and things are all a part of language development. During this stage, babies also are developing bonds of love and trust with their parents and others as part of social and emotional development. The way parents cuddle, hold, and play with their baby will set the basis for how they will interact with them and others.

All babies grow at different rates. But on average, at this age they gain between 0.7 to 0.9 kg each month and grow 2.5 to 4 cm. Their head circumference will increase by about 1.25 cm each month. All babies lose weight right after they are born. Healthy babies usually get back to their birth weight in about 2 to 3 weeks and will then continue to grow.

At 1 month, infant milestones most of what babies do is still caused by reflexes. They aren’t thinking about their actions. They will be sucking, swallowing, searching for milk and grasping an object if you put it in the palm of their hand. They will also step one foot in front of the other if you put their feet on a flat surface. They will start to focus with both eyes at 1 month and should be able to follow a moving object from side to side. They will probably prefer looking at a human face to looking at an object and will gaze deeply into your eyes if you hold them about 45 cm away. Most babies can recognize their parents by this age. One-month-old babies love the sound of your voice, but they will get startled if they hear a loud noise. They might fall backward and throw their arms and legs out, blink their eyes and breathe faster. Your baby will cry loudly when they are hungry or uncomfortable. When they are happy and content, they usually make little gurgling noises. Respond to your baby’s sounds by gurgling and cooing back.

Your 2-month-old is growing fast and becoming more alert. They will be making more sounds and getting more skilled at moving their body. They will still be crying a lot - but you’ve probably already seen that magic first smile which somehow makes all the hard work worthwhile. By 2 months, your baby will have put on a lot of weight and may be looking round and chubby. As their muscles develop, their arms and legs start to move more freely, stretching out to make them seem taller and leaner.  Babies will start to learn how to coordinate their movements in 2 month milestones. Instead of the jerky arm and leg movements that made when they were born, they can move more smoothly and in more of a circular motion. They will kick both legs strongly and will be very wriggly. They may even roll over, so don’t ever leave them alone on a change table. Their neck will be getting stronger all the time. During tummy time they might be lifting their head and moving it from side to side. Some babies can even lift their chest off the ground by now.

In 3 month growth spurt, your baby will have formed a strong attachment to you. They will respond to you with lots of smiles, and might even talk back to you in their own way. The worst of the crying should be nearly over, and you can really enjoy your baby as they grow into their own little person. By now your baby will be starting to experience emotions and communication. They will respond to different expressions, know your voice and will turn to look for you when they hear you. They may start laughing out loud and look around them in wonder especially at their fingers and toes. They will smile at strangers, but they definitely know who their parents are by now. Their brain is growing fast and they will start to recognize people by sight and smell as well as by their voice. They will be gurgling a lot and trying to respond to you when you talk to them. Their sense of touch is also becoming more sensitive and they will be able to pay attention to things for longer. Physically, your baby will have better control of their head movements and will start to hold their head up when they’re sitting up. When you give them tummy time, you might notice they roll from their front to their back, lift up their head or push up their chest with their hands.
From 4 months, your baby will quickly be learning to coordinate their body. They will have more control over what they do, their vision, touch and hearing will be much more developed, and they will start to move around much more. They can communicate much better too, and the number of hours for which they cry should have settled by now. Your baby will still be gaining weight steadily probably about 0.45 kg to 0.56 kg a month. Their bones will be growing fast and they will be getting longer. Along with their physical growth, 4-month-old babies are learning more about their place in the world. They will be starting to show an interest in solid food and many of their new skills are preparing them for chewing. Your baby is now due for their next round of vaccinations which will be the same as their first round: 2 injections and the oral rotavirus vaccine.

By 5 months, your baby’s weight may have doubled from their weight at birth. They will put on about 550g a month now and grow about 2cm in length. But all babies are different. As long as they keep growing as expected according to their growth chart, don’t worry too much about weight gain and try not to compare your baby with others. Babies like routine because it makes them feel secure. But the routine you had when your baby was smaller might not work so well now – you will need to adjust it to suit their age. If you haven’t already done so, now is the time to make sure your home is child friendly, since your baby will soon be on the move.

6 month developmental milestones is an exciting time and your baby will now be developing very fast. The left side of their brain will have has started communicating with the right side, meaning they can coordinate their body better. You will be understanding your baby much better now as they let you know whether they’re happy or sad and start to respond to words. By the time they reach 6 months, babies have a much better sense of who they are and how they fit into their world. They will have a good sense of the difference between their parents, siblings and other people, and may even start to be anxious of people they don’t know. Six-month-old babies love interacting with you and will start to let you know what they want. They are learning how to attract your attention in ways other than crying. They will also start to understand your emotions from the tone of your voice, for example if you speak to them harshly. Their communication skills will be developing fast.

When a baby becomes part of your family, it is time to make sure that your home is a safe place. Look around your home for things that could be dangerous to your baby. As a parent, it is your job to ensure that you create a safe home for your baby. It also is important that you take the necessary steps to make sure that you are mentally and emotionally ready for your new baby. Here are a few tips to keep your baby safe:

·         Do not shake your baby. Babies have very weak neck muscles that are not yet able to support their heads. If you shake your baby, you can damage his brain or even cause his death.

·         Make sure you always put your baby to sleep on her back to prevent sudden infant death syndrome (commonly known as SIDS).

·         Protect your baby and family from secondhand smoke. Do not allow anyone to smoke in your home.

·         Place your baby in a rear-facing car seat in the back seat while he is riding in a car.

·         Prevent your baby from choking by cutting her food into small bites. Also, don’t let her play with small toys and other things that might be easy for her to swallow.

·         Don’t allow your baby to play with anything that might cover her face.

·         Never carry hot liquids or foods near your baby or while holding him.

Healthy Bodies

·         Breast milk meets all your baby’s needs for about the first 6 months of life. Between 6 and 12 months of age, your baby will learn about new tastes and textures with healthy solid food, but breast milk should still be an important source of nutrition.

·         Feed your baby slowly and patiently, encourage your baby to try new tastes but without force, and watch closely to see if he’s still hungry.

·         Breastfeeding is the natural way to feed your baby, but it can be challenging.

·         Limit screen time. For children younger than 18 months of age, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that it’s best if babies do not use any screen media other than video chatting.

·         Make sure your child gets the recommended amount of sleep each night: For infants 4-12 months, 12–16 hours per 24 hours (including naps).