What To Expect In Baby’s First Year
Monthly Baby Milestones
It’s an age old cliché that babies grow up too fast, but in actual fact, in their first year this is the fastest your baby will grow in their entire life! They’ll go from being a teeny tiny baby who seems to only drink milk, sleep, poop, repeat - to a fully fledged toddler in what feels like the blink of an eye.
Try to savour and enjoy these precious moments with your little one - raising miniature humans is a rollercoaster ride that flies by in a sleep deprived whirlwind.
Watching your baby develop a little bit more every day is one of the most incredibly re-warding jobs we can have as parents. It makes all of those sleepless nights and the caffeine fuelled days totally worth it.
Remember - if you have any concerns about your little one’s development make sure to speak to your Health Visitor and get the advice and help that you need.
Here are some of the magical milestones you can look forward to in your little one’s first year.
What To Expect In Baby’s First 4 Weeks
2. Baby’s First Time in their Car Seat
3. Baby’s First Time in their Pram
4. Learning to turn their head in response to voices/sounds
5. Starting to recognise faces
6. Beginning to Smile (by the end of their first month)
What To Expect In Baby’s First 6 Months
2. Learning to giggle
3. Learning to roll over
4. Learning to sit up
What To Expect In Baby’s First Year
2. Learning to walk
3. Learning to eat solid foods
4. Learning to sleep through the night for the first time
What To Expect When Your Baby Is 1 Year Old
2. Grow to about one and a half times the length they were when they were born
3. Have approximately one and a third times the head circumference
Baby Milestones
0-3 Months
1. Learning to smile for the first time
2. Learning to briefly hold an object
3. Learning to lift their own head
4. Learning to laugh
4-6 Months
1. Learning to roll over for the first time
2. Finding their feet
3. Learning to reach out to grab objects
4. Teething may begin now
5. Starting to sit up
6. Learning to blow raspberries
7. Learning to eat solid food (NHS guidance is to start weaning at 6 months)
7-9 Months
1. Learning to crawl for the first time
2. Learning to sit up without any support
3. Learning to babble/communicate in their own little way
4. Leaning to imitate sounds
10-12 Months
1. Learning to pull themselves up using furniture
2. Learning to stand
3. Learning to say First Words (Mama/Dada are popular ones!)
First Birthday
1. Learning to walk/take first footsteps
2. Learning to use a cup
3. Learning to make marks/scribble
4. Learning to throw a ball
5. Learning to help turn pages of a book
Tips for Enjoying Baby’s First Year
It’s easier said than done - but don’t stress about what your little one can and can’t do.
Document your little one’s milestones as you go - you could even just make a note of them in your Health Visitor book or a notebook. Taking photographs and videos with milestone cards/blankets along your journey is a great idea too. We’re sure you’ll love looking back on them one day in the not so distant future.
Tummy Time And Milestones
Start with a few minutes of tummy time a day with your newborn and gradually build this up over the first three months.
It can sometimes be tricky to get your baby interested in tummy time - watch them closely and listen to their cues, if they’re crying and getting frustrated take a breather and come back to it later.
There are special cushions designed to encourage tummy time you can also use toys or mats to stimulate and encourage your baby to participate.
Some Of The Most Fun Milestones To Expect
‘I loved listening to my little one learn to speak - from the very first coos, to his first word (mama) and now that he’s a toddler hearing him form full sentences. The whole journey is just amazing.’
Some Of The Scariest Milestones To Expect
The Proudest Milestone Moment
