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The first year

Your baby's development in the first year of life

Your baby is unique to yourself and your partner. His or her development need not follow the same pattern as others at a similar stage, but, if they vary widely, advice should be sought.

Around the age of 10 days to 28 days a health professional, community midwife, health visitor or your own doctor will call to see you both, primarily to find out if you have any concerns about feeding or if there is anything abnormal you have noticed.

Keep a record of the following for your information:

• Was a neo-natal test for any inborn error of metabolism made, such as PKU (Phenyl Ketonuria) and if so, was it negative?
• Was any abnormality noted in his examination? For example, were the hips all right? Was complete range of movement present?
• What was the weight, length and head circumference?
• When and where will the baby be seen again and what inoculations will be advised?
• Express any concerns you may have

What your baby may be doing

(If your baby was premature remember that his/her milestones will appear at the age he would have been if mature)

After the first month, baby should:

1. Focus on a face
2. While lying on his stomach, on a flat surface, baby may be able momentarily to lift his head
3. Baby may respond to a loud noise
4. Smile in answer to your smile

What we are really looking for is development in motor skills and 'social' skills. There is, of course, no way that we can apply IQ tests to a baby: baby cannot respond verbally or write anything down

At the end of the second month, baby should:

1. Respond to you smiling at them
2. Respond to a bell in some way
3. Follow an object passed over his face at a distance of about six inches (certainly to mid-line)
4. Roll over one way

Baby may well perform other things; perhaps rolling over (one way), or reaching for an object.

At the end of the third month, baby should be able to:

1. Lift head up 45 degrees or so, while lying on its stomach
2. Follow on object held above him/her about 6 inches away and describing an arc past the mid-line
3. Baby may laugh or squeal or bring both hands together. He/she may even, when in the sitting position, hold the head steady

At the end of the fourth month, baby should:

1. If placed on stomach can lift the head up 90 degrees
2. Will laugh out loud
3. Follow an object with an arc, held six inches above the face, through 180 degrees

Baby may even squeal, indicating joy. Might even sit without mum's support and turn in direction of her voice

At the end of the fifth month, your baby will be able to:

1. Hold its head steady when in the upright position
2. Reach for an object
3. Smile spontaneously
4. Grasp a rattle or hold on to fingers

Baby may even 'weight bare' when lifted and go on to sit without support. Baby might turn to you if he hears your voice.

At the end of the sixth month, baby should be able to:

1. Align his head and body when placed in the sitting position
2. Vocalise, using combinations of vowel and consonant

Later in the month he will, if held, bear some weight on his legs and sit without support. He will not like his toys to be removed without his permission and will look for one if he drops it. His 'babble' will have gained more vowels and consonants. He might be able to pull himself up from the sitting position.

At the end of the seventh month:

1. Baby sits without support
2. Feeds himself a cracker and can bear weight on his legs with assistance
3. He may even be able to pick up a very small object with finger and thumb but not using the tips particularly
4. He might be able to wave a goodbye
5. He will learn to play 'peek-a-boo'

After eight months, baby now:

1. When upright bears weight on legs (has to be held)
2. Feeds himself a cracker
3. Looks over to your voice and for a dropped object
4. Will change over an object from one hand to another

May well now be able to stand up holding on. He might attempt to walk holding on to chairs etc. He probably understands the word 'no' perfectly well, but this does not mean that he will act as required.

At the end of ninth months, baby will:

1. Will begin to look for an object which has been dropped and will try to get over to it
2. He will be able, at about nine-and-a-half months, to pull himself up from a sitting to a standing position
3. Will say 'mama', 'dada', but not accurately
4. May wave goodbye and will walk 'holding on'
5. May respond to having a ball rolled to him
6. May attempt and succeed in drinking out of a cup without help

At the end of the tenth month, baby should:

1. Be able to attain the standing position by holding on to Mum and then walk holding on to the furniture
2. Indicate displeasure on being relieved of a toy
3. May have increased word power by one word
4. Might even now walk quite well

After eleven months, baby will have:

1. Made good progress in mobility and will have learned 'social' activities
2. His senses will have become more attuned to his environment
3. The ability to pick up a tiny object using thumb and finger will be present and he will understand the word 'no'
4. He may play 'patta-cake' and after standing alone for a few seconds may walk while holding on to an adults' hand
5. His vocabulary of mama and dada may have been added to, perhaps by one more word, but it could be more
6. At the end of the month, baby could walk well.

At the end of the first year:

1. He will be walking with more confidence while still, perhaps, needing something to hold onto (the majority do not walk well for another two months, or sometimes even longer)
2. He may drink from a cup independently but you may have to wait another 3-4 months before he is able to do that
3. He may pick up a very small object using the tips of his fingers and thumb, but this could also be delayed for a further 2-3 months
4. He may say 'mama' and 'dada' accurately and might have added another word or two to his vocabulary
5. He may play ball i.e. rolling to you after receiving
6. He will be talking 'gibberish'

Babies vary considerably in how they develop and the above only gives an indication of what t look for at a particular 'month age'. Remember to seek advice if his progress does not seem to be right for his age. All professionals in this field are oriented to this problem and will give you advice as to what to do.

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