A Journey Through the First Year Every baby develops at their own PACE but the sequence of DEVELOPMENT is similar for all babies.

Birth to 1 month “HELLO WORLD” Movements are a series of REFLEXES Babies have little conscious control over their MUSCLES

GRASPING REFLEX: Babies automatically grasp onto anything put into their hands – they have a strong hold.

STEPPING REFLEX: When held upright babies automatically put legs out and make a stepping m otion

ROOTING REFLEX: This is crucial to a babies survival – if you stroke their cheek they will turn lips towards the touch. This is how babies know to turn to eat – nursing or bottle feeding. SUCKING REFLEX: A baby automatically knows to “suck” - this is also very crucial for survival.

At first a baby’s focusing ability is only 8 inches. Images are not sharp or clear. Babies love looking at FACES. They find patterns more interesting than SOLID COLORS.

LOUD SOUNDS may startle or make a baby cry. Babies are also born with a “startle” reflex REPETITIVE and/or RYTHMIC sounds may sooth a baby.

During the first few weeks a baby’s head is FLOPPY. Babies will sleep 16 of 24 hours in the first few days and by the end of the first month they will sleep 12 hours a day. Babies usually wake up when they are HUNGRY or need TO BE CHANGED.

The 2 nd, 3 rd and 4 th Months “REACHING OUT” These months are filled with RAPID development. The child develops more than at any other stage in his/her life. The baby is very interested in his/her surroundings and begins to EXPLORE the world around them.

The baby is able to SMILE. They also begin to coo, gurgle and make sounds. They practice babbling and are fascinated by the SOUNDS THEY MAKE WITH THEIR MOUTHS/LIPS and SALIVA. They may LAUGH/GIGGLE for the first time.

Their vision is more in focus and they are able to FOLLOW MOVING OBJECTS. They are fascinated with their own HANDS and love to look at their fingers. They are no longer content just looking at an object - now they want to touch it.

They use their MOUTH to explore the world around them. They are able to use BOTH HANDS and love to kick their feet too. By the end of the fourth month they have complete control over HEAD AND NECK and may begin to roll from SIDE TO SIDE

The 5 th and 6 th months “Rolling along” The baby ROLLS OVER for the first time. These months are full of great physical activity. They will discover their FEET - and even put them in their mouth in order to learn more about them.

The baby can REACH OUT and grasp an object and move it from HAND TO HAND. They are able to turn towards SOUNDS. They will also smile when they hear Dad and MOM’s VOICE. By the 6th month the baby learns INTENTIONAL behavior. They know to cry if they want attention from mom or dad.

The 7th and 8th Months “Sitting On Top of the World” At this point the baby is very MOBILE. They are able to SIT UP on their own without falling. They drop TOYS to the floor on purpose. SMALL objects fascinate them.

They are able to understand a few SIMPLE WORDS - like: “MOMMY” “DADDY” “BYE BYE” They have ABRUPT mood changes during this time. When they see strangers they: MAY BE SCARED OR CRY WANT MOM OR DAD – HAVE SEPERATION ANXIETY

The baby can crawl and every baby has his/her own STYLE. To see a video about crawling... uestid=495128#videoplayer uestid=495128#videoplayer “CREEPING”: pull body along with arms on tummy – kind of like an army crawl It is very important at this stage to do what to your house? BABY PROOF MAKE IT SAFE

The 9 th and 10 th Months “STAND UP AND CHEER” These babies do not stay in one place for very long. They are very curious about all that is around them. It is very good to let them EXPLORE.

They love to CLIMB up and down. Going up is easier than going DOWN. These babies want to TOUCH everything. They still put everything in their MOUTH. They can put objects in and out of containers.

They love to look at BOOKS. These babies love to play in WATER and enjoy pouring. At this point they can understand the word “NO”.

The 11th and 12th months “WALKING TALL” They can hold on to FURNITURE and walk around. They slowly begin to hold on less and then take their first STEPS. 3 out of 5 babies are walking by their first birthday. These babies love to SHAKE and BANG everything. - to see a video about walking… 8#videoplayer 8#videoplayer

2 of their favorite games are: “SO BIG” and “PEEK A BOO” eekpage.htm