Overview of Baby Developmental Milestones

There are four key areas whereby the baby developmental milestone should be kept track of:
 

Physical growth

Your baby will grow rapidly during his first 12 months of life. Different babies may vary in the growth rates. As a rule of thumb, baby’s birth weight will double by five months and tripled when he celebrates his first birthday. His length will be one-and-a-half times her birth length when he turns one. However, it is not unusual for a baby to experience catch-up or lag down in growth during the first year.

Head growth during the first 6 months requires careful monitoring. Too large or too small a head are both warning signs of developmental problems. The anterior fontanels (soft spot on the top of the head which may be felt to pulsate) of the baby only become effectively closed from 9 – 18 months.

Teething in babies also varies from baby to baby. The deciduous teeth (milk teeth) appear in most babies between 5 and 9 months. By the age of 1, most children will have 6 to 8 teeth.
 

Skills development

These can be clustered into four main areas: physical skills (gross motor), manual dexterity (fine motor) & vision, hearing & language (speech), and social behavior & play. These milestones occur in an orderly and predictable manner but babies may differ in terms of how rapidly they progress. For each developmental milestone, there is an acceptable norm to the timing of its attainment by the baby, and each baby’s developmental path is unique to himself.
 

Early intellectual development

Baby’s first six years of life are a critical period for brain growth, as well as establishment of patterns for thinking and responding. Development is primarily a function of the brain’s maturation. Genetics do play a role in determining the baby’s potential abilities but the experiences that he receives also have a great impact on how his brain develops. Developmental progress can be enhanced and augmented by learning and training to achieve the full potential.

Your baby’s learning potential is tremendous. Provide him the opportunities, stimulation, freedom, encouragement and enjoyment to safely discover new things about his unfolding world.
 

Temperament

Baby has an inborn set of characteristics that predisposes him to respond or react in certain ways to his surroundings. There are generally three types of temperament:
1. The easy baby – moderately active, adaptable, regular in eating and eliminating patterns, and typically responds positively to changes in circumstances.
2. The difficult baby – intense, strong-willed, biologically irregular, and finds change distressing.
3. The slow-to-warm-up baby – responds with low intensity to stimulus, has a shy temperament, slow to adapt to change.

Understanding which type your baby belongs to help in how you relate to him in the most efficient way. You should bear your baby’s temperament in mind when planning his first experiences. In this way, you will be able to create a suitable learning environment and opportunities for him to develop.
 

More on Normal Early Childhood Development