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The Importance Of Developmental Milestones For Babies From Birth To 12 Months Of Age And Beyond
Having a baby is one of life’s most exciting experiences. Watching them grow and develop is a joy for any parent. But what developmental milestones should you expect to see from your newborn baby as they grow and develop from an infant into a young adult? Each stage of development is a crucial milestone that will shape how a baby interacts with the world and how they will develop psychologically and physically. Parents should be aware of these developmental milestones in order to help their children reach their full potential. In this article, we will explore the importance of developmental milestones for babies from birth to 12 months of age and beyond.
What Are Developmental Milestones
Watching your little one grow is a beautiful thing, and as they explore the world around them, it’s important to know what developmental milestones you should expect. As a parent, understanding your child's development can be an important part of helping them reach their full potential. Generally speaking, these encompass motor skills, social skills, communication abilities, and adaptive behavior.
Motor skills: Motor skills are one of the key components to monitor as they grow and learn. Let's take a look at what to expect when it comes to developmental milestones for motor skills.
Gross motor skills involve large muscle groups and are usually seen in babies before fine motor skills. These include rolling over, sitting up on their own, crawling, standing unsupported, and eventually walking. These abilities help children build strength and balance which all contribute to moving around with more confidence.
Fine motor skills involve smaller muscles such as those used for writing or drawing with a crayon. When a baby is able to hold his head upright, he may start reaching out for objects that interest him like toys or even food!
Social development: Social development is an important part of a child’s growth and development. As children learn to interact with other people, they build relationships and develop social skills. It is important to be aware of the typical developmental milestones for social development in order to provide support for your child’s growth.
In the first year of life, infants will begin to respond differently when around different people, such as smiling or cooing more when interacting with loved ones. They will also start learning how to express emotions through facial expressions, gestures and vocalizations. As children enter toddlerhood, they are capable of basic conversation like saying “please” and “thank you” as well as forming simple friendships with peers.
During their preschool years, children become more independent while displaying empathy towards others.
Communication Skills: Proper language development is an important part of a child's overall growth and well-being. Communication refers to babbling noises that develop into words over time, one of the most crucial areas of language development is the development of vocabulary.
From birth, a baby begins to learn about sounds and words as soon as he or she starts interacting with caregivers. Infants usually begin babbling at around 4 months old and start using words like ‘mama’ or ‘dada’ between 10-15 months old. By two years old, toddlers typically have around 50 different words in their vocabulary, understand simple commands, and are able to ask questions in return.
Adaptive Skills: Developmental milestones are an important part of a child’s growth, and adaptive skills are no exception. Adaptive skills are the abilities that allow us to carry out activities of everyday living. As children grow, they reach developmental milestones in their cognitive understanding of each task that helps them gain independence.
The types of adaptive skills typically seen in young children include self-care tasks such as dressing, eating with utensils, and brushing teeth and hair. In addition to daily living activities, other adaptive skills such as recognizing colors, shapes, numbers, and letters can be seen from around two years old onwards. As toddlers progress through their third year and into preschool age (3-4 years), they will begin to develop a more complex cognitive understanding of concepts including making patterns, sorting objects by size or color, and counting items like blocks or dollars.
Your baby will progress through each of these areas differently - some may be ahead in one area but behind in another - so it’s important not to compare their growth with others. As your baby's brain develops it can be fun to keep track of their milestones by the month, this can also be helpful if you have questions for your doctor about the skills your child is developing.
Major Baby Milestones For The 6 Months
Birth To 4 Weeks:
Hearing: Your baby will be startled by loud noises around them
Vision: Your babies vision develops to be able to focus at your face from a distance of about 9 inches or roughly the distance from your breast while breastfeeding to your face.
Motor: Rooting reflex, grasping reflex, suckling reflex, walking reflex, moro/startle reflex
8 To 12 Weeks
Vision: Will recognize your face
Hearing: Your baby will begin to recognize your voice
Motor: Your baby will begin to hold their head up and even begin to smile at you
3 Months To 4 Months
Vision: Your baby can see different colors
Motor: Your baby will start to reach for and grasp for objects with both hands
Your baby will start to push themselves up onto their forearms and can support their shoulders and head while enjoying tummy time.
4 Months
Communication: Your Baby may start to laugh
Motor: Will start shaking and rattling items placed in their hands
5 Months
Vision: Your baby will make eye contact
Motor: Your baby will start to discover they have feet!
6 Months
Vision: Your baby's perception increases and now has the ability to understand object's shapes and sizes
Motor: Your baby can sit up unsupported for small amounts of time, baby should reach for their feet and explore items by placing them into their mouths.
Communication: Your baby will begin to recognize their own name
Should You Be Concerned If Your Child Doesn't Hit A Milestone
It’s natural for parents to worry about their children developing and growing properly. As a parent, it can be worrisome if your child is not meeting common milestones or achievements at the age they are expected to. But this doesn’t mean that something is wrong with your child or that they will never catch up!
While it is important to stay aware of any potential issues, there are many factors that could be causing the delay in development; some of these could include medical problems, genetics, environment, and lifestyle changes. It’s important to note that every child is different and develops at their own pace - some may reach certain milestones earlier than other children while others may take longer than average.
If you have any concerns about your child not hitting a milestone then speak to your pediatrician or healthcare provider for advice on how best to help them.
The Importance Of Proper Neurological Function And Development
Around 65% of your child's neurological development happens within their first year of life. That being said, it's extremely important that their brain and nervous system are able to function at optimal levels to maximize this critical stage in their lives.
If you're concerned that your child's nervous system isn't functioning at its best due to a stressful birthing process, falls, or tumbles, schedule a consultation today with Base Camp Health to schedule a consultation for your child to see if they would benefit from care and help your child live their lives to the fullest.