Milestones can be such an exciting time for you and your little one, and watching your baby progress as they grow and develop is one of the best things about being a parent. First smiles, words, and steps are moments many of us remember for the rest of our lives.
It’s important to remember however, that it isn’t a competition or a race. Our little ones will progress at their own pace, and if they take a little longer to reach a milestone moment than other children their age - that’s perfectly alright.
What Are Milestone Moments?
Milestones are developmental skills and behaviors that your baby will learn or achieve as they grow. Milestones are meant as guides rather than a strict timeline for ‘success’. Every child is unique and will follow their own developmental path, so while milestones are a useful way to measure your child’s growth, don’t be alarmed if it takes an extra few weeks or even months to develop a particular skill.
Milestones are useful gauges of a child’s growth, but the physical and communication achievements listed below are not meant to be exhaustive or definitive. Most babies gain certain skills within a short amount of time, but other skills may take months or even years to acquire.
When Your Baby Is Two Months Old
Physical Milestones
- Your baby can turn their head to the side while laying on their tummy
- Your baby can wave their arms and legs or wiggle and squirm while on their back
- Your baby can hold onto toys briefly when you place it in their hand
- Your baby can follow an object or person with their eyes
Communication Milestones
- Your baby can make cooing sounds such as ‘aaah’, ‘gah’, and ‘ooo’
- Your baby smiles when you speak to them
- Your baby makes sounds back to you when you speak to them
- Your baby cries when they are wet, hungry, tired or want to be held
- Your baby deliberately maintains eye to eye contact
- Your baby will turn towards voices
When Your Baby Is Four Months Old
Physical Milestones
- Your baby can hold their head straight up and look around when laying on their tummy
- Your baby can hold their head steady without support when in a sitting position
- Your baby can bring their hands together over their chest and touch their fingers when laying on their back
- Your baby can begin to reach for a close by toy when in a sitting position
- Your baby can hold their toys in their hand, look at them and may attempt to chew on them
Communication Milestones
- Your baby can smile and ‘coo’ at themselves when in front of a mirror
- Your baby can chuckle softly or laugh
- Your baby will smile and get excited when they see you after having been out of sight
- Your baby will make sounds when they look at people or toys
- Your baby can make high pitched squeals
When Your Baby Is Six Months Old
Physical Milestones
- Your baby can roll onto their tummy from their back
- Your baby can sit up with support
- Your baby can get into a crawling position
- Your baby can grasp their toys using both hands at once
- Your baby can reach a small object using their finger and pick it up using their thumb and all fingers
- Your baby can pick up a small toy with one hand and pass it to the other
- Your baby can play with their feet when laying on their back
Communication Milestones
- Your baby can hold their hands up to be lifted
- Your baby can make sounds like ‘Da’, ‘ga’, and ‘ka’
- Your baby can squeal and laugh
- Your baby likes to look at themselves in the mirror
When Your Baby Is Nine Months Old
Physical Milestones
- Your baby can sit without support
- Your baby can get into a sitting position when they are lying down
- Your baby can pull themselves up to stand and take weight on their feet
- Your baby may start to crawl
- Your baby can roll over both ways
Communication Milestones
- Your baby can copy simple sounds
- Your baby can babble and make different sounds such as ‘mamma’
- Your baby will ‘give it to me’ or ‘put it back’ when asked
- Your baby can recognise family members
- Your baby will become clingy to familiar adults
- Your baby will have a favourite toy
When Your Baby Is Twelve Months Old
Physical Milestones
- Your baby can get into a sitting position by themselves
- Your baby can pull themselves up to stand and sit back down again
- Your baby can walk around furniture
- Your baby can crawl or bottom shuggle
- Your baby can stand by themselves
- Your baby can help to turn the pages of a book
- Your baby can throw a small ball
- Your baby can pick up a piece of string with their first finger and thumb
Communication Milestones
- Your baby can point at object
- Your baby will respond to their own name
- Your baby can hold their arm or foot out to help when being dressed
- Your baby can make meaningful sounds such as ‘mamma’, or ‘dadda’
Our Favourite Milestone Moments
There are development milestones like the ones we have mentioned, but there are also more sentimental milestones that we as new parents look forward to capturing. Moments such as taking baby out for the first time, their first dip in the swimming pool, their first smile or sounds. At Shnuggle, our favourite milestone moments are all around baby’s first bath. Your little one’s first bath is a special memory that you will keep close to your heart forever, and one of the early opportunities to bond with your baby. As parents, we know first hand that your baby’s first bath doesn’t always go according to plan! But we’ve developed products with this in mind, such as our award winning Shnuggle Baby Bath that offers a more enjoyable and comfortable bath time for babies right up to 12 months plus, as well as giving new mums and dads confidence to handle their newborn at bath time.
We know that watching your child learn and develop their skills as they grow from baby to toddler is one of the many highlights of parenthood, and our Shnuggle Toddler Bath is the perfect follow-on bath for when your baby outgrows their first bath it extends the fun of newborn bath times and offers them confidence and comfort as they grow.
To capture that first bath or ‘graduation’ from the baby bath to a big bath, we have created a set of 2 milestone cards to capture both those ‘Milestone Moments’. These are included with every baby bath ordered at shnuggle.com.
All of our products are carefully designed and tested to support your baby’s growth and development of their cognitive skills. Products such as our Wishy Bath Toy feature a soft light and texture to support newborn sensory development and with three parts to pull apart, play and connect, is the perfect bath toy to support coordination and play as they grow.
Whatever stage your little one is at, all milestones, big and small, are important to your child’s development. Check with your child’s Doctor if you are concerned about a delay, or are worried that you aren’t seeing progress where you expected it. Early interventions are often simple, and can be the most effective way to support your child’s long-term development.
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