Baby's first year

In your baby's first year your baby’s development will be helped by the amount of stimulation you and your partner provide. From the start, talk and sing to your baby while feeding and doing your daily work. Discuss your activities, and point to objects which your baby can see. Don’t hesitate to pick up and cuddle your baby. This is not ‘spoiling’ - it is responding to your baby’s emotional and developmental needs. Babies thrive on attention. They are happy when parents speak in a gentle tone, but find harsh words upsetting. Follow your instincts if you are worried about your baby’s development. No professional knows your child as well as you do. So if you have a gut feeling that something is wrong, talk to your doctor and health visitor, and if necessary ask to be referred.

At 6 weeks your baby may: turn his head and eyes towards light; watch your face and try to respond to speech; quieten at the sound of your voice; smile at you; hold his head up briefly without wobbling.

At 3 months your baby will smile and laugh spontaneously; make cooing noises; kick vigorously when free of bedclothes; hold his head up firmly.

Consult your doctor if by 3 months: your baby is not smiling; does not startle to loud sounds; appears unresponsive; has poor head control.

At 6 months your baby may: grasp and hold a rattle in one hand; transfer rattle to other hand; raise rattle to mouth; roll over and back bear weight and bounce when held in standing position; drink from cup held to the lips; hold feeding bottle; feed with fingers and begin to chew imitate a cough copy a protruding tongue laugh or squeal in annoyance use double-syllable word sounds (“adah” “ahgoo”) turn in direction of parent’s voice.

Consult your doctor if by 6 months: your baby has poor head control does not grasp or transfer objects does not turn towards sounds.

At 9 months your baby may: crawl or attempt to crawl; sit alone on floor for 10-15 minutes; say “mama” or “dada” understand “no”; clap hands play pat-a-cake and peek-a-boo; look for fallen toys; pull to standing position in cot or with chair support; should attract attention.

Consult your doctor if by 9 months: your baby is 'too quiet' and does not appear to hear; is unable to sit without support; does not move around on floor; does not attempt to take part in play.

At 12 months your baby may: sit for indefinite time without support; crawl on hands and knees or “bottom shuffle”; walk while holding furniture or alone stand alone; pick up small items using index finger and thumb in “pincer grasp” movement; understand several words; respond to simple commands such as "give it to daddy" wave “bye-bye”; point to what is wanted and pulls; enjoys songs and nursery rhymes.

Consult your doctor if by 12 months: your baby cannot sit up, bottom shuffle or crawl; cannot point to desired objects; cannot pick up small items between finger and thumb does not make sounds such as “mama” or “dada”; does not appear to hear.

At 18 months your baby may: walk steadily; have started running; climb on furniture; point to nose, eyes and mouth; recognize many objects; carry toys; when walking jabber and say three words other than "mummy" and "daddy";may have started to join words; enjoy copying household tasks such as dusting; understand simple requests such as "put it on the table"; hold a spoon and take food to his mouth; turn pages of book; scribble spontaneously; build a tower of two bricks.

Consult your doctor if by 18 months: your child cannot walk without support (bottom shufflers, however, are usually late walkers) cannot understand simple sentences; cannot say single words is inactive, unresponsive or uninterested; does not appear to hear sounds.

By 2 years your child may: get up and down stairs holding on, jump with both feet, kick a ball without falling, run fast, put on socks, build a tower of six cubes, know five body parts, use about 50 words and join two or three in a simple sentence, refer to him/herself by name, join in nursery rhymes, turn a door knob and unscrew a lid, ask for food and drink.

Consult your doctor if by two years: your child is not walking; cannot climb stairs; does not join two words together; is not active or interested; does not appear to hear.

By 3 years your child may: make short sentences, understand well, pedal a tricycle, use alternate feet up steps, know which sex they are, play well with others, use the lavatory during the day, partially dress and undress.

Consult your doctor if by 3 years: your child is not dry during the day; does not make sentences; is not active or interested; does not appear to hear; speaks incomprehensibly.