Darrick Robles The first smile, the first word, the first steps: The first year of life is full of precious moments that no mom or dad wants to miss. The baby not only develops its motor and mental skills, but also an independent personality. In this development calendar we have summarized everything that happens in the first 12 months – and how you can support the healthy development of your baby.
The 1st month
Hello, little earthlings! In the first month of life, the baby adjusts to life “out there”. Even though he spends most of his time sleeping and eating, he’s already learning to recognize your voice and distinguish it from other sounds. It can show feelings such as curiosity, well-being and discomfort and turns to you, its dearest caregiver. It may already be showing its first reflex smile.
Tips for healthy development:
- Talk to your baby and make eye contact to encourage attention.
- Close physical contact with mom and dad is particularly important so that the baby feels safe, secure and loved.
The 2nd month
The baby is now learning to grasp – but it cannot let go yet. It tries to communicate with you through babbling sounds and body movements and to imitate your movements. Often the baby will cry to let you know that he is hungry, that you should change his diaper, or that he would like to be near you. Most babies cry a lot by 6 weeks of age, after which the crying gradually decreases.
Tips for healthy development: If your baby needs something, don’t keep him waiting. For the first few months of life, you don’t need to worry about being spoiled too much. It needs your affection now to develop healthy self-confidence later.
The 3rd month
In the 3rd month of life, the baby learns to hold its head independently – an important milestone! When lying on its stomach, it can raise its head and look around. Even if it shouldn’t sit on its own yet, you can use a carrying aid or a sling from now on. In addition, the baby begins to discover his hands as tools and to explore with his mouth. It starts to utter first vowels like “i” and “e”.
Tips for healthy development:
- Talk to your baby or read them stories to encourage language development.
- When your baby can lift his head, practice with him. Lay your baby on his tummy and show him an interesting toy, for example – only for a few minutes at a time so that it doesn’t get too tiring.
The 4th month
The baby is now getting stronger and more active. When lying on its stomach, it can already support itself on its forearms. It vigorously flails its arms and legs or tries to roll over on its own. It grabs anything it can get its hands on – and puts it in its mouth for closer examination. His curiosity really blossoms: he absorbs every new sensory impression like a sponge.
Tips for healthy development:
- With rocking movements and lots of new impressions, you can make your baby very happy. Rock it in your arms and sing it a song or say a rhyme. This trains hearing and logical thinking.
- Surprise your baby with bubbles: they will love watching them fly and pop.
The 5th month
There are a thousand things to discover in the world out there, and baby is becoming more and more curious. Every item it gets its hands on is inspected closely with its hands and mouth (hair, necklaces, glasses). At 5 months, baby not only knows how to tell a stern tone from a friendly tone, but also likes to chatter away to himself.
Tips for healthy development:
- Remember: Every stimulus, no matter how small, every little noise, no matter how small, is a miracle for little ones.
- A xylophone, rattle or bell can be used to entertain baby and train their ear for music.
- Soft tones or lullabies can have a calming effect after an exciting day.
The 6th month
At the age of six months, the baby begins to perceive its own body even better and to use it. It can turn from a supine position onto its stomach and grip properly with its fingers – for example it can already hold a drinking cup. Many children have their first teeth now, mostly the lower incisors.
Tips for healthy development:
- Teach your baby to clap by singing and clapping yourself. It practices coordinating its hands.
- “Hoppe, hoppe, Reiter” is not only great fun for the child, but also a great exercise for balance and language development.
The 7th month
The baby is slowly getting tired of lying on his back all the time. It rolls onto its stomach more and more often and can sit up on its own for short periods of time. When you pull it up to stand, it’s already carrying most of its body weight on its feet. Your baby’s sense of sight is developing so that it can perceive differences in brightness, details and colors even better.
Tips for healthy development:
- Put a small pillow behind your baby’s back when sitting to keep them from tipping over.
- Sit your baby in front of a mirror, give him toys, and see how he reacts.
- Saying a rhyme or singing a lullaby at bedtime to create a bedtime ritual together will strengthen the bond between the two of you.
The 8th month
Depending on how quickly your baby is developing, they may already be crawling or trying to pull themselves up on furniture. Here you should be careful so that it does not fall unluckily. If it hurts, it usually only reacts to the pain seconds later. This is because the nerves are not yet fully developed and transmit the stimulus more slowly. The baby will now start using tools to get hold of coveted items.
Tips for healthy development:
- Because baby is becoming more and more mobile, you should create a safe environment where they can move freely and explore. Keep him away from pointed, sharp, or breakable objects and potential toxins .
- Time for small talk: Tell your baby about your day and ask him questions. Even if you don’t understand his answers yet, you are laying the foundation for his communication skills.
The 9th month
The baby is making better and better progress when crawling. Maybe it even crawls through the whole apartment – always looking for an exciting discovery. The child can now grab and release objects. It learns the laws of physics, discovers gravity and is very enthusiastic about dropping things on the ground.
Tips for healthy development:
- When crawling, the child naturally penetrates into corners where germs and bacteria cavort. However, you should not overdo it with hygiene. The small immune system builds up with every infection and prepares for daycare.
- If you’re playing or talking to your baby, sit on the floor with him so you’re at eye level. This small gesture strengthens the parent-child relationship.
The 10th month
The baby is slowly getting ready to walk upright and is eagerly pulling itself up on furniture. It still can’t keep its balance while standing, but maybe it’s already shimmying along the edge of a table. This is also likely to be the moment when baby can open drawers and get things out for the first time.
Tips for healthy development:
- Train your child’s fine motor skills by giving them water cups to play with. Maybe he’ll manage to pour water from one cup into the other.
- Look at picture books with your baby and read them out loud. In the 10th month they will love bright colors and be very eager to learn about the language.
The 11th month
At 11 months, the baby perceives its surroundings more and more clearly, reacts to voices and noises and is happy to see smiling faces. It learns that the others react positively when it smiles back. He now sleeps longer at night, but the sleep phases during the day become shorter.
Tips for healthy development:
- Out of curiosity, your baby may do things that you want them to stop doing. Be understanding when a simple “no” isn’t enough. Be patient and calmly explain why she is not allowed to play with the knobs on the stove.
- Take your child for a walk outside, even if the weather doesn’t cooperate. Exercise in the fresh air is healthy even in infancy and satisfies the child’s urge to explore.
The 12th month
The child is running towards its 1st birthday – maybe even on its own two feet! With a little support he can take the first steps. Keeping your balance works better and better. Its mental development proceeds with elephant steps: it plays with imagination, becomes more and more interested in colorful pictures, reacts to music and maybe sings along. It can say “Mama” and “Papa” and shows its favorite people that it loves them.
Tips for healthy development:
- Make a game of hide-and-seek out of the bathing day. To do this, stow a toy in a washcloth, give it to your child and observe their reaction. Over time, it learns that objects are still there even if it no longer sees them.
- Teach your child to thread beads onto a string. But only under your supervision, so that it doesn’t swallow any pearls. This is how you train his fine motor skills.
What’s next?
Unbelievable what happens in the first 12 months! When your baby turns 1, they are officially a toddler. One thing is certain: it will continue to climb milestones and discover the world around it – and you, as a parent, will be amazed and learn something new every day.
The topic of health will also play a major role in the first years of life: Babies and small children get an infection 8 to 12 times a year because their immune system is just building up. In these cases you can count on us – our paediatricians are there for you if you need medical advice.
