The miracle of birth is indeed a wondrous experience. From the moment your baby takes his or her first breath of life, they embark on an amazing journey of growth and development that is unlike any other time in the entire life span. Understanding the stages of your baby’s development can help to pave the way to many memorable learning experiences between you and your new little person.
Because each baby is unique, development charts that suggest what level of mobility or language skills your baby should have at a certain age are just that: suggestions. Don’t worry if your baby seems to be on a pace not mirroring such charts exactly. Likewise, don’t rush off telling everyone you have the next Einstein cradled in your arms just because your baby may be developing at a faster pace. Instead, try to enjoy your baby’s development as it unfolds.
During the first days and weeks of your newborn’s life, you may come to the conclusion that your baby only wants to eat, sleep and have bowel movements. This is not far from true since newborns require a great deal of sleep and nurse or require bottle feedings every 2 hours or so. By the time your newborn is a month old, they are already working at using neck muscles to turn and life their head so don’t be surprised when your little trooper shows off their new skill.
Make sure you keep your camera handy during the second, third and fourth months when your baby starts smiling at you, rolling over and responding to their name since you’ll want to capture it all digitally or on film. You may find yourself feeling there aren’t enough hours in the day and if so, ask for help from family and other support you have around you. Don’t get burned out as the fun with baby’s development has just begun!
In the fifth, sixth and seventh month, your baby quickly goes from sitting alone without falling over to bouncing and rocking back and forth on their knees preparing for crawling. This stage of baby’s development is when you’ll notice just how much your baby is aware of whom you are when you hand them to strangers, chances are they’re going to reach back for you in an instant as they’ve formed an attachment to you!
The eighth through the twelfth may make you feel as if your baby is gone and in part, this is true. At this stage of development, your baby learns to walk, starts to talk in baby talk, can feed him or herself can exercise some basic patience. Congratulations, you have made it through the first year of your baby’s development. It went fast, didn’t it? Take the time to enjoy the journey of your baby’s development in the first year of life. There are many wonderful developments to enjoy and celebrate with your child and they are just beginning with the progress you have helped your baby to develop.
