The Time Capsule – 0-12 Months at the Speed of Life! ( 2 )

7-9 Months

At this age your baby’s vision is nearly as clear as adult vision. He can sit without toppling over or losing balance and he can crawl consistently using his hands, knees and feet.

He may even be pulling himself up using the edge of a table or chair, so watch for things he might pull down onto himself or for light tables or things that may fall over when he tries to use them to pull himself up.

Your baby can recognize the sound of your voice, your touch and the image of your face and he shows distinct preference for you and others who are regular caregivers.

He has recall and memory of these things and knows that people and objects are permanent, and he waits for them to reappear.

Because they no longer think you have disappeared when you hide behind the end of the crib or behind your hands, they now love to play ‘hide and seek’ and will wait anxiously for you to come out of hiding.

If your baby has not already started to pull herself up by holding onto things, she will probably do so by 9 months of age.

Once she is comfortable with that process and she has some balance she will try to take a step or two, still holding onto the table or chair for balance.

While your baby will still want to put every object into her mouth, now she can examine toys and other things with her hands too, and she will pick up objects to examine them.

Your baby’s babbling has taken on even more shape and meaning. Within a few months, he will say his first word. Right now, he is practicing and coming as close to real language as his new skills will allow.

His mother skills are much better, and he will soon master the critical ‘thumb and forefinger’ grip.

10-12 Months

The rate of growth will start to increase again around this age. By the time your child is 10-12 months old, he will have tripled his birth weight.

Sometime around the 10th month, the fontanels (soft spots) in his skull will begin to grow together more rapidly to form the solid skull.

This process can take up to 9 months to complete so don’t become concerned if your baby reaches 12 months of age and there is still a soft spot in his head.

Your child will become less sensitive to strangers as these months pass but he will still have a preference for those he knows well.

He will become more curious and interested in his environment and since he can now crawl and may even be able to pull himself up and take a few steps, he will quickly learn that he can explore the world around him on a whim, so watch him carefully.

He is no longer a ‘blob’ you can place on a blanket. If you don’t watch him carefully, he will be in the other room before you know it.

By now, your child can probably understands the word ‘no’ and she can respond to your commands to wave goodbye or go to another person by putting her arms out. If you tell her to put down her toy, she knows what you mean.

She has graduated from control of the large muscles to the ability to control smaller muscles in her hands, as her brain continues to develop and integrate her senses and her motor skills.
She knows she is the one controlling her world now!

She may still put things in her mouth to explore them, but she is just as likely to hold an object in her hand and study it seriously.

Ever since your child has discovered that she can get around the room by holding onto tables and chairs, she has spent hours testing her balance and developing muscle strength by exploring the room and holding onto the nearest coffee table or end table.

Only about 50% of children will walk by 12 months, but most will begin to walk by 14 months, so watch your little one for signs. At first, she will try to walk on tiptoe, but she will rapidly learn how to balance on the balls and heels of her feet, although she will fall at lot trying out her new balancing skills.

You will also notice that your child’s curiosity extends to those drawers, doors and cabinets you are always opening and closing and that, if given the chance, they will happily explore these enclosures.

Be sure you have ‘baby safe’ closers on cabinet doors under sinks to protect your child.

We’ll talk more about child safety later.

At 12 months of age, your child understands a lot more words than they can say, but within months they will begin saying words you may or may not understand at first. At a year old, they may already be saying the most common words like ‘dada’ and ‘mama’.

‘Dada’ is an easier word for little lips and mouths to form!

So, Moms, don’t be upset if your little one says ‘Dada’ before he says YOUR name.
By this age, your child knows his own name and he will look at other family members and may point at them if you call their name. He will try to talk to you in a stream of unintelligible words that have real inflection and tone.

You may not recognize the words, but you will know from the conversation whether he is upset or happy.

She will carefully observe your behavior and the behavior of others to watch how you act when things go wrong, so be sure to remain calm and don’t discipline by yelling, or you will be teaching them bad habits at a young age.

By the time she is 12 months old, your baby will have grown to about 28 inches in length.
By 12 months, your child has mastered the ‘thumb and forefinger’ grasp – that most critical motor skill that separates us from other mammals. She can pick up and examine objects using her thumb and forefinger to grasp the item, and she can pass it easily from hand to hand.

In his high chair, your baby is probably trying to feed himself small things (like Cheerios) and may or may not be missing his mouth, but he is getting the hang of it.

At this age, he might want to try to feed himself with a spoon and while he may fail at the effort, you should feel free to let him try.

The attention span of a one-year old is about 2-4 minutes, and he can sit and play quietly for that period of time, but is likely to want to become active and explore very soon after he sits down to play, so be sure to put him in a playpen if you are not watching him every moment.

He will take a toy from you and give you a toy to play with him. He likes to push, pull, throw and knock things around as he tests his newfound muscle control and strength.
You can put him in a playpen with blocks or shape sorters and he will have a ball!

At a friend’s house, he is happy to play with pots and pans or various sizes of plastic containers he can stack and put inside one another, and he loves to bang things around, so be prepared for loud noises!

At around 12 months, your child may begin to resist naps. If you keep her on a regular routine for naps and meals and bedtime, this will help.

Well, there you have it. A quick capsule version of the first 12 months of your baby’s life.

Your baby will grow rapidly during his first year of life and your doctor will measure progress in motor skills and growth and ability every time you take your baby in for a well-baby check-up. If you have questions or concerns, ask your doctor.

But, remember that all babies grow and develop on their own timetable, so if your child is 6 months old, don’t try to compare her to another 6 month old.

The best thing to do to ensure that your child will is healthy during this critical developmental time is to feed him the rights foods. You should also make sure he gets plenty of sleep and exercise (as his abilities warrant) and spend a lot of time talking to him and holding him and interacting with him so that you challenge those developing neurons and synapses in his brain.

Just because your child can’t talk yet, doesn’t mean he isn’t learning language by listening to you.

Just because he isn’t ready to walk, doesn’t mean he can’t strengthen his muscles and balance by playing, stretching and trying out his new body.

Left to his own devices, he is a curious bundle of experimentation and new skills. All you have to do is encourage him and watch him grow.
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The Time Capsule – 0-12 Months at the Speed of Life! ( 1 )

We will start here, because, we know you must have many questions about what to expect in the way of development and growth.
Let’s start at square one.
0-3 Months
From the first day of your baby’s life through the first three months, he is busy growing and learning, and you will see changes every day.

Don’t make the mistake of thinking that your behavior and actions as a parent don’t matter much at this point.

Everything your baby does is a new effort and challenge for her and if you reinforce those things by talking to your child and getting involved in the process, you will encourage them to keep trying.

In the first month of your child’s life, you will see a smile appear for the first time!
Aunts and grandmothers may tell you it is just a reaction to gas bubbles, but you’ll know better. As your baby’s vision fuzzy vision disappears and he can see better, he will begin to recognize faces and respond to you and to others he sees every day.

By the time your baby is a month old, he has mastered the art of focusing both of his eyes on one thing – as long as it is about 8-12 inches away from him, he can see it more clearly and practice his focusing skills.

By the time he is two months old, he will be able to focus on your face and direct that smile right at you and you will feel like you are in heaven!

All babies develop at a slightly different pace, so your baby may or may not be lifting their head and looking around during the first week or so. Her head will be wobbly and her arm and leg movements will seem erratic and strange.

You will note that, as a newborn, your baby’s hands are curled into a loose ‘fist’, and if you insert your finger into his little hand, his grasp will be tight.

But, as your baby adjusts to his new, larger environment and get used to being outside the womb, he will begin to stretch and flex his hands and limbs.

These little exercises and physical movements help your baby to develop motor skills over time and to learn how to control their limbs and fingers.

By the end of the first month, if you are watching carefully, you will notice more control when your baby lifts her head or moves her arms and legs.

When your baby is about 4 weeks old, she will react to loud noises (e.g. if you drop something on the floor or bang a pot on the stove). Her arms and legs will jump and straighten in a startle reflex and she will blink and look concerned or wary.

Other sounds approaching her crib (e.g. the sound of your shoes on the floor or a door closing or opening) will elicit a mild response.

Somewhere between three and six weeks of age, your child will try to communicate and you will notice that her crying is different if she is hungry, if she is tired, or if she is in pain.
She may pause and kick her feet a bit or wave her arms in anticipation, or she might stop sucking on a pacifier momentarily to assess the sound.

At approximately 8 weeks of age, your child will start to open and flex her hands more and make attempts at grasping objects, and he will start to respond to your voice as a unique sound.

By now he has learned to distinguish your voice from others and can tell when you are in the room.

Your voice, and the voice of others he sees every day, will calm him when he is crying or upset, where other voices may have no effect on him at all!

At two months, your child will also be more social, smiling in response to your smile, watching you move from one side of the crib to the other, gurgling and cooing when you talk to him or play with him.

You may notice that his cooing sounds become more varied in tone as if he is trying to speak his own language and form actual words.

His neck muscles are stronger and he can hold his neck up without wobbling too much as long as he is looking straight ahead.

He likes to look at colors and shapes and seems to be studying them and trying to figure out the differences.

At three months, your baby will be able to grab that rattle in her crib. She can lift her head and her chest when she is lying on her stomach.

And you will see a PERSONALITY beginning to take shape.

Her social skills are developing and she is much more interactive. Her routine is beginning to emerge and you can tell when she is tired, hungry and playful.

She will probably go to sleep around the same time at night and wake up at about the same time every day.

By the time your baby is a full three months old, he will reach for you for comfort, and can play for 10 minutes at a time in his crib or playpen without your attention or involvement.

He likes to look at pictures, mirrors with his own image and mobiles above his crib, and he is already preparing to turn over by turning from his side onto his back.

Within a short time, he will make the complete flip!

Your child loves to look at his hands at this age. He will watch as he moves his hands and fingers, as if he isn’t sure he is the one moving them.

This is all part of the learning experience and this process will soon help him develop his eye and hand coordination.

You will notice that your child is anticipating things based on her previous experience.

For example, she might reach out to be picked up when she knows it is time to be fed, or she might bend her knees toward her chest when you are about to change her diaper, or gurgle and coo when you put her coat on and she knows she is going outside.

He is cooing and talking to himself and to anyone who will listen; practicing his verbal skills and watching and listening for your response.

So you’ll want to talk to him a lot and encourage him to talk back.

4-6 Months

This is an exciting phase. By the time your baby is 6 months old, he will be a self-starter (probably crawling and crossing the room with little or no difficulty).

But let’s start with the fourth month so you can witness the development in sequence.
By the time your baby is four months old, she will have grown about 3-4 inches in length, and an average of 4-6 pounds in weight.

Keep in mind that this is AVERAGE and it does not mean that your child has a problem if she hasn’t grown that much.

If you have questions, of course, ask your doctor. Growth may slow a little at this stage, but it will pick up again and become more rapid when she is 8-9 months old.

She will play with toys you give her and is cooing and babbling up a storm!

At this early age your baby has significantly improved his balance and coordination by practice and determination. He has some control over his larger muscles and will roll over! He may even sit and balance himself with his hands on the floor on either side of his body.

He will reach for things that are far away from him and he can hold objects for longer periods of time.

At the four-month phase, your child’s brain is developing rapidly and her vision and senses are much better. She can associate what she smells or feels with what she sees and her vision is much better and clearer. She will put everything in her mouth to examine it and figure it out.

She is a real social creature now, and loves to play and laugh with you and to snuggle in your arms or on your shoulder. She may even start to respond to her name when you call her.
When your child is five months old, he will start to form and shape more sounds, as he works toward speaking his first words. These new sounds may be nonsense to you, but if you listen carefully, you will hear consonants (e.g. ‘ga’, ‘ba’).

At six months, your baby is a wonder of whirling activity, passing her toys from one hand to another, holding her bottle and her rattle and using both hands to hold larger objects or objects that are harder to control.

She is making more sounds and her syllables are clearer. She may even use these sounds to express different feelings and to let you know what she wants.
If she wasn’t already sitting on her own earlier, she is probably doing so now and seems to have pretty good balance.

She may already have started to crawl and while these first attempts may include a lot of rocking back and forth, followed by some crawling and then a flop or rest, her crawling will rapidly progress from stomach lurches (or belly crawls) to a point where she can support her own weight by crawling on her knees and hands.

Then, watch out! She will cross the room in no time and you will wonder where she is going so fast!

By 6 months your child will probably have doubled in weight, and the ‘soft spots’ (fontanels) on the top of her head will become smaller as they start to close.

Your child will express feelings like happiness, anxiety, curiosity and anger, and he will demonstrate these feelings with facial expressions.


As your baby passes his sixth month of life, he will show strong signs of emotional preference and bonding with parents and others who care for him.

He may cry if he is approached by a stranger as opposed to someone he knows and he might turn away or hide his face.
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