Your baby is 1 and here's everything the little one has achieved so far

It seems like only yesterday that you were caressing your growing baby bump and today, can you believe it, your baby has already completed one whole year of life?

Babies develop very quickly during the first year of life. They grow at an amazingly fast rate and every month brings new and exciting developments. Babies go through major achievement stages, known as developmental milestones. New parents often wonder what to expect next and how to know if their baby’s development is on track. 

Instead of focusing too much on developmental milestones, it is important to remember that all babies develop at their own pace. But you as a parent also need to know what’s normal and what’s not, when to panic and when to not. 

Age-wise milestones 

If you are not completely sure what skills are typical for this first year of your child, take a look at this list of developmental milestones. It will give you a better idea of which skills are typically expected to develop at this age and whether there are possible developmental delays to discuss with the paediatrician. 

These milestones are usually classified into three categories: 

Motor development - Sitting, holding their head up, rolling over, and walking are all a part of large motor development. 

Language development - Listening, understanding, and knowing the names of people and things are all a part of language development. 

Social/Emotional development - During this stage, babies also are developing bonds of love and trust with their parents and others as part of social and emotional development. 

Here’s a detailed overview of what your little one has achieved as developmental milestones right from the time she came into existence till this one year mark of her life:

1. One to three months

During this phase, babies would have started to smile. Early on, it was just to themselves. But within three months, they have been smiling in response to your smiles and trying to get you to smile back at them. They would raise their head and chest when on their tummy, follow an object with eyes from one side to the middle, but not all the way around, open and shut their hands and bring hands to their mouth, grip objects in their hands, use eyes and hands together and plan, such as, seeing a toy and reaching for it. 

They would begin getting attached to caregivers, take swipes at or reach for dangling objects, though they usually won’t be able to get them yet. They would respond to love and affection and develop different cries for different needs (hungry, tired, wet). 

2. Four to six months 

During this phase, babies master the use of the most amazing tool: Their hands. They are discovering their voices. From 4 to 6 months old, your baby in all possibilities: Rolls over from front to back or back to front. Front-to-back usually comes first. They babble, make sounds that can sound like a real language, laughs, starts to recognize and react to strangers, explores things by putting them in the mouth, moves things from hand to hand, reaches out for objects and grabs them. 

3. Seven to nine months 

During this phase, babies usually would have started to crawl. This can include scooting (propelling around on their bottom) or “army crawling” (dragging themselves on their tummy by arms and legs). They would have also gotten accustomed to standard crawling on hands and knees. 

Grandma’s Tip: You would be surprised to know that some babies never crawl and move directly to scooting and from that to walking. So, in case your child never crawled or you know of a mother worried about her child still not crawling at 7-9 months, tell her it’s absolutely normal.

Between 7-9 months, your little one would have started using sounds to express happiness, sadness and anger, sitting without support, responding to familiar words, like their name. Most babies by now begin to respond to “No” by briefly stopping and looking at you, and may have started babbling "Mama" and "Bua."

They could also clap and play games, such as peek-a-boo, learn to pull up to a standing position. 

4. Ten to twelve months 

This is your baby’s last development phase in the first year, which is quite a transition. At this stage, babies aren't infants anymore and might look and act more like a toddler. But they are still a ''baby'' in many ways, not just by looks. 

They are learning to: Begin feeding themselves. Babies at this developmental stage master the pincer grasp, meaning they can hold small objects such as O-shaped cereal between their thumb and forefinger. 

The little ones can now move around the room on their feet while holding onto the furniture, say one or two words, and "Mama" and "Dada" become a specific name for their parents' names. 

The average is about three spoken words by the first birthday, but the range on this is enormous. They now look for hidden objects, but only if they see you hide it. They may be upset when separated from caregivers. 

Babies now use gestures or sounds to get your attention, bang, throw, and shake things to see what happens, and also take their first steps. 

When to seek a doctor’s advice?

Every baby is different and grow at a different rate. Don’t panic if your baby is not reaching these milestones but you should tell your childcare expert about it. During a baby's regular check-up, the doctor usually checks and charts developmental progress. 

Some infants (mostly with birth defects, genetic disorders etc.) are at a high risk for developmental disorders and their development should be monitored more closely and frequently. If a delay in your child's development is suspected, it is important to resist the temptation to wait and see.

Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only, based on industry experience and secondary sources. It is not a substitute for professional advice. Please consult a qualified expert for health or insurance-related decisions. Content is subject to change, refer to current policy wordings for specific ACKO details.