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What You Can Expect As Your Newborn
Baby Turns Toddler
by: Anita Eracybab
These days many parents have not had a lot of experience with
babies until their first baby comes along. If you are one of these
parents you will probably find you have many questions about this
new person who has come into your life and who is so small and
helpless. It can be overwhelming and scary when you realize your
baby is so dependent on you for everything, especially if you feel
you don’t know a lot about babies. Understanding what babies
are like may help to make it easier to care for your baby.
Birth to 4 months
At this time babies are adjusting to life in the world. Most of
each day will be spent sleeping but with increasing periods of
time awake. Babies are totally dependent on you for their basic
needs. As babies grow and spend more time awake they become more
alert to what is happening around them. At this stage, crying is
a normal and natural way that babies communicate their needs.
Between birth and 4 months your baby is learning to:
• Focus for longer periods
• Observe surroundings and follow a person or object with
their eyes
• Enjoy close visual and verbal stimulation
• Recognize and turn head to familiar voices
• Coo and make sounds
• Watch and clasp hands
• Play with fingers and bring hands to mouth
• Hit dangling objects with hands or feet
• Hold head up when lying on tummy
• Show pleasure by wriggling body and smiling
• Respond to sound that are louder than normal
4 to 8 months
Babies are now becoming their own person. They are very excited
about the world. Everything they see is of interest and they are
developing curiosity about their surroundings. At this time babies
like to be in places they know with people they know.
Between 4 months and 8 months your baby is learning to:
• Recognize name by turning when name is spoken
• Roll over
• Bring hands together to play and grasp
• Bring objects to mouth to explore
• Transfer objects from one hand to the other
• Lift head and chest using forearms for support
• Prop on one hand or elbow while reaching for a toy with
the other
• Pull feet to mouth
• Sit without support
• Show the need for attention and affection
• Mix different sounds, squeal and laugh
• Listen with interest and turn head to loud sounds
• Be aware of being separated from mother or father
• Cope with the introduction of pureed food, moving on to
more lumpy textures.
8 to 12 months
Babies are becoming more excited and intensely curious about the
world as they become more independently mobile. They are now on
the move and are getting into everything, but will keep an eye
on the people around them. They like to have mother/carer close
by.
Between 8 months and 12 months your baby is learning to:
• Point, gesture and make sounds to indicate what they want
and need
• Show anger by stiffening body and screaming
• Jabber and babble expressively
• Uses voices to attract attention
• Enjoy simple and repetitive games
• Repeat actions and sounds that they enjoy making
• Crawl
• Pull up onto furniture and cruise around the furniture
• Stand briefly by themselves
• Pick up small objects with thumb and index finger
• Intentionally drop objects to have them picked up
• Show anxiety around unfamiliar people
• Eat food with fingers
• Watch an adult walking across the room
• Look for objects hidden from view
• Turn head to sounds that are at the side or below
9 months old
Babies between 7–12 months are learning to crawl, climb,
stand, cruise and eventually walk. They are learning sounds and
are learning that they are separate people from their parents.
Babies are beginning to relate differently to their main caregiver.
Mobility
Babies between 7-12 months are learning to crawl, climb, stand,
cruise and eventually walk. It is during this time, if not before,
that the house needs to be made safe for a little explorer. All
precious and dangerous objects need to be removed.
• Babies at this stage are intensely curious
• They are developing their fine motor skills and will reach
for very small objects
• They enjoy experiencing a variety of shapes, textures, colors
and sounds
• Everything of interest is banged, felt, tasted and thrown
• They need room to move in a supervised, safe environment
12 to 18 months
Children are now walking and pleased to be out with the big kids,
but they still need constant care and attention. Seemingly independent,
they venture out alone, but keep an eye on those around them. They
can watch, listen and take part in the social life of the family,
and be an active listener.
Between 12 to 18 months your child is learning to:
• Use words e.g. “mum”, “dad”, “ball”, “water”, “more”
• Shake and nod their head for “yes” and “no”
• Use long strings of sounds that often sound like another
language
• Understand more and more words and can follow simple directions
e.g. “get your bottle”, “show me your nose”
• Move and dance to music
• Walk alone with wobbly steps
• Push and pull large toys
• Walk upstairs holding a hand or rail
• Climb
• Be more assertive and independent
• Enjoy banging and stacking blocks and putting thins into
containers
• Be very curious and into everything
• Constantly look for new activities although attention span
can be short
• Stop and pick up object they have dropped
• Turn head to sounds that are above or below
Growing and learning in the family
The first and most important learning in a child's life happens
within the family. Children learn from the way people treat them
and from what they see, hear and experience as soon as they are
born. Children are natural learners. Between birth and five years,
and especially to three years, children grow and learn at the fastest
rate of their lifetime. It is easy to see the enormous opportunity
parents, and those who care for children, have in these early years
to help shape children's learning before they start school.
About The Author
Anita Eracybab provides free advice on her site and has established
an online community for those looking for information on how
to care for their baby. Head
on over to us for more information on Baby Development Stages.
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