Baby Milestones: Check Our Convenient 12 Month Guide & Find Out What Red Flags To Watch Out For

So, can he sit up yet?’ ‘Is he holding up his head?’ ‘What about his raking grasp?’ These are just some confusing questions thrown at you as you go about your daily business, and they refer to baby milestones.

Wait, what? What are the baby milestones?

Just when you thought you were home dry, what with delivering a baby and keeping him alive for the first few months, it turns out that you need to be worrying about his baby milestones too.

Yep, it’s not just us adults who have to achieve work objectives; your baby has a whole spectrum of mini and more significant milestones she needs to meet too. Everybody knows going for developmental screenings can be intimidating. Just like Bella won’t fetch when you ask her to in front of others, your little darling refuses to perform. So when should you be worried?

Fret not. As always, we’ve got your back. Let’s put all of this in context; we’ll start by explaining milestones, then list what your baby should be doing each month, followed by the red flags to watch out for.

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What are baby milestones?

Just so we’re on the same page, developmental milestones are behaviors or physical skills seen in infants and children as they grow and develop. And there is a normal range in which a child may reach each milestone. In other words, a baby’s birth is just the start of a lifelong series of tests.

Meaning that from now until the day you die, people will quiz you about many of her small and larger milestones. ‘ Is she still only crawling? How is her reading coming along? Has she passed her driving test yet?’ And on it goes; the list is endless.

It goes without saying that some babies and children will meet their milestones faster than others. For instance, many babies concentrate on moving first, while others turn out to be great chatterboxes before they take their first steps.

In fact, don’t forget your baby is a human being who will develop in his own time. Particularly firstborn babies like to take their time, since they don’t have a sibling to copy and might take longer to crawl/walk/talk.

Nature vs. nurture

See, it’s not just a baby’s own development, but also his environment that plays a role in meeting his milestones. For one thing, if you have a busy and loud household with an excited toddler running around, he might be more in a hurry to walk and talk so she can play with his sibling. Whereas, if your baby is born first, is cared for at home, gets carried everywhere, and you and his father are both introverts; what is the rush on him to take his first steps and start babbling?

So taking all of the above into consideration, there might be times when you just feel something is not right. And if you think there is a problem with the way she tries to crawl, walk, talk, or play, then please consult your local health nurse or doctor as soon as you can. Because if the doctor does notice something is up, she needs to act fast. In fact, early intervention is key.

First-year: baby milestones

In saying that, what are baby’s milestones, and when should you be worried if he doesn’t make them?

Just have a look at our baby milestone month by month overview. Next, see where your baby should be around now and check if your baby is there or nearly there.

If your little one isn’t there by a long shot, write down what he does and when. This makes it easier to track his development and will give the pediatrician something to work with if you decide to consult her.

Or use this handy app to track her progress.

But just remember that those checklists are not strict deadlines for your baby. On the contrary, they have been put together so health professionals and parents can gauge where on the spectrum of development babies are.

Before we dive into the milestones, here’s a quick explanation of the difference between fine and gross motor skills.