DEVELOPMENTAL MILESTONES(0-6months)

 BABY’S

Babies show a lot of physical and cognitive changes during their development period. I have summarised developmental milestones of a baby from birth to six months. These are general milestones but differ from baby to baby.Moms if you feel you don't see any of these milestones in your baby you should consult your pediatrician.

First month-

  •  Weight gain

  • The head bobs when held upright and kicks feet when on back

  • Lifts the head when put on the tummy

  • Starts responding to sound

  • Has jerky movements of arms and legs

  • Fists remain clenched

  • Starts staring at faces

  • Responds to light by turning face towards light

  • Can distinguish black &white patterns

  • Eye focus at 18-45 cm

  • Starts recognizing the mother’s voice

  • Gets startled on hearing any kind of sound

  • Can latch to the mother and suck on both breast &bottle nipples

  • Can be pacified by swaddling

  • When held tries to cuddle

  • Begins to smile

  • Tries to make ‘ooh’ & ‘ah’ sounds

  • Tries to hold head at 45*

  • Enjoys looking at human faces


Second month-

  • Starts to hold a rattle if placed in the hand

  • The fist starts unfolding

  • When lying on their tummy they manage to lift their head to 45* 

  • Are able to recognize people standing at a distance

  • Start recognition of their parents

  • They start looking out for sounds

  • They begin cooing and gurgling

  • Make distinct cries for their different needs like hunger, peeing, pooping etc

  • Begin to smile at people

  • They tend to open their mouth on seeing bottle or breast nipple

  • They start following objects as eyes show slight coordination

  • Sleep less

  • Tend to hold head up for a short  period

  • The arms & legs movements become smoother

  • Start bearing the weight on their legs

  • Start rolling on one side

  • Muscles begin to relax more compared to the first month

Third month-

  • Head starts becoming a bit steady and baby can hold it a little

  • Begins to laugh and smile

  • They start stretching their arms and legs

  • They  are able to open and close their hands

  • Now they are able to raise their heads to 90 degrees when they lie on their tummy

  • Are able to support their upper body with their forearms

  • They can bear some weight on their legs

  • Manage to roll from back to side

  • Are able to hold the head to locate sound & movement

  • They start swiping with their arms

  • Can hold objects in their hand a bit longer

  • Cut their first tooth

  • They try to reach for objects which dangle

  • Manage to do mini push- ups

  • Bring their hands to their mouth

  • They begin to babble  & coo

  • They tend to smile on hearing a parent’s voice

  • Try to imitate sounds and facial expressions

Fourth month-

  • They begin to hold their head without support

  • They begin to grasp objects using both hands

  • Try to reach and catch different objects

  • The smile is spontaneous

  • They laugh more

  • They stand up and are able to hold their weight with someone’s support

  • Now they start sitting with their arms propped

  • Start rolling from the front to the side

  • They manage to hold and shake rattles

  • Play with their own fingers

  • Start putting their toys in their mouth

  • They smile and laugh when they look at themselves in the mirror

  • They tend to coo when they are spoken to

  • They tend to imitate speech

  • More expression to show their happiness or sadness

  • They babble to a large extent

Fifth month-

  • Now they begin rolling from their tummy to their back

  • Start playing both with their feet and toes

  • They tend to put their feet in their mouth

  • They manage to reach and grasp objects easily

  • Try to wiggle forward on the floor

  • They can easily transfer an object from one hand to the other

  • Tries to gain attention

  • Is able to notice strangers

  • Manages to notice bold colours

  • Rolls from tummy to the back

  • Plays now with both hands and feet

  • Can distinguish new sounds

  • Is able to sit a little without support

  • Is not comfortable with strangers holding him and suffers anxiety due to this

  • Tends to place both hands on the breast or the bottle while nursing

  • Tend to notice objects which drop on the ground

  • They try to string both consonants & vowel sounds together like ‘ba-ba’ or ‘ya-ya’

  • They tend to smile on seeing their image in the mirror

  • They start crying if one tries to take their toys away from them

  • They have no identity crisis and can easily differentiate family from strangers

Sixth month-

  • They have the ability to turn towards sounds and voices

  • Now they are able to imitate sounds

  • They can  blow bubbles

  • They are capable of chewing and are able to eat solid food

  • Are able to roll in both directions

  • Begin crawling

  • They begin to recognise their name when called

  • Begin to hold their own bottle or cup while they are being fed

  • Are able to with a straight back when propped with pillows

  • Tries to study the objects placed in their hands

  • They are able to hold their heads steadily

  • Are capable of bearing their weight

  • They enjoy playing

  • Enjoys company

  • Tries to grab toys which are out of reach

  • They like to talk nineteen to a dozen by combining syllables


 Dr Preeti Talwar

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