10 Essential Baby Milestones

By Maureen Connolly Parenting Magazine, August 2008

There are 10 baby milestones that are notable as your infant grows. These are worth paying a little extra attention during the childs first two years of age. 1. Eye contact (happens between 6 and 8 weeks) This is one of the first milestones to be noticed. It does not only indicate that your infant already acknowledges you, but it also indicates neurological growth and his/her ability to communicate. If the infant reaches more than 3 months of not having eye contact, his/her doctor would have suggested vision testing to rule out eye disease. The next step would have been to look for signs of attachment or behavior problems. But experts urge parents to refrain from jumping to the worstcase conclusion. If an infant does not have eye contact, you may be looking at him/her at the wrong times. According to Dr. Martin Stein, director of developmental-behavioral pediatrics at Rady Children's Hospital San Diego, the infant needs to be in a quiet but alert mental state to respond and most of the time an infant is awake she's tired or hungry. It is advised that parents and caretakers should be patient and keeping their eyes open. 2. Social smile (between 6 and 8 weeks) A social smile is reciprocal, which means your baby smiles in response to someone else's smile. It's a sign that several different parts of the brain are maturing. It says he/she is able to see short distances, make sense of a smiling face, and produce his own smile in return. A social smile also boosts bonding, since it's one of the first forms of communication between parent and child. If despite your encouraging grins you don't notice a social smile by 3 months, bring it up with your pediatrician; rarely this can signal eye problems or an attachment disorder. Be patient and look for times when your baby is well rested may be all it takes to see him/her smile. 3. Cooing (around 8 weeks) The infant communicates mainly by crying during his/her first several weeks. But around 8 weeks, there's a lot of activity that begins to take place in the brain's front temporal lobe, the speech center of the brain, that lets the baby coo. When a baby coos, he/she is using the back of his/her throat to create vowel sounds like ah-ah-ah and oh-oh-oh. If the baby doesn't spontaneously coo by 3 months, consult a doctor. 4. Babbling (3 to 4 months) Babbling is different from cooing. Babbling requires using the tongue and the front of the mouth (rather than the throat) to make sounds like nah-nah-nah and bah-bah-bah. Once the baby started to babble, he/she will practice the newly acquired skill a lot. This practice will ultimately bring the infant to the next significant milestone at 6 to 8 months: reciprocal babbling. This signifies that he/she acknowledges other peoples voices by using his/her own. If the infant does not do any babbling yet, always consult your pediatrician. 5. Reaching and grabbing (between 5 to 8 months) Grabbing and reaching for things show signs of interest, desire, and curiosity, according to Claire Lerner, director of parenting resources for Zero to Three, a national nonprofit organization devoted to promoting healthy development for infants and toddlers.

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Pulling up to a stand (9 to 10 months) Dr. Stein mentions that the infants ability to pull himself/herself up to a standing position is one of the most important gross motor (large muscle) milestones because it shows the stability and strength of the legs and trunk, which are both necessary for walking. It also shows that the child has the motivation to reach a goal. To help your child accomplishing this feat, give him/her lots of time to be free, and limit the time he/she has spent in a stroller or car seat.

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Pincer grasp (9 to 11 months) - Pincer grasp is one of the biggest keys to independence, according to Lerner. Pincer grasp eventually leads to do essential things like feed, brushing his/her own teeth and dressing himself/herself.

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Gesturing (around 12 months) This is a preverbal form of language. Developmental experts say that gesturing is a clear sign that your child knows what he or she is thinking, and he/she is aware that he/she can communicate that to you as well. If you communicate with gestures on your child, he/she will probably imitate you.

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First word (around 12 months) - The past months of cooing, babbling, pointing, and gesturing have all been stepping stones to the formation of speech. When a child sees an object, for example, a ball, her brain is making the connection between that sound and the object. This shows that the infant is beginning to understand that a sound or a word is a symbol for an object. On average, children begin talking around 12 months. By 15 to 18 months, some kids may say between 20 and 50 words, while others may say only 5 to 10. At this age, a child should also understand some words, such as when you ask her to "show me your nose."

10. Pretend play (around 18 months) Your toddler will often begin pretend play by imitating adults. There's also a serious side to pretend play it's critical to building your child's symbolic thinking. Ultimately, a baby who lives in a rich learning environment will have lots to smile, coo, and babble about.

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