The first year of a baby’s life is full of incredible milestones, rapid growth, and exciting “firsts”. From first smiles to first steps, every baby may have slight differences in their development, however there are general developmental expectations you can keep in mind. As a pediatric therapy practice offering speech & language, occupational, and feeding & swallowing therapy, we know how helpful it is for parents and caregivers to understand what to expect, what they can do at home, and when extra support might be beneficial.
In this blog, we will break down some key developmental areas from birth to 12 months:
- Speech & Language
- Feeding & Swallowing
- Fine & Gross Motor Skills
- Social-Emotional Development
We will also share simple, age-appropriate activities to support your baby’s growth, plus signs to watch for that might indicate your child could benefit from a therapy evaluation.
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Speech & Language Development in the First Year
Wondering what different speech & language milestones look like in your child’s first year? All of those cute coos and babbles are contributing to their speech & language development!
- Birth to 3 months: Your baby reacts to sounds, seems to recognize familiar voices, smiles when they see a familiar person, and coos.
- 4 to 6 months: Begins babbling, laughs to humor, pays attention to music, responds to changes in tone of voice, and vocalizes excitement and displeasure.
- 7 to 9 months: Babbling becomes more varied (e.g. “baba”, “dada”), responds to “no” and simple directions (ex: “come here”), enjoys games like peek-a-boo, responds to their name.
- 10 to 12 months: May say first words like “mama” or “dada”, recognizes words for common items and people (ex: “ball”, “car”, “milk”).
Check out these easy activities and ways to promote speech & language development at home:
- Talk to your baby often during daily routines by describing what you are doing. This exposes them to a variety of language.
- Sing songs, play peek-a-boo, and read books to them.
- Respond to your baby’s coos and babbles as it teaches them the rhythm and reciprocity of communication.
Wondering when you should consider seeking support? If your baby is demonstrating limited eye contact or lack of response to sounds, isn’t babbling by 6 to 7 months, is not using gestures (ex: pointing, waving) by 9 to 10 months, or does not say any words/consistent sounds by 12 months, it could be beneficial to consult a pediatric speech-language pathologist to determine if speech therapy services could be beneficial.
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Feeding & Swallowing Development in Your Baby’s First Year
Check out the different feeding milestones you can expect your baby to experience in the first year:
- Birth to 4 months: Your baby is breast or bottle feeding exclusively while developing their suck-swallow-breathe reflex.
- 4 to 6 months: Beginning signs of readiness for solids are emerging such as sitting with support and showing interest in food.
- 6 to 8 months: Upon approval from your child’s pediatrician, starting to explore solids, and learning to chew and move food around the mouth.
- 9 to 12 months: Transitioning between food textures, self-feeding, drinking from an open cup and straw with assistance.
How can you support feeding development at home? Let your baby explore soft foods with their hands to build sensory exposure and independence, offer a variety of textures as they progress , and encourage sipping from an open cup & straw cups by 9-12 months.
You should consider seeking support from a feeding specialist if your baby:
- Is experiencing difficulty latching to bottle or breast
- Has poor weight gain early on
- Coughs, gags, or chokes during feeding
- Refuses new textures or has a strong aversion to feeding
- Is not progressing to self-feeding or cup drinking by 12 months
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Movement Milestones in the First Year
Watching your baby become confident in moving their body is so exciting as a caregiver. Do you know when to expect different fine motor and gross motor milestones?
- Birth to 3 months: Your baby will lift their head during tummy time and will move their arms and legs freely.
- 4 to 6 months: Rolls over, begins reaching and gasping, starts sitting with support.
- 7 to 9 months: Sits independently, begins crawling, transfers objects/toys between their hands.
- 10 to 12 months: Pulls to stand, cruises along furniture, may take their first steps.
Try out these activities at home to promote movement, body awareness, and fine motor development in your baby!
- Daily tummy time to build head, core, and shoulder strength.
- Offer safe objects of various sizes to grasp and bring to their mouth.
- Encourage reaching and transitioning between positions by placing toys slightly out of their reach.
- Allow barefoot play on safe surfaces to strengthen feet and balance, as well as increase exposure to different tactile inputs.
When should you consider seeking support from a pediatric occupational therapist for fine motor or gross motor support? If your baby:
- Has persistent head tilt/preference to looking towards one side
- Has stiff/floppy muscles
- Is not rolling by 6 months or sitting by 8 months
- Is not crawling or pulling to stand by 10 months
- Avoids using one side of the body or has a hand preference before 12 months
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Social-Emotional Development in Your Baby’s First Year
Seeing your baby become more interactive and enjoy socialization with familiar adults is so special. What else can you expect in the first year?
- Birth to 3 months: Begins to smile socially, looks at faces.
- 4 to 6 months: Laughs, enjoys social play, responds to familiar people.
- 7 to 9 months: Shows preference for caregivers, may start to experience stranger anxiety.
- 10 to 12 months: Imitates gestures, seeks comfort, and shows affection.
How can you support social-emotional growth in your baby at home? Engage in face-to-face play, mirror expressions, make silly faces, and smile often. You can use routines to build a sense of safety and predicability for your child. Lastly, talk through emotions (Ex: “You’re sad because mama left”) to build emotional vocabulary.
Consider seeking support if you notice that your baby is demonstrating limited eye contact or attempts for interactions, isn’t smiling or showing joy by 4 to 6 months, or does not show interest in people or engaging in simple back-and-forth play by 9 to 12 months.
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When in Doubt, Reach Out!
Every baby is different, and it is normal to see slight variations in development to an extent. But if something does not feel right, you are concerned about a delay, or you are just unsure, trust your instincts! Evidence shows that early intervention makes a big difference, and our team is here to support your family with individualized therapy services in speech & language, occupational, and feeding & swallowing therapy.
If you have questions about your baby’s development or want to schedule a phone consultation, do not hesitate to contact us. We are here to help your little one thrive, one milestone at a time.
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Contact Us Today to Learn About Pediatric Therapy the More to Say Way
Phone: (203)828-6790
Email: info@moretosayct.com
