Being a new parent can be one of the most incredible and exciting times of your life. Regardless of if you sailed through pregnancy unscathed or if you had a rough ride, the one thing every single parent has in common is that they want to nurture, care fore, love and protect their child. Each one of these things may sound like the most natural outcome and what everyone should want, and do, but in reality, it is rarely that straight forward.
Small babies are like tiny scary aliens, you know what it is that you want to do and what you want to achieve, but you have no real way to communicate clearly and directly with this little person that you are now responsible for. What’s more they also seem to know exactly what it is that they want, but they have this completely baffling way of trying to communicate that. Just when you think you know what that particular pitch of cry means, and you can jump into action, they go through a change and developmental stage and suddenly it feels like you are back to square one and just guessing at everything all over again.
Firstly, I’ll let you into a secret. Every new parent feels this way. You are doing nothing wrong. Yes, there are those parents where some things may come more naturally, and there are some babies who are forever chilled out and relaxed, but every single one of us is winging it on a daily basis. What can help though is if you understand some of the developmental milestones that your baby is going to go through.
Developmental Stages
- New-born
Your gorgeous little baby is adjusting to a whole new world. The most important things for them are comfort, food and sleep. A new-born baby really doesn’t need much at all beyond you being there to keep them safe, fed, and clean. We really at are our most basic level of needs when we talk about new-born’s. Time being held close is important right now because a new-borns eyesight is not very well developed, although they can typically see the face of the person holding them quite clearly anything beyond that will be fuzzy and indistinct. Being close to your baby and changing your facial expressions will give them the opportunity to mimic you and already they are starting to learn.
- One Month Old
At one month old your baby is growing stronger and each of their senses is developing, their hearing is becoming more acute and they can see further and clearer and can also distinguish colour. You may also find they are starting to develop a language of their own with lot of cute noises and gurgling sounds, they may even be entertaining and amusing themselves by playing with this new found skill. They are still tiny bundles of confusion and contradiction but they will be developing daily.
- Two Months Old
This is where the magic begins to happen, you have probably been waiting for this moment. The first true smiles from your baby, smiles that come from the joy of seeing you or hearing you. It’s a moment that you will want to recreate over and over again and luckily for you those smiles will start to come thick and fast.
- Three to Four Months Old
Your baby’s language skills will really be developing now with lots of different noises and you may find them often babbling away at you. There are lots of things that you can do to help your baby develop their language skills, take a read of our top tips here. They will also be getting much more mobile as they start to discover their own arms and legs and gain better control over them. They are still a long way off from crawling or walking but if you hold your baby up and allow their feet to touch the ground, they will likely start to push against the object they are on, this is a good way to help them develop strength (but don’t overdo it). Your baby will also be rolling by now so be careful of where you place them down so they don’t roll themselves into trouble.
- Five to Six Months Old
So much is happening with your baby now. All the love you have been giving out is now being reciprocated, you will be met with smiles and laughter, your baby may be able to blow you kisses and they will almost certainly reach out their arms for you when they want to be picked up. Your baby is continuing to develop and become stronger and by six months old should be able to sit up unaided for short periods of time. Encouraging lots of ‘Tummy Time’ will help your baby to strength their back and neck muscles and is the foundation of them learning to crawl. Your babies fine motor skills won’t have developed yet but they will be able to reach out and grasp larger objects.
- Seven to Nine Months Old
Your baby’s language skills are also continuing to develop and you may find that they try to repeat back single sounds to you. The joy you will have at hearing “ma-ma” might not be too far away. Solid food is something you will likely be introducing at this stage and this brings a whole new set of experiences to your baby, lots of new smells, tastes and textures. It may all feel overwhelming for them at times and you may feel like they have regressed a little with more time crying or sleeping but this is natural as they begin to learn so much more. You may also find that your baby has entered into teething if it has not already started. Some babies will sail through and barely notice and other babies will experience some pain and discomfort as their first tooth beings to push through their gums. This is also the time where your baby may begin to crawl and explore the world around them more – that means a whole new set of things that you need to watch out for and you may need to go around your main living area and move some items out of reach. Check out our tips for a great game of “Treasure Basket” where you baby can explore new things safely.
- Ten Months to One Year
Your baby is becoming much more interested in play now, they have a longer attention span and as their strength and fine motor skills develop, they get more enjoyment out of the activities you are doing with them. As you approach baby’s first birthday, they are likely to be cruising, pulling themselves up on furniture and taking some steps as they hold on to objects, and by their first birthday they will likely have taken their first unaided steps.
Supporting your baby.
There are lots of ways that you can have fun, bond with your baby, and help to encourage their development. Here at Bloom Babies we offer the Caterpillar Club for 6 week to 6 months olds and Busy Bees for 6 months to mobile. Every class brings a warm and welcoming experience for you and your baby with a focus on a safe and supportive environment for you and baby to learn and grow together. If you would like to learn more about the classes or to find one in your area, please get in touch.
Every baby will develop differently and at different speeds, the information contained in this blog is meant only as a guideline. If you feel that your baby is struggling or is falling behind their peers then please do speak to your health visitor for reassurance. There are lots of different factors which will affect a babies rate of development, including if they were born prematurely, if they have had any major illnesses, their surroundings and of course their own natural rate of development.
