Your Baby's Milestones from 0 to 12 Months: A Month-by-Month Guide
From the first social smile to those wobbly first steps — a month-by-month guide to what most babies do in year one, and the signs worth checking early.
Your Baby's Milestones from 0 to 12 Months: A Month-by-Month Guide
Watching a baby grow from a sleepy newborn into a curious near-toddler is one of the joys of the first year. The ages below are guides, not deadlines: they describe what most babies do by a certain point. Babies reach milestones at their own pace, and a little early or late is usually normal. What matters more than any single skill is that your baby keeps making steady progress.
Birth to 3 months
In these early weeks your baby is learning to focus and connect.
- Turns towards your voice and startles at loud sounds
- Looks at faces and follows a moving face or toy with the eyes
- Lifts the head briefly during tummy time
- Around 6–8 weeks: the first real social smile
- Begins to coo, and calms when held
4 to 6 months
Now the world gets interesting and physical.
- Holds the head steady and pushes up on the arms during tummy time
- Reaches for and grabs toys, and brings hands and objects to the mouth
- Rolls over, often tummy-to-back first
- Laughs and squeals, and babbles with more sounds
- Begins to sit with support, and may sit briefly alone towards the end of this stage
7 to 9 months
Movement and understanding take off.
- Sits without support
- Starts to move — rocking on hands and knees, scooting or crawling
- Passes a toy from one hand to the other
- Looks for a toy that is hidden or dropped (a sign of memory developing)
- Babbles strings like "ba-ba" and "ma-ma," and may show shyness with strangers
10 to 12 months
Your baby is getting ready to walk and talk.
- Pulls up to stand and "cruises" along furniture
- Picks up small things with thumb and finger (the pincer grasp) — keep small objects well out of reach
- Waves bye-bye, claps, and plays peekaboo
- Understands simple words like "no" and their own name
- May say one or two meaningful words, and around the first birthday some babies take their first steps
When to check in early
Milestones are a range, but some patterns deserve a professional look. Talk to your paediatrician or Lady Health Worker if your baby:
- Is not smiling socially by around 3 months
- Cannot hold the head steady by about 4 months
- Is not sitting with support by around 9 months
- Is not babbling, pointing or gesturing by 12 months
- Loses a skill they once had, at any age
Trust what you see day to day. Acting early — getting a check and support sooner rather than later — makes a real difference, and your child's doctor would always rather answer a "probably nothing" question than have you wait and wonder.