Just admit it. As soon as your newborn baby is here, you cannot wait to show them off to the world on social media. Every milestone your baby reaches in their development will have you crazy with excitement and your friends scrambling to hit the like button.
Blink and you will miss it.
BABYGO have put together some of our favourite developmental milestones, we don’t want you to miss.
So be prepared, get your camera at the ready, for our top 3 pick, and capture those memorable stages of your child’s development as they happen!
Article Contents
The Secret behind the Best Baby Milestones
Every time your baby reaches a new milestone in their development, they pass a test. To pass this test they will showcase their gross motor skills and fine motor skills.
It’s a spectacular talent show. But wait.
Before your upload your baby’s graduation videos to social media, be sure you know the secret behind the best developmental milestones.
That secret rests within your child’s motor skills.
There are two types, gross motor skills and fine motor skills. If you don’t know what the difference is, don’t worry you’re not alone. Let me quickly clarify their definition.
A motor skill is simply an action, whereby your child uses his or her muscles.
Gross motor skills define the big movements your baby makes using their arms, legs and feet. Sitting up, standing, crawling and walking, are all examples.
Fine motor skills provide the creativity. They are smaller and more delicate actions. Seeing your newborn baby use their finger and thumb to pick up a toy, or to open a cupboard door, are early flashes of their stardom.
Motor skills really are an exhibition of your baby’s talents.
Now get ready for our pick of 3 of the best!
1. When your Baby Learns to Sit Up
The catalyst. It happens in the first year, yet remarkably your baby sitting up for the first time, is one stage of their development that often gets forgotten.
Why? It’s not got the glamour. It’s not your baby learning to crawl, walk or talk.
After all, they are social media gold for your popularity!
Yet, this developmental milestone is a major building block and one of the first core gross motor skills your newborn baby will learn.
Sitting up unaided tests your child’s strength and balance. Your baby will be challenged to stay upright and to move into a sitting position.
It is also one of the first building blocks on the path to you baby being able to walk freely. Isn’t that just a tiny bit amazing!
As one of the very first stages of your child’s development, seeing your baby sitting up for the first time, is one incredible milestone that you can enjoy safety free, without the worry of having to baby proof your home.
Expect to see your baby display signs of sitting up unassisted and without support from 6 months old.
The build-up to the big moment
Before your baby starts sitting up, don’t miss the build-up to the big moment.
Catch these amazing landmarks on the journey.
Your Baby by 2 Months Old
- Begin to push up when on his or her tummy.
- Start to make deliberate movements with his or her arms and legs.
Your Baby by 3 Months Old
- Holds head steady.
Your Baby by 4 Months Old
- Your baby will hold and support their own head upright,
- Point at things.
- Bear weight on his or her legs while their feet are flat on the floor.
- Push up from tummy to elbows.
Your Baby by 6 Months Old
- Your baby will learn to roll over from back to belly, from back to side.
- Pass objects from one hand to the other.
- Rock on their hands and knees.
- Start sitting up unassisted and without support.
2. When your Baby Learns to Crawl
Reaching this developmental milestone is your child’s golden ticket to freedom. If it was a film, it would be “Independence Day” or “Crawling - Licence to Roam”.
It’s an extra special day in the calendar for every newborn baby, and it’s their one-way ticket to exploring the world around them.
It’s your golden ticket to social media popularity too!
Your baby will begin crawling naturally. But first, they must master sitting unaided.
Pass this test and your baby is ready to tackle a course in advanced gross motor skills. At this stage of their development your child will learn the coordination to become mobile.
**Spoiler Alert**
Better coordination also means a more hands on baby, a more inquisitive baby. Your little ones confidence will be soaring and they will begin to realise their own star status!
Building on the motor skills already learned, expect to see your baby crawling between 6 months and 10 months old.
The build-up to the big moment
Before your baby starts crawling, don’t miss the build-up to the big moment.
Catch these amazing landmarks on the journey.
Your Baby by 7 Months Old
- Imitates speech sounds (babbles).
- Responds to facial expressions.
- Reaches for things with a sweeping motion.
Your Baby by 8 Months Old
- Claps hands together.
- Responds to his or her name.
- Enjoy interactive games.
Your Baby by 9 Months Old
- Creep, crawl, scoot and maybe even pull to standing position.
- Point at things.
- Reach for and grab a toy.
- Start picking up small finger foods.
3. When your Baby Learns to Walk
The showstopper. This developmental milestone is when a star is born. Excitement levels are hitting new heights. If learning to crawl is your child’s gold ticket to freedom, learning to walk is their platinum ticket to stardom.
The speed at which your baby carries out their daily activities becomes electrifying if not sometimes terrifying!
Yes, this stage of your baby’s development might just be the ultimate piece of social media gold.
But for some parents, spare a moment. Maybe shed a tear.
It’s the realisation their fitness levels and DIY skills are not as good as what they have been telling everybody! It might be time to hit the gym and baby proof your home with child safety cupboard locks that require no screwing.
The average age babies start walking is 14 months old. But this varies from 9 to 18 months for most.
Reaching this milestone is a real feat for your baby. They must learn to knit together the motor skills they have developed. It takes lots of balance, coordination and muscle power.
The build-up to the big moment
Before your baby starts walking, don’t miss the build-up to the big moment.
Catch these amazing landmarks on the journey.
Your Baby by 10 Months Old
- Waves goodbye.
Your Baby by 12 Months Old
- Drink from a sippy cup.
- Shake and throw objects.
- Stand with support (or maybe even unassisted).
- Take a few steps while holding onto you or a piece of furniture.
- Bends over and picks up an object.
Have your say. Share your Favourite Baby Milestones.
All developmental milestone dates are guideline only. It’s important to remember your baby is unique and may develop certain motor and social skills before others.
Now Have your say. Share your excitement and memories with the BABYGO community below!
We would to love to hear them.
