Supporting Your Infants Development

What to expect and how you can promote growth

The first year with baby is filled with wonder

From the day they are sent home from the hospital, new parents are filled with questions about their baby. When left unanswered, these questions can quickly turn into worries: Are they healthy? Are they on track? Am I doing enough? Too much? Am I even doing it right?

Thankfully, there are some great resources that parents can use to help gauge whether children are progressing on schedule, and to intervene early if there are delays.

Jane Squires, Ph.D., is an expert in early childhood development and early identification of delays.

She stresses the importance of involving parents in the monitoring of young children’s development. After all, who knows the child better than the parents? Squires is also lead author of the Ages & Stages Questionnaires ® , Third Edition (ASQ ® -3). Below, Squires shares some information about what skills to watch for as your baby grows, and provides activity ideas to support your baby’s development along the way.

Skills to watch for

What sorts of developmental milestones should parents notice, when it comes to typically developing infants during the first year? The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) gives us a breakdown on some noteworthy behaviors for most babies.

At 2 months: calms down when spoken to or picked up; looks at your face; smiles when you talk or smile to them; makes sounds other than crying; reacts to loud sounds; watches you as you move; looks at a toy for several seconds; holds head up when on tummy; moves both arms and both legs; opens hands briefly.

At 4 months: chuckles (not yet a full laugh) when you try to make them laugh; looks at you, moves, or makes** sounds to get or keep your attention; makes sounds back when you talk; turns head towards the sound of your voice; looks at hands with interest; holds head steady without support when being held; brings hands to mouth; pushes up onto elbows/forearms when on tummy.

At 6 months: knows familiar people; likes to look at self in mirror; laughs; takes turns making sounds with you;** makes squealing noises; puts things in their mouth to explore them; reaches to grab a toy they want; closes lips to show they don’t want more food; rolls from tummy to back; pushes up with straight arms when on tummy; leans on hands to support themselves when sitting.

At 1 year: waves “bye-bye”; calls a parent “mama” or “dada” or another special name; understands “no” (pauses** briefly or stops when you say it); puts something in a container, like a block in a cup; looks for things they see you hide, like a toy under a blanket; pulls up to stand; walks, holding on to furniture; drinks from a cup without a lid, as you hold it; picks things up between thumb and pointer finger, like small bits of food.

In the event that delays are suspected, don’t panic! Early intervention is key. Identifying possible delays early gets you on the path to getting the supports in place to help your child achieve better outcomes. Discuss your child’s development and any concerns with your pediatrician or child care provider. They’ll have lots of advice, as well as referral options for you to pursue additional resources if needed. You can also do some homework online. There are some great websites referenced at the end of this article and on the agesandstagesresearch.com webpage under Parent Resources.

How parents can help

Quality parent–child interaction makes a tremendous difference in supporting healthy development. Get down on the floor and play! Read to them. Cuddle. Make things together. Go places. Explore and identify new things. Narrate the trip through the grocery store aisles. Talk and sing. Make it a priority to be present and engaging. “It’s the most important thing that parents can do for their children,” says Squires.

Squires suggests some simple activities parents can try with their children:

Babies 1–4 months of age:

Babies 4–8 months of age:

Babies 8–12 months of age:

Babies 12–16 months of age:

Additional Resources for Parents: