Newborn (through 3 months)

Cooing - at about 2 months, your newborn may start repeating some sounds like ah-ah-ah or ooh-ooh-ooh. Imitating him will encourage him to vocalize more.

Smiling- one of the most exciting moments with your newborn is his first smile. Smiles often begin in sleep at the end of the first month.

Expert tip- encouraging your baby to mingle with other babies will help build his social skills. Let them look at each other, smile, make sounds, and reach out to touch.

Infant (through 12 months)

Grasping- you may be surprised at how firmly your baby can hold onto a toy or your finger. It’s the sign of another powerful milestone.

Crawling- soon he’ll be a busy infant who’s learned to roll over, sit and even start crawling across the room.

Expert tip- while play is full of fun, immunizations at this age can be traumatic. Speak to your baby reassuring to help him get through the process, and give him a hug afterwards.

Toddler (9 months and up)

First words - your baby’s first words will be forever etched in your memory as she begins to build her vocabulary.

Standing- at around 9 to 12 months, your baby will become even more active and learn that she can pull herself into a standing position. Gradually she’ll also discover that she can walk by holding your hand or holding onto furniture.

Expert tip: Introducing your toddler to new environments such as new playgrounds and the grocery store will help expand her daily learning.

A few specific activities you can do with your baby to stimulate her milestone development:

Newborn

Spending “tummy time” with your newborn helps encourage her to lift her head, building her neck and back muscles that will eventually lead to rolling over and crawling.

Touching your newborn’s feet and hands makes him aware of his body parts and what they can do.

Infant

Supporting your baby on her legs helps build leg muscles that will eventually help her walk.

Pointing and waving to your baby encourages him to mimic your gestures.

Toddler

Expand her growing verbal skills. If she says “car” use that word in a sentence. And explain theings as they’re happening to make a “learning” conversation.

Playing games by hiding objects for your toddler to find is a good way to build his cognitive skills.

Please be mindful that this list is not all inclusive and/or reflective of all children’s development- for specific questions, we encourage you to speak with your child’s Pediatrican.