Supporting Your Baby's Developments
0-12 months
Choose a timetable
What to Expect
From birth till the end of month 1, an infant spends large amounts of time sleeping. making the very first month after birth fairly uneventful.
It’s nature’s way of giving mothers time to recover from the labour.
During the first few weeks of life, most infants display the following characteristics while awake, these include:
- Responding to sounds
- Reacting to light
- Studying faces, trying to focus on close items that are within 8 to 12 inches away
- Attempting to lift their head
- Strong reflexive responses when their cheek is touched or stroked
- Strong grasp reflex if something is placed in their hand
Many of their activities are governed by their weight and whether or not the baby was born on time or prematurely.
Lighter babies and babies born prematurely will show lower levels of development than heavier babies born at term. However, over the following months, these babies will often catch up, showing very few differences after about 4 months.
What to do
Use the timetable below to support their developments and avoid developmental delays.
hOW TO SUPPORT Baby's DEVELOPMENTS
The big muscles in the body need exercising to develop strength, co-ordination and balance. Try these activities throughout the week to support your child’s developments.
Babies are not born with fully developed sight. Their eye muscles need exercising to avoid sight problems, such as lazy eyes etc.
While a baby’s hearing is very well developed by the time they are born, their hearing should be tested to ensure their ears are not blocked with fluid, and are not developing hearing issues.
Babies learn about the world around them through their sense of touch. This can be through their skin on any part of their body. Stimulate their senses to develop their awareness.
Infants are learning as soon as they are born. It is important for them to hear conversations and watch your mouth moving, so that they can learn to speak too.
Babies need to be hugged and comforted to feel safe and secure in their new world with strange noises, feelings and sensations. It is important for them to feel loved, so that they can express love later.
Cognition, thought and understanding are all connected to brain development. Stimulating thought and giving infants access to different experiences will support healthy brain development.
Newborn babies have many reflex actions which are not under their control. They will automatically grip things in their hands if something is placed in their palm. Stroking their palms will help to exercise their hand muscles.