Development in babies and expected behaviors

Babies grow and change at an amazing rate, and each month they show exciting new behaviors as they develop.

New mothers and fathers often wonder what to expect and how to tell if their baby is developing normally .

Although all babies are not the same, there are certain evolutionary behaviors that are expected and generalizable for babies at a certain age, in normal developmental contexts .

That is why we have made a list below with some of the expected behaviors in the cognitive, psychological and biological development of the baby.

Stages of development in the baby

0 to 3 months

From birth to 3 months the baby is getting to know the world around him; a world full of surprises and attractions. The baby is learning to coexist with the outside world.

By 3 months it is expected that the baby:

• Hold your head
• Follow moving objects with your eyes. At first with crossing eyes and later it will be directed.
• Put your hand to your mouth
• Smile At first only for himself, but by 3 months he will be smiling in response to the smiles and games around him
• React to sounds from the environment around you

3-6 months

From 3 to 6 months he masters the use of the most incredible tools he knows so far, his hands. They begin to discover their voices babbling and screaming.

From 3 to  6 months it is expected that:

• Use your hand to pick up and manipulate objects
• Recognize people
• Stay seated with help
• Hold his head alone
• Try to imitate babbling sounds
• Interact with the gaze
• Turn on your own body
• Start the “Is-Not Is” game

6 to 9 months

From half a year of life, the baby begins to master skills that he did not yet know. You already have great control of your upper extremities, you recognize people, and you begin to learn a new way to get closer to what you want (crawling).

From 6 to  9 months it is expected that:

• Stand with help
• Gatee (not in all cases)
• Perfect your babbling by trying to match the tone of the words
• Switch objects from one hand to another
• Responds to familiar words like your name
• Stretch your arms when they are going to lift you
• Cry in front of strange people
• You are interested in your image in the mirror

9 to 12 months

By one year of life the baby already knows a portion of the world in different ways. Develop new skills such as mobility and speech.

From 9 to  12 months it is expected that:

• Walk with or without the help of another person
• Understand the “No”
• Give objects when asked or not
• Drag objects
• Imitate gestures
• Use your index finger to point what you want
• Say: “mom”, “dad”, “water”

12-15 months

From 12 months the baby will probably walk alone, a new skill that he will not tire of. Strengthen your vocabulary, include words in it, and try to perfect your pronunciation.

From 12 to 15 months it is expected that:

• Wave my hand
• Understands and responds to verbal commands
• Nod or disagree with your head
• Try to imitate housework
• Take books off the shelves
• Say at least five words
• Distinguish animals and imitate their sounds
• Recognize and point to parts of the body

From 15 to 18 months

At this stage, the 18-month-old baby walks better, likes to dance and begins to develop spatial thinking.

From 15 to 18 months it is expected that:

• Help remove an item of clothing
• I tried to kick a ball
• Raise and lower furniture and stairs with or without assistance
• Use one hand more than the other
• Imitate actions you see in other people
• Say more than ten words
• Run
• Brush your teeth (with help)
• Likes to push and pull things
• Scribble on a sheet of paper
• Stack a tower of three or more blocks
• Can point to some parts of the body when asked

Remember that all babies develop at their own pace, so do not be alarmed if your baby still does not comply with the expected behaviors detailed above and keep in mind that these behaviors are approximate and can vary around their age.