✓ The growth of the child, the stages from 0 to 12 months

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The growth of the child

In the first year of life, the newborn makes a lot of progress. From the first month, the one in which for the first time he gets to know his home, he gets used to his cradle, becomes familiar with breastfeeding (breast or artificial) to the first year of age of things in the life of a baby and his parents happen a lot.

The newborn grows up, begins to interact with the outside world, begins the first warbling and then the lallation which around 12 months turns into the emission of the first little words (mom, dad, baby food, etc.). And then learning to sit, to crawl, the first steps. The first 12 months of a baby's life are full of emotions, discoveries, news.

Let's find out in this guide what are, specifically, the main stages of a child's development in the first year of life.

The development of the child

90-95% of all healthy babies reach the same stage of development in the first 12 months of life. There are some tables that are important reference points for regulating and controlling the growth of your little one, but it is good to remember that they do not contain absolute truths.

So no fear if your baby doesn't fit the tables 100%. Many healthy children have different developmental priorities: maybe they start walking fast but talk later or the other way around.

If you feel like your baby is not developing well, don't get anxious but get to the bottom. Write down what you observe for a few weeks and talk to your pediatrician.

The development table

Smile, Sociability
3 months	6 months	9 months	12 months
Maintains eye contact, even by turning head if necessary. Smiles at acquaintances and strangers.	Gladly accepts contact with glances. He likes games with frequent changes of position.	Distinguish strangers from known people. He can be shy.	He makes contact with others on his own
Reading comprehension
3 months	6 months	9 months	12 months
It follows an object with its eyes when it moves.	Look closely at what is happening around him. Touch and examine things with your mouth.	Intensely examine objects with your eyes, hands, and mouth.	Quickly find a toy that was hidden.
Language
3 months	6 months	9 months	12 months
It makes different cries to signal hunger, pain or boredom	"Chat" with different sounds to yourself or to others	Emits long syllabic chains with "a" (wawawa)	Double syllables with "a" (ma-ma, da-da)
Motor development of the hand
3 months	6 months	9 months	12 months
Bring your hands to your chest	Switch things from hand to hand	Holds objects tightly with one or two hands	Grab with thumb and forefinger ("tweezers")
General motor development
3 months	6 months	9 months	12 months
Raise your head to the prone position resting on your forearms	He's in control of his head, fold his arms if you lift him to sit up. He turns from the supine to the prone position and vice versa	He sits with his back straight and has good head control. Crawl, crawl (about 15% of children skip this stage)	He can stand up leaning against furniture and walls