The loving, holding, changing diapers for, talking to, and feeding your baby are the first things to focus on.

Development Milestones

Ages 0-1 Years

  • Quiets to familiar voices or sounds
  • Reacts to loud sounds: baby startles, blinks, stops sucking, cries or wakes up
  • Makes soft sounds when awake, baby gurgles
  • Coo, gurgle and sigh
  • Smile back when you smile
  • Respond to voices
  • Push up with arms when on stomach
  • Turns eyes or head toward sounds, voices, noise making toys, dog barking
  • Starts to make speech-like sounds, “ga,” “ooh,” “ba,” and p, b, m sounds
  • Reacts to a change in your tone of voice
  • Cries (with tears) to communicate pain, fear, discomfort, or loneliness
  • Babbles or coos
  • Loves to be touched and held close
  • Returns a smile
  • Responds to peak-a-boo games
  • Responds to own name and looks when called
  • Understands simple words, “no,” “bye-bye,” “juice”
  • Babbles, “da da da,” “ma ma ma,” “ba ba ba”
  • Drools, mouths, and chews on objects
  • Reaches for cup or spoon when being fed
  • Drinks from a cup with help
  • Enjoys some finely chopped, solid foods
  • Closes mouth firmly or turns head when no longer hungry
  • Responds to both soft or loud sounds
  • Repeats single words and imitates animal sounds?
  • Points to favorite toys or food when asked
  • Needs at least 3 meals a day with 2 snacks in-between
  • Enjoys drinking from a cup
  • Begins to eat finger foods
  • Continues to explore everything by mouth
  • Crawls well
  • Pulls self to a standing position