How Your Newborn Grows: Infant Development

Baby’s First Year: How Infants Develop

Baby Development: 10 to 12 Months

The last development stage in baby’s first year is quite a transition. She isn’t an infant anymore, and she might look and act more like a toddler. But she’s still a baby in many ways. She’s learning to:

• Begin feeding herself. Babies at this developmental stage master the “pincer grasp“ -- meaning they can hold small objects such as O-shaped cereal between their thumb and forefinger.
• Cruise, or move around the room on her feet while holding onto the furniture.
• Say one or two words, and "Mama" and "Dada" become specific name for parents. The average is about three spoken words by the first birthday, but the range on this is enormous.
• Point at objects she wants in order to get your attention.
• Begin “pretend play” by copying you or using objects correctly, such as pretending to talk on the phone. 
• Take her first steps. This usually happens right around one year, but it can vary greatly.

Your Baby’s Development: When to Talk to a Pediatrician

What should you do if you think your baby is not meeting growth or developmental milestones, when he should? First, says Shu, trust your instincts. “If you really feel like something’s wrong, then talk to your doctor about it because if there is a problem, we want to catch it as soon as we can," she says. "Early intervention is best, and you know your child better than anyone.”

Remember, however, that it is not exactly when your baby sits up by himself or says his first words that is important; it’s that he’s moving forward in his development. “Don’t look at the time as much as the progression, and see that your child is changing and growing,” says Shu. “It’s not a race. Nobody’s going to ask on a college application when your child first walked or said ‘da-da.’”

Your Child’s Development -- Month by Month

This table shows common developmental milestones that babies reach each month during their first year, in four major categories. Keep in mind that all babies are different and every baby grows at his own pace. There's no precise time that most of these skills first appear. If your child hasn’t reached a milestone by the month it is listed on this chart, it is usually a perfectly normal variation in child development. Watch for progress, not deadlines.