It's amazing how quickly your baby grows in the first year of life- these developmental milestones are amazing! All babies are different and develop at different rates, but as we know, most parents like to be reassured their baby is doing their thing as expected.

Today's post is simply a guide as to when you can expect your baby to achieve certain milestones, and certainly not a certain timeline. Do get in touch with your doctor or health visitor if you're concerned in any way about your baby's developmental milestones.

1 to 6 months

Life with a newborn baby can be an endless cycle of nappies, feeds and broken sleep. But while you’re shuffling around in a sleep deprived haze, your baby is doing some pretty amazing things! The achievements of those first first few weeks alone are just awesome.

During the early weeks your baby cannot focus on much more than around 8-12 inches, but as she grows this develops so that she can focus on your face. So smile! Her hearing will be fully developed, and at this stage sensory play is a fantastic way to help her learn about the world around her. Spend time talking and singing to soothe and relax. At this stage simple black and white images and toys are great too.

Most babies in the first month can lift their head during tummy time, but they still need lots of support, especially when being carried. Most can bring their hands to their mouth but their hand to eye co-ordination is still in the early stages, so grabbing a rattle is a mean feat!

At around three months old, playtime suddenly evolves. Your baby can do so much more now! Tummy time is a great activity now so your baby can get ready rolling over- you'll notice she can support her own head a lot better now too. Hand to eye co-ordination is improving, and no doubt she has that rattle firmly within her grasp now!

From around 4 months your baby will start to make noises, babble, and want to interact in her world a lot more. She'll be rolling, laughing, and playing.

7 to 12 months

By the age of around seven months, your baby is fully engaging in her world, and probably crawling at break neck speed! She will be babbling and communicating with you to let you know what she wants- suddenly a new world has opened up! At this age, babies are more likely to experience separation anxiety, which can make bedtimes and sleep a little ore tricky than they once were. If you start sleep training at this age, a gentle approach is vital so that you can reassure and soothe your baby as she grows and develops.

By around 12 months, your baby will be either walking, or getting ready to walk by using furniture to ‘cruise’ around the house. Now is the time to baby proof every room if you haven’t already- read this post for information. Up until around 12 months it’s perfectly normal for your baby to be waking during the night- most of her nutrition will still come from milk. Don’t worry if your baby seems to be waking more than others. Now is the time to start gently training your baby to sleep for longer periods, but rest assured that not every baby is sleeping through at this age!

Developmental milestones can affect how your baby sleeps as she grows- read this post for more information.