Babies development begins well before an infant is even born. “A child’s neurological system starts to form in the first week of gestation and is basically in place by the time the mother reaches four weeks of pregnancy,”. And by 17 weeks a fetus can hear. So it’s never too early to start reading and singing to your baby and engaging in other baby activities to help stimulate development.
Research of Milestones in babies
It shows that the number and quality of words babies hear make a huge difference in how well they develop language. In terms of quality of words, “business” words are words parents use to give a child a command, such as “Put on your shoes” or “Brush your teeth,” and nonbusiness words are general conversational words, such as “Wow — you put your shoes on the right feet, you have two shoes, and they are blue!”
Skills such as taking turns, playing make-believe, and kicking a ball, are called developmental milestones. Developmental milestones are things most children can do by a certain age. Children reach milestones in how they play, learn, speak, behave, and move (like jumping, running, or balancing).
Because of children’s growing desire to be independent, this stage is often called the “terrible twos.” However, this can be an exciting time for parents and toddlers. Toddlers will experience huge thinking, learning, social, and emotional changes that will help them to explore their new world, and make sense of it. During this stage, toddlers should be able to follow two- or three-step directions. Sort objects by shape and color, imitate the actions of adults and playmates, and express a wide range of emotions.
Steps Milestone Checklists for babies
The small steps you take now make a big difference in your child’s future success. The Steps Milestone Checklists for baby’s first year contains things most babies do by this age in the following areas:
- Social & emotional development
- Language & communications development
- Cognitive development (learning, thinking, problem solving)
- Movement & physical development
- Plus, things to watch out for that might need a doctor’s attention
