Congratulations to your little bundle of joy!

Every baby reaches milestones at their own pace, and the most important thing is to make sure that baby is happy and that you both enjoy the journey through those first few months and savour each precious moment. 

How your child learns, plays, speaks and acts are all widely discussed topics around their development and as parents ourselves, we wanted to share our experience and recommend some key product categories to consider to help your tot have the best possible start in life.

During the first few months, feeding and sleeping are two of the most widely discussed topics.  If baby sleeps, everyone sleeps which makes for a happy household!  But in reality, sometimes it might be challenging if your baby just doesn’t want to sleep much! 

Here are some of the items we recommend for sleep time, both at home and for travel.

Below are what you can expect for your child's developmental milestones from 0 to 6 months. The ages given for milestones and list are not comprehensive but a guide to help new parents. Every child is different. Most children should be meeting these milestones.

Talk to your GP or a paediatrician if you are concerned about your child’s development. They may carry out more tests or refer your child to a specialist. 

BY 1 MONTH:

By this age most babies will achieve these milestones:

• gross motor - your baby will move their head up while lying down on their tummy
• fine motor - your baby's tight fists will begin to loosen, their eyes may fix on objects and they will prefer to look at faces
• communication and hearing - your baby will be alert to sounds and throaty noises
• social and emotional - your baby will be getting to know you and begin to bond
• problem-solving, learning and understanding - your baby will fix on a bright object and follow it with their eyes

You may notice that your baby:

• likes to look at people’s faces more than objects
• recognises their mother’s voice
• likes hearing people’s voices and prefers high-pitched voices
• can search for and suck from a breast or bottle
• can grip small objects in their hands, like your finger
• smiles
• cries to communicate their needs
• is crying or upset for 2 to 3 hours a day 

BY 2 MONTHS:

Most babies will reach the following milestones by 2 months:

• move their chest up while lying down on their tummy
• bob their head in an upright position if they are being held 

Fine motor:  Your baby will:

• move their eyes to track an object moved past the middle of their body
• hold a rattle or toy for a brief period
• have their hands loose and not in fists for about half of the time

Communication and hearing:  Your baby will:

• make cooing noises
• look at people who are talking

Social and emotional:  Your baby will smile back at you when you smile at them.

Problem-solving, learning and understanding:  Your baby can follow something that is moving up or down with their eyes.

You may start to notice that your baby:

• becomes more alert
• is awake for longer
• is more interested in the world around them
• responds to your voice
• smiles, cries or coos
• is often soothed by being picked up
• puts their thumb in their mouth and quietens - not all babies do this

BY 3 MONTHS:

By this age most babies will achieve these milestones:

Gross motor: Your baby will:

• have good control of their head when seated
• rest on their forearms (the part between the elbow and the wrist) while lying down on their tummy

Fine motor: Your baby will:

• use their hands to bat at objects
• have their hands loose and not in fists most of the time
• use their eyes to follow an object in a circular pattern

Communication and hearing: Your baby will chuckle. They’ll echo the sounds made by someone who is talking.

Social and emotional: Their cries will vary depending on what they are trying to communication. For example, hunger or pain.

Your baby may:

• give warm smiles and laugh
• cry when upset and look for comfort
• show excitement by waving their arms and legs
• continue to enjoy looking at your face and making eye contact with you

Problem-solving, learning and understanding:  Your baby can look at a 1 inch object when it is held in front of them. 

BY 4 MONTHS:

By this age most babies will achieve these milestones:

Gross motor:  Your baby will roll their body from front to back. They’ll be able to hold their head steady in line with their body. This will stop their head lagging behind their shoulders when lifted. 

Fine motor: Your baby will clutch at objects. They’ll reach ou and move their hands while lying on their back. 

Communication and hearing: Your baby will:

• laugh out loud
• move their body towards a voice
• make sounds like “ah-goo”
• listen to people who are talking
• make a vocal sound when a person stops talking

Social and emotional:  Your baby will recognise their mother/father (main or carer).

Problem-solving, learning and understanding: Your baby will reach for objects and look at them while holding.

BY 5 MONTHS:

By this age most babies will achieve these milestones: 

Gross motor: Your baby will roll their body from back to front. They’ll lift their head when sitting.

Fine motor: They’ll move objects from 1 hand to the other.

Communication and hearing: Your baby will:

• smile and make vocal sounds when they see themselves in a mirror
• mimic a person’s voice by making vocal sounds
• make ‘raspberry’ (spitting) sounds

Social and emotional:  Your baby will smile spontaneously.

Problem-solving, learning and understanding: Your baby can reach out and grasp a dangling object. They'll start to look at small objects with interest.

BY 6 MONTHS:

By this age most babies will achieve these milestones: 

Gross motor: Your baby will be able to sit with support. They may prop themselves on their hands. 

Fine motor: Your baby will be able to move things from 1 hand to the other.

Communication and hearing: Your baby will make babbling sounds such as “baba” and “gagaga”.

Social and emotional: Your baby will show a preference for a particular person.

Your baby may:

• get upset when they cannot see their main caregiver
• recognise familiar faces
• smile more often - especially at their parents or main caregiver
• try to hold their bottle while drinking

Problem-solving, learning and understanding: Your baby will look to the floor when they drop a toy. 

Feeding: During the first six months baby will only consume milk, either breast milk or formula or a mix of both.  Like most things new-born, different methods suit different babies and parents will consider manual & automatic breast pumps, and new tech from innovative brands like Elvie.  Brands like Tommee Tippee, Avent & Doctors Brown’s are all very well-respected baby bottle brands to consider according to your needs and budget. 

Teething is also a hot topic and can often cause discomfort for little ones.  Some have teeth when a few weeks old and others take several months for the first ‘pearly white’ to come through!  

Suggested tip: When your baby’s mouth is just a gummy smile, you can use a wet soft cloth or a finger brush to wipe their gums and remove bacteria. This helps to prevent damage to their baby teeth as they begin to arrive and has the added benefit of getting them used to having their mouth brushed.

Don't worry if you don't manage to brush much at first. The important thing is to get your baby used to brushing their teeth as part of their daily routine.

As your tot heads towards the six-month mark, he/she should recognise familiar people, stick their tongue out, blow raspberries and make some squealing noises - Exciting times!  

He/she will begin to reach for things (hopefully suitable baby toys!) and put them into his/her mouth, and he/she will also close his/her mouth when he/she doesn’t want anymore milk! 

Typical physical milestones at this stage can be rolling onto tummy (and sometimes back), push up with straight arms when on his or her tummy and begin to lean on hands when sitting upright. 

Read to your baby, sharing colourful books & magazines & talk about them.  Respond when he/she babbles and reads too, for example if she responds say ‘yes – the cute little caterpillar has turned into a beautiful butterfly!  Check out our carefully selected activity books from our favourite brands right here.

Explore our range of activity books/cubes/rattles and play mats. We love Fabelab Activity blankets and Little Dutch Play Mats that help engage your tot in various activities throughout their growth & development. 

We hope you find the above-mentioned information useful.