All parents, without exception, worry about the health of their child. The issue of full physical, mental, and neuropsychic development especially worries parents in the first year of the baby’s life. How does a child develop month by month? We offer for consideration an approximate plan for the development of a toddler: we will evaluate the psychophysical development of a child up to one year old, terms and standards according to WHO.

Up to one year, all babies develop approximately the same, but you need to make allowances for the individual characteristics and parameters of the child at birth

Table of physical parameters up to a year

To assess the rate of growth, weight gain and physical development of the baby, it is worth familiarizing yourself with the average generally accepted indicators of the stages of development of a child up to one year. However, we must not forget that all children have individual development schedules; exact compliance with the given tables is not mandatory; minor deviations from the norms are allowed. Do not forget also that boys and girls differ slightly in their neuropsychic development, but if the baby does not acquire normal skills and development indicators for his age for a long time, you should consult a doctor.

Table of physiological parameters of a child up to one year: (we recommend reading:)

Age, months	Height, cm	Weight, kg	Head circumference, cm	Chest circumference, cm
	49,0 - 54,0	2,6 - 4,0	33,0 - 37,0	31,0 - 35,9
1	52,0 - 55,0	3,0 - 4,3	35,8 - 37,2	34,0 - 36,0
2	55,0 - 57,0	4,5 - 5,0	37,5 - 38,5	36,0 - 38,0
3	58,0 - 60,0	4,0 - 6,0	38,0 - 40,0	36,0 - 39,0
4	60,0 - 63,0	4,5 - 6,5	38,0 - 40,0	36,0 - 40,0
5	63,0 - 67,0	6,5 - 7,5	37,5 - 42,2	37,0 - 42,0
6	65,0 - 69,0	7,5 - 7,8	42,0 - 43,8	42,0 - 45,0
7	67,0 - 71,0	8,0 - 8,8	43,8 - 44,2	45,0 - 46,0
8	71,0 - 72,0	8,4 - 9,4	44,2 - 45,2	46,0 - 47,0
9	72,0 - 73,0	9,4 - 10,0	45,2 - 46,3	46,5 - 47,5
10	73,0 - 74,0	9,6 - 10,5	46,0 - 47,0	47,0 - 48,0
11	74,0 - 75,0	10,0 - 11,0	46,2 - 47,2	47,5 - 48,5
12	75,0 - 76,0	10,5 - 11,5	47,0 - 47,5	48,0 - 49,0

So, how does a newborn baby grow during the first year? Let's consider the development of a child up to one year using a calendar divided into every 3 months from the birth of the baby.

From birth to 3 months

A newborn is born with developed hearing and vision. There is a clear manifestation of innate reflexes: the child can suck, swallow, blink and grab from the first minutes of life. However, the baby is not yet capable of rolling over. A newborn cannot lift his head from a position on his tummy, but the instinct of self-preservation kicks in - he turns his head onto his cheek.

The baby is able to hold his head for several seconds and tries to lift it when he lies on his tummy. In a month, a response to sounds and sudden movements occurs, expressed in the involuntary spreading of the arms and their subsequent pressing to the body. Spontaneous imitation of walking can also be observed.

2 MONTHS

The baby lifts and holds the head “standing” for 1 – 1.5 minutes, and from a position on the tummy, it can lift not only the head, but also the chest. Pays attention to sounds and bright lights by turning his head and looking attentively. There is an intensive development of the vestibular apparatus. The child grabs and holds moving objects.

3 MONTHS

At 3 months, the baby should hold his head well for 1 to 3 minutes. From a lying position on his stomach he can rise up, leaning on his elbows. He begins to roll over, spin, and change position, but there is still no clear coordination in his movements. He watches the toys with interest and reaches out to them. He begins to put his fingers in his mouth, grab and pull the sheet.

I like the company of adults. Communication with parents is very captivating for the baby, the baby “comes to life”, shows joy, smiles, laughs. Can walk for a long time, turns its head towards unfamiliar sounds. Now the baby is especially touching, don’t forget to take photos often as a keepsake!

At three months, the baby begins to actively socialize – he becomes more emotional and reacts vividly to other people.

Physical Features

Month	Movements and skills	Vision	Hearing
1	Arms and legs are bent, movements are poorly coordinated. Everything is built on unconditioned reflexes. The sucking and grasping reflexes are especially pronounced. By the end of the month he can turn his head.	Can keep a face or toy in sight for several minutes. Can follow with its eyes a toy moving in an arc (so-called “automatic tracking”).	The mucous fluid in the eardrum gradually dissolves, as a result of which hearing improves. The baby listens to the voice and rattle.
2	Active movements develop: moves the arms to the sides, turns the head. In the prone position, maybe for 5 seconds. raise your head. Hand movements are improved: 2-3 sec. holds the rattle and hits it.	Smoothly follows moving objects for 10-15 seconds. Fixes gaze on the toy/face for 20-25 seconds. Able to perceive objects three-dimensionally.	Focuses on sounds for 5-10 seconds. and turns his head towards the sounds of the rattle and voice.
3	Within 30 sec. holds the head in the hands of an adult, and during 1 minute – lying on your stomach. In this position, he rises on his arms, leaning on his elbows. When the baby is held under the armpits, he rests his feet on the surface, while his legs are straightened. There is a general motor “revival”: it can bend, become a “bridge” and fall onto the crib. The grasping reflex transforms into a conscious grasp.	Interested (and not automatically) follows a toy moving in an arc. Reviewed for about 5 minutes. your hands. He is interested in all nearby objects (up to 60 cm from the eyes).	“Localization” of sound is formed: first, the child turns his eyes in the direction of the sound, and then turns his head. Begins to react poorly to loud, sharp sounds: freezes, winces and then cries.

Neuropsychic development

Month	Emotions	Speech	Intelligence
1	By the end of the month, he smiles back at his mother and calms down from the affectionate intonations. He listens to voices and joyfully wiggles his arms and legs in response to loud speech. Gradually, a “revival complex” is formed - a reaction to a loved one.	Pronounces guttural sounds: uh, k-kh, gee.	The second stage of sensorimotor intelligence. The baby adapts to the world around him, interest in objects appears, and coordinated movement of hands and eyes develops.
2	The child responds with a smile when addressed to him and wiggles his arms and legs.	In communication, the sounds of the initial stage of humming appear: ag-k-kh, k-khkh. The scream takes on different intonations.	Interest in external objects increases, visual orientation reactions improve.
3	The revival complex manifests itself 100% - this is the first conscious act of behavior, an attempt to interact with an adult “eye to eye.” The revitalization complex marks the beginning of the infancy stage.	Vowel sounds and their different combinations appear: aaa, ae, ay, a-gu.	Interest in the environment becomes selective and conscious.

From 4 months to six months

4 MONTHS

While in a supine position, the infant raises his head. If you put it on its legs, it rests firmly on them. Starts to sit up and can easily roll over from back to tummy. Freely lifts the body and rests on the palms when lying on the tummy. Carefully observes objects and can grab them. Played with rattles (we recommend reading:).

5 MONTHS

The baby can sit, but still does not hold his back straight; he can stand on his legs if he is held by the arms. Makes first attempts to roll over from tummy to back. Holds an interesting object in his hand for a long time. Recognizes parents, begins to be afraid of strangers. According to Komarovsky, the baby already understands various vocal intonations and begins to distinguish and understand the mother’s emotions.

6 MONTHS

At this stage, the child can already sit. It holds its back straight and easily rotates in all directions. With a little help from an adult, he can stand on his feet and tries to walk. He begins to get on all fours and move around in this way. Already actively waving toys, picking up fallen objects.

Noticeable changes also occur in speech:

• begins to express the first requests;
• the humming is replaced by simple babbling sounds “ma”, “pa”, “ba”.

Physical Features

Month	Movements and skills	Vision	Hearing
4	He turns on his side and tries to roll over. Holds toys well and pulls them into his mouth. During feeding, he touches the breast or bottle with his hands, trying to hold it.	Recognizes loved ones, smiling back, recognizes himself in the mirror. Watches the toy for about 3 minutes.	Freezes at the sound of music. Clearly turns the head towards the sound source. Distinguishes voices.
5	While lying on his back, the baby tries to raise his head and shoulders (as if trying to stand up). When lying on his stomach, he rises up, resting his palms on his straight arms. You can sit for a short time, holding onto the support with both hands. He studies objects by touch for a long time and puts them in his mouth. Skills: eats semi-thick food from a spoon, drinks water from a cup.	Distinguishes between close and unfamiliar people. Watches the toy for 10-15 minutes.	Distinguishes the intonations of speakers. Confidently turns his whole body towards the source of the sound.
6	Rolls over from tummy to back. Practices crawling using hand pull-ups. Sits with support. Stands steadily if an adult supports him under the arms. Confidently reaches and grabs objects, transfers a toy from one hand to another. Can hold a bottle with one or two hands.	Visual acuity develops, very small objects become interesting.	Listens to whispers and other quiet sounds. Sings along to the beat of the music.

6-7 months – time for the first complementary foods

Neuropsychic development

Month	Emotions	Speech	Intelligence
4	He really laughs and smiles back. Reacts to tickling. Requires attention.	He hums, pronounces chains of vowel sounds, and the first syllables appear.	The 3rd stage of sensorimotor intelligence begins - the implementation of purposeful actions. An understanding of cause-and-effect relationships emerges. A reaction to everything new develops.
5	Wants to participate in communication - tries to attract attention in every way. “Communicates” with other children with pleasure.	There is a singing hum. Uses vowel sounds: aa, ee, oo, ay, maa, eu, haa, etc.	He is interested not only in close objects, but also in those located at a distance of up to 1 m. He understands that in addition to his hands, he has other body parts.
6	Begins to experience true love and affection for the adult raising him. He expects approval and praise from him, thus, communication takes on a situational and business character.	Pronounces individual babbling syllables. The “vocabulary” already contains about 30-40 sounds.	Sets goals and chooses means to achieve them. For example, to get one toy, you need to move another.

From six months to 9 months

7 MONTHS

The baby can easily and quickly crawl on all fours and sit freely and for a long time. In a sitting position, he straightens and bends. Holding onto furniture, he can kneel down, and with the support of adults he can stand and walk. Interested in his mirror image. Can point with eyes at large objects, called adults.

8 MONTHS

According to the development calendar, at 8 months the child can sit down independently and even stand on his feet (more details in the article:). He begins to play "palm", imitating clapping his hands. He enjoys trying to take his first steps with the help of adults. Mimic movements of the face acquire a rich variety. The baby expresses interest, surprise, and fear with facial expressions.

He easily finds an object that interests him and persistently tries to reach it. Spends a lot of time in games - he can look at toys for a long time, knock them, throw them.

9 MONTHS

Standing on his feet, he refuses support. Likes to walk, leaning on furniture, tries to get to his feet from any position. Starts to climb on high places - boxes, benches, pillows. At 9 months, motor skills become more complex, the baby can assemble small parts of toys, sort out construction sets, and move cars.

Understands and can fulfill simple requests, such as “pass the ball” or “wave your hand.” For games he chooses a sitting position, easily and quickly remembers new words. I like to look for dropped or hidden objects. Responds when called by name. Begins to distinguish words not only by intonation, but also by meaning. Can sort objects by shape, color, size.

At 9 months the baby is already “very big”, he begins to understand the meaning of many words, fulfills the requests of his parents, the games gradually become more complicated

Physical Features

Month	Movements	Skills
7	Able to sit without support, roll over from back to stomach and back. Actively crawls on all fours. Favorite action with objects/toys is throwing. He himself reaches for the toy, takes it in his hand, moves it, waves it, knocks it on the surface.	Confidently drinks from a cup (from the hands of an adult), tries to hold it. He eats from a spoon. If the mother gives a dried product or cracker, then the child spends a long time “procrastinating” on this piece.
8	Rise to his feet independently, holding onto support. With the support of an adult, he steps with his legs. He sits and lies down on his own and crawls a lot.	If he sees “his” cup from an adult, he pulls his hands towards it. He holds a piece of bread in his hand and eats it himself. You can start potty training your baby.
9	Holding a support with one hand, you can perform many different actions: walk towards an adult with side steps, grab another support with your free hand, etc. Sits confidently for 10-15 minutes. Actively crawling.	Drinks from a cup, holding it (the cup is fixed in the hands of an adult). If a child has begun potty training, he can confidently sit on it without whims.

Neuropsychic development

Month	Emotions	Speech	Intelligence
7	Tries to be the center of attention. Now caresses and kisses are not the main thing (they may turn away or move away), but the important thing is playing together and manipulating toys.	Actively babbling. Can already pronounce clear syllable combinations: ma-ma, ba-ba-ba, pa-pa-pa, a-la-la, etc.	An understanding of cause-and-effect relationships develops, for example, throwing a toy and seeing where it lands; if he is hungry, he looks towards the kitchen (to where he is fed).
8	Becomes closed off from strangers (crisis 8 months), ready to communicate only with very close ones, worries and cries in front of others.	Speaks syllables and syllable combinations: ay, a-la-la, he, a-dyat, a-de-de, a-ba-ba, etc.	Stage 4 of sensorimotor intelligence begins: purposeful actions develop. The child studies and explores everything.
9	Experiences a whole range of emotions from anger and fear to joy and surprise. Strives to communicate with adults and involve them in their activities.	The first indicative words appear in speech, understandable only to those close to you. Understands prohibition words (“you can’t”), teachings (“show me how...”, “kiss mom,” etc.)	The child separates himself from the adult, but perceives himself as the “center of the universe.” Long-term memory develops (can remember an object) and working memory.

From 10 months to 1 year

10 MONTHS

After 10 months, the child gets on his feet without help and begins to walk. Begins to step when supported by one handle. Can pick up a small object with his fingers, gets upset when toys he likes are taken away. Often and consciously imitates the movements of adults, can open-close, lift-throw, hide-find. The child pronounces simple monosyllabic words.

11 MONTHS

1 YEAR

After 11-12 months, a difficult stage of development begins. Boys often develop a little slower than girls. The ability to walk independently appears. He may come up on his own if his name is called. Able to squat and stand up without support. Picks up objects from the floor without sitting down. Can carry out complex tasks: close doors, bring a toy from another room.

Shows interest in the process of undressing and bathing. Says about ten simple words. At one year old, the child watches people and cars with interest. You can find more detailed information on the Internet by watching Komarovsky’s video about the proper development of children from 0 to one year.

Physical Features

Month	Movements	Skills
10	Can stand independently for some time without support or support.
11	Stands well from a support for about 5 seconds, balancing with his arms, while keeping his legs apart. He tries to take the first steps himself, and with the support of an adult he walks confidently.	All previously acquired skills and abilities are consolidated.
12	Walks independently (up to 3 meters). Freely squats and rises, bends and picks up an object/toy from the floor. Can climb up the stairs.	Drinks from a cup himself, without adult support. He holds the spoon confidently and moves it around the plate.

Neuropsychic development

Month	Emotions	Speech	Intelligence
10	The child develops a full-fledged attachment to people who are significant to him. He gets along well with other children.	Repeats individual syllables after adults. Communicates with loved ones in a language that only they understand. Understands the words: “give me...”, “where..?”.	All sensations become qualitatively more complex: hearing, smell, taste, tactile perception.
11	He treats other children selectively, but in general, he enjoys communicating with them and babbles. May take other people's toys.	Says 1-2 words. Pronounces onomatopoeia, such as “bi-bi”, “av-av”. Can understand and fulfill adult requests (for example, “drive the car”, “feed the doll”).	Learns to manage his actions, mentally organizes all information coming from outside.
12	Experiences the widest range of emotions, based on the feeling of “separation” from an adult (since he can already move independently).	Repeats syllables after adults. Denotes individual concepts and objects with babbling words. Without showing an object/toy, he understands what is being said. Can carry out instructions such as “show..,” “find...”, “put in place...”, “bring.”	The 5th stage of development of sensorimotor intelligence begins: understands categories of objects and phenomena (for example, animals, furniture, food). Voluntary attention begins to form.

Doctor Komarovsky's opinion

Dr. Komarovsky, who is popular today, talks clearly and interestingly about children in his book “The Beginning of Life: Your Child from Birth to 1 Year,” as well as in his video lessons. Of course, the main emphasis is on pediatric issues, but in addition, from books and lectures you can learn about:

• principles of caring for toddlers;
• nutrition and feeding of children (according to WHO, as well as according to the author’s complementary feeding methodology);
• key stages of growth and development (when the baby should sit, crawl, stand and walk).

How to deal with a newborn

The first days with a newborn. Well, here you are at home. And at home, as you know, even the walls help. Both the pediatrician and the pediatric nurse will definitely visit you on the same day or the next. The pediatrician will check your baby weekly and a nurse will visit.

Advice. Write down all your questions in advance and don't be shy to ask them. The health worker is obliged to answer them, but it makes sense to remember that the doctor is also a person and it is more pleasant for him to communicate with friendly people.

The ceremonial meeting has taken place, the guests have left, the flowers are in vases, the baby is lying in his crib. If you spent a week together, then you already know your baby a little. But only now can you start doing everything the way that seems reasonable to you. If the maternity hospital had a “dress code” - diapers, and the temperature in the room was 27 degrees, then your baby has become accustomed to these conditions. It is possible that he will behave differently at home, because the conditions have changed.

Your tasks for the first time remain the same: more peace and relaxation next to the baby, establishing a routine for living together, feeding and care, walks and bathing, massage and gymnastics, first games and communication in those few minutes when the baby is not sleeping. Remember that communication, muscle activity and hardening are the three pillars that are the basis for the harmonious development of a child.

The first year of life in general is a period of active growth and development of the child. And it is especially important to create the best conditions for the baby at the very beginning, when the baby is most limited by external conditions, when so much depends on your attitude towards the little person. For the development of a baby’s brain, an influx of nerve impulses is necessary, which is ensured by the load on the senses, sensory stimulation, and, simply put, by an abundance of impressions from the outside world. The most varied impressions, in the widest range.

Advice. The baby is small and seems helpless, but the newborn is much more physically strong than we think.

Look at the baby as a person who has to conquer the big world, which means he needs to be introduced to this world, to changes in air and water temperature, to the simplest and most ordinary things, to his immediate environment. You can and should talk to your child from the very first days and minutes. The rhythm of folk pestles, sayings, and lullabies helps the baby calm down, coinciding with his internal rhythms. The mother's voice allows the baby to feel that his mother is nearby, that in this vast world there is an unchanging point of support and protection from everything and everyone.

The baby himself can only make micromovements, but the more often you pick him up (raise him, lower him, turn him over), the more you move with the baby in your arms, the more his vestibular apparatus works, his sense of balance develops, he tenses up, and therefore develops. muscles, the entire musculoskeletal system. In newborns and infants, the physical and mental are so closely intertwined that the language of touch and body movements is as important a way of communication for them as the speech of adults addressed to them.

From the very first days of life, the baby has the ability to communicate with others and feels the need for this communication. In fact, our communication with the child occurs constantly, no matter what we do with him. Whether he is breastfeeding, rocking to sleep in our arms, whether we are bathing the baby, giving him a massage or gymnastics - in addition to purely practical actions, we conduct a kind of dialogue with him through a variety of signals. The uniqueness of this language is that communication occurs using signals that are unusual for an adult. Vision and hearing “provide” the baby with much less information than his sense of touch, vestibular apparatus, and thermoreceptors. An important role is played by kinesthetic sensations, i.e. sensations of the body’s position in space, muscle tension, and in general what can be called intra-body sensations. Through movements, you can give the baby an opportunity to get an idea of ​​the structure of his body, how it works, how it tenses, relaxes and rests, what its capabilities are. The baby gets acquainted with the world around him, learning what is up, down, changing the direction of movement, rhythm and arrhythmia, speed and amplitude.

If you wish, you can create the most comfortable conditions for your baby for the first few months. But it is precisely in these first weeks and months that the baby’s natural mechanisms of adaptation to any features of the external environment are fully activated. If the conditions to which the baby adapts are a room with closed windows, warm socks on his feet and limited physical activity, then he will adapt precisely to these conditions.

But it is better, having overcome shyness, from the first days of the baby’s life to treat him not like a crystal vase, but in much the same way as mothers from those countries where babies spend the first year of their lives in close contact with their mother and nature.

Advice. If the child does not require this, it is absolutely not necessary to carry him in your arms for hours. And without that, the baby ends up in your arms very often. If he is calm and happy in the crib, you have the opportunity to do many things.

Rules for communicating with your baby:

Feed on demand, but remember that the digestion period for milk is about two hours;

Do not drink from a bottle (if necessary, from a spoon) and do not use a pacifier during the period of establishing lactation;

Ventilate rooms often to keep the air fresh;

Walk, starting from 15 minutes and up to two or more hours a day;

Maintain cleanliness, but do not strive for perfect sterility;

Bath, not “soar”;

Maintain skin-to-skin contact, pick him up more often and hold him in different positions, including vertically;

Bring to bed with you;

Create opportunities for the child to be physically active;

Talk with the baby: pronounce your actions, read poems and nursery rhymes;

With the help of the first toys, stimulate the development of tactile sensitivity;

Stimulate vision development by attracting the baby’s attention to toys;

Stimulate hearing development by organizing small “concerts” - listening to classical and folk music.

Games and toys for newborns

Immediately after being discharged from the maternity hospital, the young mother most likely has no time for games. And the baby spends most of his time sleeping. But there are children who, for one reason or another, cannot sleep. If the baby is feeling well, then he can simply lie in the crib, and then it would be very useful to give him the opportunity to look at something more interesting than wallpaper. For example, on a mobile with toys or a garland of rattles. Perhaps, to develop vision and concentration, you will want to hang graphic drawings with sharp contours (image of a chessboard, concentric circles, black and white photographs) next to the crib in the baby’s field of vision.

Advice. A very small child and a slightly older child are attracted to novelty, so toys (stimuli for attracting attention) need to be changed more often, at least once a day.

If you put a bracelet with a bell on the baby's arm or leg, the sound will attract the baby's attention. He, albeit accidentally, with his movements makes changes in the world around him.

You can put a homemade rattle in your baby’s palm (a store-bought toy is too big for a tiny hand). Touch your baby's hand to a variety of surfaces and materials. Carry the baby in your arms, show everything that surrounds the baby in the house.

Games and toys for a slightly older baby

If a newborn can be called a sleepyhead, then a slightly older baby is an “observer” who is trying to become a “researcher.” The baby stays awake longer and shows more and more interest in what is happening around him. The baby remains inactive and only tries to control his movements. The ability to look at an object and follow a moving object is present in the baby from birth. His vision, hearing and coordination are not yet perfect, but are developing every day.

The visual system improves during the first 6 months of a baby’s life.

Advice. Toys are useful for the development of a baby’s vision, but traveling around the house and the opportunity to see familiar objects from a “new point of view” will also be an excellent stimulation of the visual apparatus.

The child begins to look at “moving” objects, the mother’s face, “finds” his hands, holds his head longer and longer, lying on his tummy or being in his mother’s arms. Every day his back and neck muscles become stronger. A little later, the child joyfully perks up when he sees an adult; soon he will begin to roll over onto his tummy from his back, leaning on his elbows. The baby watches more for now, and you “play”, stimulating his activity. Carry your baby in your arms: periodically “changing places” will help the baby learn new things in the world around him.

A child needs toys that he will look at and touch. To develop the ability to distinguish sounds and an ear for music, you need not only rattles, but also a xylophone and bells. Tactile sensitivity is developed by touching a variety of textures and surfaces.

If your baby is whining and fussing, shake the rattle or talk to your baby out of sight. The baby will focus on the sound only for a short time, then he may begin to “complain” again. By one and a half months, the baby will listen to voices, music, and quiet sounds. By 3 months, your baby will smile when talking, turn his head, and respond differently to different sounds.

The baby is very interested in his hands. He moves his fingers, tries to grab toys. Then he begins to manipulate them. The child tries to pull a fist or finger into his mouth. By the end of the 2nd month of life, he can open and close his fingers. Hand-eye coordination improves, and the baby begins to touch toys.

Advice. The more developed a baby’s hands are, the more his brain develops, the faster and clearer his speech will sound.

At this age, toys are no longer needed only for looking at, but also for touching and then grasping. Toys should be within arm's reach of the child. They must be well secured. It is advisable to use toys in eye-pleasing shades, green, blue, yellow. Choose those that are more convenient to grip: rings, bells. Round objects will slip out of your baby's hand. At 3 months, the child is already consciously hitting hanging toys. He carefully observes how the touch of the lower toys causes the movement of the upper ones.

Place your baby on his tummy more often and leave it there longer, attracting his attention with toys so that he can hold his head longer. It is useful to purchase or sew a developmental mat with toys sewn onto it that are easy to grasp and feel.

In the third month of life, the baby begins to turn on its side. If you show a toy to a baby so that he can see it, as they say, out of the corner of his eye, he will turn his head, followed by his shoulders and torso. Some babies as young as 3 months can roll from their tummy to their back.

Baby’s toys should be varied in color, shape and texture (soft, smooth, rough). When giving your baby toys to feel, talk to him, repeating the sounds that you heard from him: “agu”, “boo-boo”, “a-a-a”, “o-o-o”.

Advice. Give your baby the opportunity to touch and grasp not only rattles, but also balls, cubes, shreds, and spoons. While the baby’s fingers are very awkward, any games with fingers or hand massage are the development of fine motor skills, and therefore the speech centers in the brain.

Here are just some of the games you can play with your baby.

Place small objects of different textures in your baby's palm - a wad of paper or a piece of fabric, a felt-tip pen cap, a short ribbon or lace.

Throw a stick over the bed rail. Hang one or two toys from it on an elastic cord at a height of 15-20 cm from the child so that he can hit the toys.

Take the baby's hand with your hand, shake it, stroke it, drawing the baby's attention to his hand. Play with his fingers, massage them gently.

You can knead and stroke his fingers, play finger games with your baby’s hands. Use your baby's palm to stroke smooth glass, rough fabric, a soft pillow, or a hard brush.

Offer your baby a toy and help him hold it by holding his hand with your hand. Help your baby shake the rattle and release your hand.

Place a balloon on your baby's leg so that your baby can see it. When the baby moves his leg, the ball will move.

Hold a brightly colored toy in front of your baby's face and slowly move it to the side. Shake the rattle to get your baby's attention. If his attention is on your face, hold the rattle in front of your face. Then slowly move the toy, making sure your baby follows it with his eyes.

Position yourself so that your baby can see your face comfortably. Call him by name in different intonations. Try to meet the child's eyes. If he makes a face, repeat his facial expressions. Did the baby smile? Smile back at him. If your baby is chattering, start a conversation with him. Listen to him and answer with similar sounds, changing the intonation to a question or exclamation.

Tie a bell to your baby's wrist. The baby will quickly grasp the connection between sounds and pen movements.

Talk or ring a bell away from and close to your baby. Clap your hands, blow a trumpet, ring a bell. Change the tone and volume of sounds. First, be close to the baby, so that he can see you. Then move away, because your task is to attract the child’s attention and make him want to turn his head in the direction of the sound.

First conversations with a newborn baby

Talk to your baby when you are busy with him: bathing him, changing him, feeding him. Accompany any actions with your baby with speech. Sing songs to your baby and read nursery rhymes. When talking to your child, change your intonation. For successful development, a child of the first year of life most of all needs a close psycho-emotional connection with his mother, on the basis of which trust in the world, a sense of security, and self-confidence emerge. If the mother is not a “talker in life,” then some internal resistance must be overcome in order to begin one-sided communication with the baby, who, obviously, does not understand anything and almost does not react.

However, the baby understands our intentions if we take the trouble to explain to the little man what we are doing and why, and do not treat him as an unreasonable creature.

Advice. You can “Google” articles and books by F. Dalto, the famous child psychoanalyst, who back in the 50s of the 20th century helped them recover through conversations with infants, and in the 70s she organized the first “Green Island” - a center where psychologists , communicating with infants and older children who were still non-verbal, helped parents realize the importance of interacting with their babies and learn to better understand them.

Actually, nothing supernatural is required. If you had to take care of your beloved old grandmother, you would probably find it necessary to talk to her. They would say: “Good morning, now we’ll wash up... The weather is good today... How did you sleep?” You would read books to her and tell her what is new and interesting in the world. Just because you love her.

You probably remember from childhood: “Early in the morning at dawn, little mice, and kittens, and ducklings, and bugs, and spiders wash themselves...” (K.I. Chukovsky).

Advice. Read Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin, he is truly “our everything.” There is a study according to which children who listened to Pushkin a lot cope more successfully with speech therapy problems.

This is not a fairy tale. The fact is that, in addition to the heart rhythm, which we all know about, every cell in the human body pulsates. And the baby’s whole body tunes to the mother’s voice, to the poetic rhythm. We love certain poets because the rhythm of their poems coincides with ours and helps us find harmony.

Whenever you approach your baby, talk to him. If he is worried, respond immediately. Approach him quickly at first, but gradually lengthen the time between your verbal reassurance and your appearance at his crib. Maybe the baby will calm down just from the sound of your voice. Sometimes choose a time and approach the crib when the baby is not yet calling you. A few minutes of communication will help the baby understand that his mother remembers him, even if he is not indignant.

The birth of a child is the happiest day for parents. But with his birth comes responsibilities. Among them, child development occupies an important place.

From the first days of a child’s life, it is necessary to deal with his mental and psychological development. And the little man develops through games.

Every parent wants their child to be the smartest, most savvy. To do this, you need to work with your baby every day, devoting at least 10 to 15 minutes a day.

Children from 0 months to 1 year.

Psychologists have proven that if from the first days of a baby’s life you show him different colors and name them out loud, then when he learns to speak, it will not be difficult for him to remember them. But you need to do this every day. The same is true with numbers and letters.

Finger games are a good help for development. The most familiar to us are “Ladushki”, “The Horned Goat is Coming”, “The White-sided Magpie”.

Such games develop finger motor skills, and motor skills, in turn, develop the child’s brain. Therefore, finger games are not only interesting, but also useful. There are finger games for every age. The older your baby gets, the more complex the games become.

Finger games are also useful for the development of a child's speech. After all, when we perform an action, we say it all out loud, in poetic form. And, as you know, poetry is remembered more easily than ordinary speech. Also, such games teach the child perseverance and attentiveness, and he will need this in kindergarten and school. Finger games can be played from 3 months of age.

To help your child develop finger motor skills, you can sew several bags and fill them with different things. For example, fill one bag with peas, another with rice, a third with cotton wool, a fourth with large but not sharp stones, and so on. Give these bags to your baby and let him feel them.

This exercise is very useful: it is both a massage for little fingers and knowledge of the world around us. These bags can be given as early as 4 months.

Children from 10 months old love to look at books. It is desirable that these books be bright and colorful. So that there is less text and more drawings. And it is also desirable that there be various animals, but not exotic ones, but from our region. Read together and come up with different stories based on the pictures. Tell stories with different intonations, facial expressions, and gestures.

Children also love puppet theaters. They are interested when the toy talks to them.

Sometimes children do not listen to their parents; toys can help in this situation. They listen to them with pleasure. If your child does not want to eat, then place his favorite toy next to him and feed him first, and then the baby.

But not everyone has the means to buy a variety of dolls for their baby. Don't worry, you can make them yourself. For example, from socks. Sew buttons onto the sock instead of eyes and a nose and put the sock on your hand - you have a toy. Sew on ears from a different material - and you have a dog. There are old gloves - a great toy. Make eyes and a nose out of colored paper and glue them on - they make great little brothers. Tie a scarf around the ball and you've got a girl. You can make a lot of toys, the main thing here is your imagination. You fantasize, and the child develops.

Walking outside plays an important role in a child's understanding of the world around him. Show and tell everything your baby sees on the street. From an early age, teach to appreciate and protect nature.

“Trees cannot be broken, they hurt,” “The birds must be fed” - these kinds of expressions develop speech, and subsequently, love for nature. Of course, it's great if you have any pets. They have a very good influence on children and teach them responsibility.

Communication with other children also helps the baby’s development very well. In games, they learn to communicate with other people, understand, give in to each other, defend their rights, and express their emotions. The child will learn not to be afraid of people. Therefore, the sooner you introduce your child to peers, the better for him.

Children from 1 year to 2 years

Children from 1 to 2 years old can already be given pencils and paper. But you need to immediately teach your child that you only need to write on paper. At this age, the child can already make straight and circular lines. Draw together, use different colored pencils and praise your child for his success. The older the child gets, the more complex the drawings become: the sun, a tree, a flower, a bird, etc. At 2 years old, you can already learn to draw with paints. Children love to play with plasticine.

You just have to watch them and guide them. Drawings and modeling express the child’s fantasies, desires and aspirations. Therefore, the more often a child draws, the easier it is for adults to understand him.

Buy your child a variety of toys (if your finances allow it). Sometimes a boy also needs to play with a doll, and a girl with cars. And there's nothing wrong with that. Children must develop from all sides.

Children from 2 to 3 years old

Children from 2 to 3 years old are already becoming independent. They just need to be monitored and their activities directed. It is at this time that they begin to develop their own “I” and they need to be supported in this. It may take a long time, but he dresses and undresses himself. Let him get all dirty, but he will eat himself. Under no circumstances should the desire “I myself” be suppressed. At this age, you can also continue to play finger games. But the child must pronounce all actions and words himself. Drawings and sculptures are already more complex.

By this age, the child should already, if not talk, then repeat all the words well.

A child must have his own corner, his own chair, his own table, a place where he can retire, a place where no one will disturb him. That is, the child must have his own private territory, which can be entered only with his permission. This helps the child to develop psychologically, he will be able to feel like a full-fledged person.

You need to communicate with the child at his level, that is, accept and understand his views and morals. It must be perceived as a person, and not as private property.

Sometimes you can forgive a child for pranks. Rejoice and praise your child even for the smallest achievements. This stimulates them in further, more serious work. All this will help the child become a full-fledged person and member of society.

Children really grow up very quickly. Just yesterday, when you brought your newborn baby home from the maternity hospital, you didn’t even think about the fact that today a little one-year-old man would be running around your apartment. Of course, you are concerned about whether your child is developing correctly and acquiring the necessary skills on time.

By tracking your child's development month by month up to a year and comparing it with the recommendations of pediatricians, neurologists and psychologists, you will not miss anything and can detect and correct possible deviations in time.

A table indicating the time of appearance of a particular skill will be of interest not only to you, but also to your grown-up child in the future.

First month

The first month of a newborn's life is also called the adaptation period. The child learns to live outside the familiar environment - the warm mother’s tummy. At this time the baby:

• sleeps a lot - up to 20 hours a day,
• eats a lot (read more about this in the article breastfeeding >>>).

The task of the immediate family is to place the child in comfortable conditions: not to overheat or overcool. About this in the article temperature in the room for a newborn >>>, change diapers and feed on time.

Of course, it is important to give your baby your love: carry it in your arms, talk, sing songs.

By the age of one month, the child already pays attention to bright toys and can follow them with his eyes and turning his head. The article contains information about when a newborn begins to see >>> The first color that newborns see is red.

On a note! The following exercise will be very useful: take a bright, preferably red, toy, and move it at a distance of 30 cm from the child’s face from left to right, from bottom to top. A one-month-old baby can already follow the movements of the toy.

At one month old, the baby already turns his head towards the sound. Find out when a newborn begins to hear >>> You can check this by rattling a rattle to the left and right of the baby.

In the first month of life, the child retains some innate newborn reflexes, which will completely disappear by the fourth month of life:

• sucking reflex (can suck objects in the mouth);
• swimming (if you lower the baby into the water with his stomach down, the child will make movements reminiscent of swimming);
• grasping (if you touch your palm, the child will clench his fist);
• search reflex (if you touch the cheek, it looks for the mother’s breast);
• step reflex - if you put the child on his feet (while holding him), he can “step”.

If you put the baby on his stomach, he will try to slightly raise his head; trains your neck, back and shoulders.

By the age of one month, physically developed children already begin to hold their heads.

And also in my video tutorial:

Second month

The second month of child development is sometimes also called the “month of revitalization.” Your baby now sleeps less and can stay awake for up to 50 minutes.

The child’s vision and hearing improve, the baby is able to look at objects from a distance of 30 centimeters to half a meter. The baby can spend about 15 minutes in his crib, looking at a mobile phone or other toys.

1. At the age of two months, babies already raise their head and hold it in an upright position for some time.
2. Some babies already know how to roll over from their side to their back. Read more about when a baby starts to roll over >>>
3. The child studies his hands - he can bring his fists to his mouth and suck them;
4. Infant reflexes are still preserved, but begin to gradually fade away;
5. The emotional sphere also develops. At two months, the so-called “revival complex” is formed. This skill takes pride of place on the child development chart; this is one of the most important milestones up to a year, confirming the normal functioning of the nervous system;
6. The baby can already recognize his parents and is happy with them. When you bend over the crib, the baby begins to quickly and quickly jerk its arms and legs;
7. In the second month of life, your child will most likely give you his first conscious smile. If this doesn't happen, no big deal; This means that this joyful event will happen a little later. Find out when your baby starts smiling >>>
8. At two months, a child can walk - he makes melodious vowel sounds, sometimes he can even pronounce “agu”, “aha”, “abu”. Children like their own “speech” and listen to it with pleasure. The article contains information about when the baby begins to coo >>>

Communicate with your child more often, sing to him, you will see that the baby will sing along with you!

Read more about this age in the article what a child should be able to do at 2 months >>>, and, of course, watch my video tutorial:

Third month

Throughout the month, your baby's physical, mental, and emotional skills continue to improve.

• The child is able to hold his head better and better;
• While on his stomach, the baby rises on his forearms and can look around;
• By the third month of life, the fists straighten, the baby already knows how to take a rattle, reaches for objects of interest to him;
• The children continue to explore their hands; by the end of the month, the most active of them are already grabbing their knees (the first stage in studying their own legs);
• Everything that falls into a child's hands ends up in his mouth;

Interesting! The fact is that the mucous membrane of the mouth and tongue are much more sensitive than the fingers. Children explore their surroundings using their mouths.

The third month of child development is characterized by an expansion of the emotional spectrum.

• Some children already know how to laugh, others are just starting to smile;
• The child carefully watches the expressions on the faces of loved ones and can already “read” their mood and imitate their facial expressions;
• The baby's speech continues to develop. The baby can walk for a long time and with pleasure, increasingly pronouncing not only melodious vowel sounds, but also syllables.

The article contains important information about what a child should be able to do at 3 months >>>

Fourth month

The fourth month of child development is characterized by rapid changes both physiologically and psychologically:

1. The baby already holds his head confidently: both when he is held in a “column” and when he lies on his stomach; can rotate it to follow objects or respond to sound;
2. The baby can rise to his elbows while lying on his stomach. Some children are already leaning on straightened arms;
3. From three to four months, your baby learns to roll over on his own - both from his stomach to his back and from his back to his tummy. The most active children already know how to roll around the room, or even crawl on their bellies! Interesting information about when a baby starts crawling >>>

Important! Remember that it is no longer safe to leave a child in an adult bed. It’s better to move him to the floor, from there he can’t fall and will have more space for his training.

1. 4 months is the age of conscious manipulation of objects. The baby can take the rattle himself and play with it;
2. The child is good at distinguishing between his loved ones;
3. At this age, the fear of being left without a mother is strong, so the baby often does not let her go from him for a second. Pay more attention to it and wait, this period will soon pass;
4. At four months, the baby already has his favorite toys, may be interested in the reflection in the mirror, listens carefully to various sounds: the sound of a rattle, the ringing of a bell, voices, music;
5. A child’s speech development begins in the first year of life. At 4 months, the humming gives way to babbling: the intelligible syllables “ba”, “ma”, “gu” appear.

Fifth month

IN fifth month Throughout his life, a child hones physical skills:

• can confidently roll over in different directions;
• lying on his stomach, rises to his elbows or palms;
• takes a “preparing to sit” position: reclining on the hip, leaning on one of the arms;
• tries to reach the object of interest;
• can stand if supported by the armpits;
• grabs his feet, pulls them into his mouth, licks them.

In the fifth month of a child’s development, he acquires an important social skill: he begins to separate his friends from strangers. The baby happily sits in the arms of his parents, but may frown or even cry if another person turns to him or tries to take him.

At 5 months, a child can play with various objects on his own: pick them up, throw them, knock, lick them, etc. At the fifth month of life, the baby may be interested in a picture book. Children love to look at faces, especially those with different expressions. Interested in color magazines.

Tell what is shown on the pages, read simple poems. This way you will not only keep your child occupied for a long time, but will also contribute to the development of your baby’s speech.

At this age, you can already teach your child simple words: “mom,” “dad,” “baba.” Some babies at the age of five months already repeat them.

At 5 months, children express their joy with all their might with a smile, they know how to laugh boisterously, become angry and sad; continue to master the full range of emotions. If he lacks the attention of adults, the child may become capricious.

Sixth month

The sixth month of child development is another time for changes in the usual way of life:

1. It is at this time that babies begin to crawl on their bellies, and mothers have to remove many objects from their reach;
2. At six months, the child can already be briefly placed in a reclining position. Children do not yet know how to sit up on their own. Find out from the article, when does a child begin to sit?>>>
3. Six-month-old babies, lying on their tummy, try to get up on their knees - this is an important stage in preparation for both sitting and crawling. If the child succeeds, after a while he begins to sway in this position. Such movements are completely normal and indicate the baby’s development;
4. The child confidently holds various objects, can take them with any handle, transfer them from hand to hand;
5. 6 months is the age for exploring the surrounding space. The child puts everything he can reach into his mouth and can break toys;
6. At six months, the first everyday skills are formed: with the start of complementary feeding, children learn what a spoon is; learn to drink from a cup held by an adult. Detailed information about the introduction of complementary feeding and child nutrition >>>
7. The child's intelligence develops. At 6 months, children begin to understand the consequences of their actions: if you throw a dice, it will fall, if you press a button, a squeak will be heard;
8. Speech formation continues. At the age of six months, children confidently pronounce syllables and master the first consonants: “z”, “s”, “f”.

Seventh month

A seven-month-old baby becomes increasingly active:

• Children crawl confidently on their bellies, some already know how to move on all fours.

If your child crawls backwards, there is nothing to worry about; soon the child will figure out how to control his own body.

• At seven months, babies can sit with their back straight for some time. Particularly active ones know how to stand against a support and try to stand up independently. Read to find out when a baby starts walking >>>
• Fine motor skills are developing: the child can hold an object in each hand, knock them against each other, pick up, put down, and throw toys at will.

Important! Make sure that all small parts of toys are securely fastened, since seven-month-old babies put everything in their mouth.

• The seventh month of a child’s development is the time when it is necessary to stimulate the baby’s cognitive interest. Tell him about the objects that surround him, show him and name the main parts of his body.
• At seven months, children can already show objects at the request of their parents (“Where are the eyes?”, “Where is the watch?”).
• Household skills are being improved. Now, during feeding, the baby removes food from the spoon and continues to master drinking from a mug. Some children already drink from a sippy cup or straw themselves.

Seven-month-old babies begin to imitate adults, which is what makes the introduction of complementary foods easier.

• At this age, the child imitates the sounds that animals make; he can say “av-av”, “me-me”. Pronounces many syllables.

On a note! To activate the speech center, develop your baby's fine motor skills. Toys with large wooden beads of various colors and shapes strung on a rope are suitable for this.

Eighth month

The eighth month of child development is marked by persistent attempts to stand up.

1. The baby crawls to any support and tries to give its body a vertical position. While this maneuver is not possible for all children. If you place a child next to a support, he will stand;
2. The most active children already know how to walk along a support, and also move their legs when an adult holds them by both hands or armpits;
3. An eight-month-old child can crawl on all fours, explores the room where he lives, knows the layout of the rooms, and moves around the apartment himself;
4. The child knows how to sit, sits down on his own from a “standing on all fours” position;
5. The little man's games are becoming more and more meaningful. The baby knows how to put toys in a box or some container. Some children can already put rings on the base of the pyramid and take them off, and try to put cups into one another.

At this time, your child may want to eat with a spoon on his own. This desire needs to be encouraged, then later you will not have to instill this skill in your child.

1. The child has already mastered simple games: “peek-a-boo” (hides behind his hands, hides his face on his mother’s chest or, for example, in a blanket on the bed), “okay” (claps his hands), shows “flashlights”. Listens to music with pleasure, can “sing along” and even dance, especially if he has seen his parents do this;
2. The child understands simple requests: bring a toy, show a chandelier. Many children already know how to show some parts of their body;
3. Speech is constantly improving. The baby tries to repeat words after adults, new syllables are obtained. Perhaps right now the child will utter his first meaningful word.

Ninth month

• The nine-month-old baby continues to struggle to stand on his feet;
• He already stands up more confidently and stands at the support, moves along sofas, beds, and around the playpen;
• While crawling, it can turn around and crawl in the opposite direction. Able to sit down from a lying position and stand up from a sitting position;

Important! At this time, the child tries to climb onto a chair, sofa, or get off of there on his own. Parents must be on alert at all times to prevent dangerous falls.

• The baby tries to reach everything he sees. If it doesn’t work out, he can express his dissatisfaction by screaming. It is at nine months that the child actively shows his character. He may begin to resist dressing and hygiene procedures, even if he had previously endured everything without complaint. The child is afraid of losing his mother and does not want to let her out of his sight even for a short time.

In the ninth month of a child’s development, new skills emerge:

1. The baby learns to crumple and tear paper, leaf through books;
2. You can give your child plasticine, just make sure he doesn't eat it. Kneading plasticine will strengthen your hands and develop fine motor skills. In addition, children really like this activity;
3. The baby's vocabulary is constantly expanding. Children quickly remember the names of all the objects that adults show them; they also know the meanings of the words “give”, “bring”, “put”, “eat”, “cannot”, etc.

Tenth month

In the tenth month of a child's development, his skills continue to improve. The man can already get up and stand without support, and is trying to walk. Able to sit up from a standing position. Nimblely crawls throughout the apartment.

At this age, children’s games improve:

• Thanks to the active development of fine motor skills, the child can already hold two to three small objects in one hand. At 10 months, the baby has a dominant hand;
• Children understand how to play with toys: they know how to roll a car, assemble and disassemble a pyramid (the rings are not placed in order yet). They know how to play with a tumbler, they know how to build a tower from two cubes;
• A child can be involved in play with children if adults show him how to do it;
• Children love to nestle cups into each other;
• They know how to roll and throw a ball;
• Open and close cabinet doors, pull out and close drawers. They can put the toy in a closet or drawer;
• Transfer small items into different boxes and containers;
• They begin to combine objects, for example, pushing a ball with a stick;
• Enjoy playing with food and water;
• They begin to be interested in construction kits made from large parts, only until they are assembled, but disassembled;
• They know how to turn the pages of cardboard books.

Ten-month-old babies love to imitate adults and copy their facial expressions. Use this interest of the little man by speaking new simple words to him. The baby will repeat them after you.

At 10 months, children remember the names of animals well and parody the sounds they make.

A child can respond to a simple request: show, hide, bring. Children already know the names of body parts, show their eyes and nose. They know how to generalize concepts: for example, they show the hands of themselves, of a doll, of a dad, of a girl in a picture.

Eleventh month

1. At eleven months, your baby is strong enough to begin taking his first steps without support. The child can walk a short distance from one adult to another, or from a support to his mother. The baby actively moves in any room: crawls, sits, stands, walks with support.
2. Self-care skills continue to develop. The man tries to eat with a spoon, drink from a cup, and tries to put on or take off his clothes himself. You can keep your little one occupied for a long time if you offer him a box of clothes. The child’s independence must be encouraged, especially since children at this age love to be praised.
3. The eleventh month of child development is the time when the first meaningful dialogues appear. The baby perfectly understands the meaning of the words “yes”, “no”, “impossible” (find out from the article how to explain to your child what is prohibited >>>); knows how to nod positively and shake his head negatively.
4. In addition, the baby looks and points with his finger at an object of interest. In this way, the baby communicates with adults, parents and the child begin to understand each other better. The number of spoken syllables is growing. At this time, two or three clearly pronounced words may appear in the baby’s speech (most often these are “mom”, “dad”, “baba” and some kind of onomatopoeia, for example, “av”).
5. Eleven-month-old babies begin to master polite communication skills: they easily remember the “hello” and “bye” gestures, and willingly wave their hands.

On a note! Although this is still a game for them, parents are encouraged to always ask their child to say hello and goodbye to reinforce this positive habit.

At 11 months, babies are very excitable and easily move from laughing to crying. They become wary in an unfamiliar place and become frightened when a new person appears. These manifestations indicate the normal development of the child’s psyche and should not upset parents.

Twelfth month

The twelfth month of child development is a kind of transition period from infancy to childhood. Although this limit is very arbitrary, psychologically parents expect much more from a one-year-old child than from an eleven-month-old.

• At one year of age, the baby most often begins to walk.

Don't worry if your child doesn't do this yet; Children have the right to crawl until they are one and a half years old, and this is not considered a pathology.

• A little man at this age already knows how to squat to pick up a toy; can put down one item and pick up another. Children know very well where everything is and will look for the toy exactly where they left it;
• Kids learn to step over obstacles: first, holding an adult’s hand, and then on their own;
• Everyday skills develop: the child eats with a spoon, drinks from a cup, puts on and takes off hats and socks;
• If the baby has been potty trained, at one year old such children may already ask to use it. Information about at what age to potty train a child >>> At one year, the child eats food in pieces and knows how to chew. If the chewing teeth have not yet grown, children chew with their gums (they are quite hard);
• A one-year-old child understands everything that is said to him, even if his parents think that this is not so. He perfectly knows how to read the mood and succumbs to it: he is happy and sad with his mother. Psychologists do not recommend sorting things out and quarreling in front of a child. Since the baby does not yet know how to cope with his emotions, this can cause him serious injury.

The baby not only understands everything that is said to him, but also babbles a lot and pronounces individual words.

Important! At this age, teachers consider all stable sound combinations that always mean the same thing to be words.

Vocabulary by one year old – from two to ten words; in some children it may be even greater.

• At the twelfth month of life, the child’s games become more complicated. The baby selects some toys, can feed them, rock them, put them on the potty.

What did the baby learn in the first year of life?

The child's development calendar from birth to one year is filled with many events. By the age of one year, the baby can roll over, crawl, sit, stand, and walk. The child climbs onto beds, sofas, and gets off them.

Children know how to eat with a spoon, put on and take off a hat and socks, and ask to go to the potty.

The little man has mastered games: throwing and rolling balls, cars, and rocking dolls. Plays with cubes, collects a pyramid.

The child is very emotional, knows how to smile and laugh, get angry, and be sad. Recognizes parents, prefers their company to the company of other people.

When wondering about the development of the baby, do not forget that each person is individual, even if he is only a few months old. If your child doesn't know how to do something, there's no reason to worry; he will definitely acquire this skill later.

The most important thing is to surround the baby with care and love, spend a lot of time with him, talk to him. Then there will be a return, and very soon the child will begin to delight his parents with more and more new skills.

Since the life of a large family was replaced by separate living of a newly created family, young mothers have developed uncertainty and a feeling of helplessness after childbirth in the correctness and timeliness of the development of the newborn.

Without extensive experience in “babysitting” small children, a woman is stupefied by literally everything related to the physiological and mental development of her baby, especially in the first year of the child’s life.

We offer you a brief overview of the development of a child up to one year old. Let’s look at the first month of life, the most difficult in terms of how a young mother and baby adapt to each other, in more detail - week by week.

Week one, let's get acquainted

Sense organs of a newborn. The long-awaited return home. Now the baby can get to know his mother in a calm atmosphere, see, hear, smell and touch the world around him from a new perspective, already familiar to him in absentia from the muffled sounds coming from outside during intrauterine life.

A newly born child's vision is blurry; he can only distinguish large objects located nearby, which is a kind of protection against the sudden surge of colors and shapes. Hearing, smell and touch are quite developed in a newborn; these sense organs developed while still alive inside the mother.

Breast-feeding

In the first week after birth, it is very important to establish breastfeeding. Get used to the fact that for the first time after birth, the baby will be in your arms almost all the time during waking moments and will constantly demand the breast.

It’s not so much a matter of hunger, but rather a need to feel the unity that is broken with the mother. Attachment to the breast at one week of age is perhaps the only and most effective way to calm a crying baby.

First bath

The first bath after birth is the most frightening procedure for new mothers and fathers. Try to do it correctly and calmly, so as not to spoil everything the first time and not cause the baby to dislike water.

Physiological characteristics of the newborn that most often cause concern:

• Regurgitation. Many mothers worry that the baby spits up often and a lot and does not eat enough. Spitting up is normal for babies up to 6 months old.

They occur due to the immaturity of the digestive tract, immaturity of the nervous system and incorrect organization of the breastfeeding process, during which air is swallowed.

For a one-week-old baby, the norm is to regurgitate after each feeding in a volume of no more than 2 tablespoons and once a day in a “fountain”. You can check the amount of milk regurgitated by pouring 2 tablespoons of water onto the diaper and comparing the stains formed from the water and milk.

• Weight loss. In the first days after birth, breastfed babies tend to lose weight. This is normal and temporary. They will gain weight when breastfeeding is fully established.
• Jaundice. You may notice that 2-3 days after birth, the newborn’s skin tone has turned yellow. The phenomenon is also normal and is an adaptive process that results in the formation of excess bilirubin in the blood, which turns the skin yellow. If jaundice is not pathological, it goes away on its own in 7-14 days.
• Strabismus. Sometimes it may seem that a newborn's eyes are squinting. This occurs due to weakness of the eyeball muscles and inability to focus the gaze. Help your baby learn to use his eyes - hang a large, bright toy above the crib in the center, and the eyes will begin to move in sync within a few days or weeks. In very rare cases, strabismus can last up to six months, which is not yet a cause for concern.
• Trembling in sleep. Does your baby startle suddenly in his sleep? It is not at all necessary that he has problems with the nervous system. Swaddle him tightly while he sleeps to create similar living conditions during pregnancy and the baby will become calmer. Such tremors disappear on average by 3-4 months after the birth of the child.
• Peeling of the skin. After birth, the baby does not have a very attractive appearance due to a special lubricant that covers his body to facilitate the birth process and initially protect the skin from contact with air. There is no need to take it off for the first 2-3 days. Then it is absorbed and the child’s skin adapts to new conditions, resulting in peeling.

When does a child begin to hear well and on what day after birth does this happen?

Do not use detergents; if the skin is dry, lubricate it, preferably with any vegetable oil, previously sterilized in a water bath. When walking, ensure that your baby is isolated from gusts of wind and direct sunlight. If you follow these recommendations, the peeling will soon go away.

Week two, getting used to it

A week has passed. For a newborn, this is a huge period of time, including a lot of new impressions, getting to know his body and the world around him. The umbilical wound is healing. The baby completely adapts to the new way of getting food. The number of intestinal bowel movements is normalized and is 3-4 times a day.

Weight gain begins. The baby becomes more and more interested in what is happening around him and begins to listen to surrounding sounds and look at objects more carefully. He can examine all the details from a distance of 20-25 cm. At this time, facial expressions begin to develop - your pet may even please you with his first smile.

Now your happiness can be overshadowed by the onset of intestinal colic, accompanied by prolonged crying and squeezing, twisting of the legs. You can start fighting them, but there is no consensus among doctors about both the cause of their occurrence and ways to alleviate the condition. There is only one piece of advice: be patient, sooner or later they will stop.

Week three, small victories

The third week marks the first achievements in your baby's life. Lying on his tummy, he tries to raise his head and examine the surrounding objects. He succeeds in this for a while. The baby's movements become more and more orderly, he makes attempts to reach the toys suspended above him.

When you address him, the baby becomes quiet, looks into the face of the speaker, reacts to the intonation of the voice and may hum and smile in response. During this period, it is more difficult to calm the baby; to relieve the tension of the nervous system overflowing with new impressions, he may cry for a long time. For some babies, crying for 20 minutes before falling asleep becomes the norm. The intonation of crying becomes more and more demanding.

Week four, summing up

The first month of life is coming to an end. The baby goes from newborn to infancy. The child’s vestibular apparatus is improving - he senses the position of his body in space, which will soon allow him to roll over and grasp objects.

The flexor muscles are still stronger than the extensor muscles and the limbs are in a semi-flexed position.

Muscle hypertonicity is a normal physiological condition for children under one month old.

A month after the birth of your child, you need to undergo a medical examination, during which doctors will evaluate physiological development and its compliance with age standards.

What should a child be able to do by the end of the fourth week of life:

• focus your gaze on the object in question, turn your head towards the outgoing sound;
• recognize parents and perk up when they appear in sight;
• try to briefly hold your head while lying on your stomach.

Height and weight

Here are the average indicators developed by the World Health Organization. In parentheses we will indicate critical values ​​indicating the need for a medical examination. Everything that falls within this range is a variant of the norm.

Second month

The period is characterized by the establishment of a similar pattern of sleep and wakefulness. The baby still sleeps a lot, but now mom knows when and approximately how much time he needs to rest. Now he can firmly grasp everything that falls into his hands.

What a baby should be able to do:

• focus your gaze not only on moving, but also on stationary objects;
• roll over from side to side;
• briefly hold the head from a position lying on your tummy, try to rise on your arms, arching your back, turn your head towards the sound;
• demonstrate the support reflex: feel the support under your legs and push off from it;
• demonstrate a “revival complex” when adults appear: smile, move arms and legs, arch, “walk”, making drawn-out vowel sounds.

The main principles of smooth weaning of a child from the breast

Third month

If development proceeds at an average pace, then at the age of three months the child has learned to roll over from his back to his tummy and lift himself from his tummy on his arms, maintaining this position for up to several minutes.

Don't worry if your baby doesn't succeed, he will catch up by 4-5 months.

Due to the increase in subcutaneous fat deposits, the baby acquires rounded shapes, swelling with folds appears on the arms and legs. The child puts everything into his mouth and tastes it. At three months you need to undergo a second medical examination.

Skills and abilities:

• the revival complex develops further, the child tries to talk using “cooing” and is very happy to see mom or dad;
• rollover from back to stomach;
• emphasis on the arms with raising the body while lying on the stomach and holding in this position.

Fourth month

Most children by this age end with problems with intestinal colic, and mothers can breathe easy, but not for long - the first teeth may soon appear. Some are destined not to receive the long-awaited respite.

Skills and abilities:

• holding small objects with ease;
• babbling, humming, pronouncing the syllables “ba”, “ma”, “pa” and others;
• reaction to your name;
• confident holding of the head in an upright position in the arms of an adult;
• grasping, pulling towards oneself and tasting objects of interest;
• first attempts at squats.

Fifth month

The baby's motor activity has increased so much that the best place for him now is the floor, where he can happily perform all sorts of tricks. By this time he had already become bored with the crib. Now the restless one needs vigilant supervision. Most people start teething, which is accompanied by itching, anxiety and profuse drooling.

What a child should be able to do:

• roll over from back to stomach and back, pull yourself up on your arms, make your first attempts to crawl and sit down;
• play with toys independently for 5-10 minutes;
• “talk” in syllables vaguely reminiscent of human speech.

Sixth month

The child tries to crawl, and many do it well. Attempts to sit down turn into triumph, but the spine does not yet have strength, and the little one cannot sit for a long time. He actively explores the world, showing capriciousness due to his teeth bothering him. At six months you need to have another medical examination.

Skills and abilities:

• short sitting in pillows, a highchair, or a stroller;
• crawl;
• laughter, muttering, and even something similar to singing;
• jumping in the arms of an adult with the support of the arms, which becomes the toddler’s favorite pastime.

Seventh month

By this time, the child has learned to understand the meaning of many words and points his finger at objects of interest. He understands that the trick with missing things is just a trick, and they can be found.

Many toddlers begin to experience fear when parting with their mother, which is a high indicator of mental development.

Skills and abilities:

• the child stands up with the help of support and moves while standing;
• crawls confidently, but it also happens that the baby skips the crawling period and immediately begins to move, holding on to support.

When does a child begin to see the world around him after birth?

Eighth month

Your baby learns to achieve her goal by being persistent and measuring the boundaries of what is permitted. He already understands the word “impossible” well, which greatly upsets the little man. Character traits emerge. A child may already have 4-6 teeth, but there is no clear time frame for teething; all children undergo the process individually. The level of distrust of strangers increases even more.

What can a child do:

• sit down independently;
• throw toys and transfer them from one hand to another;
• take the first steps holding the hands of an adult.

Ninth month

The child is growing before our eyes. Once helpless, he now tries to do everything on his own, despite the fact that it turns out poorly. The baby is good at sitting, standing up and walking with the help of support. Speech skills are developing, some children are already pronouncing their first words.

The child can explain himself using facial expressions, gestures, syllables and words. Copies the intonation of adults well.

At 9 months, a medical examination is necessary to assess the baby's development.

What a child can do:

• holds a spoon in his hands and tries to eat independently, drinks from a mug or sippy cup;
• at the request of an adult, takes objects that are named to him;
• sits, sits, crawls and walks independently with support;
• transforms babble into words.

Tenth month

The skills and abilities acquired in the 9th month of life are further developed.