Baby Milestones Month by Month: What to Expect in the First Year

The first year can feel like watching a tiny person unlock new abilities without sharing the schedule.

One week, your baby is quietly studying the ceiling. The next, they are smiling, rolling towards a cable, grabbing your glasses and trying to eat the television remote.

Naturally, parents want to know whether development is happening “on time”. This baby milestones month-by-month guide explains what you may notice from birth to 12 months, how to support development through ordinary play and when it is worth speaking to your health visitor or GP.

The most important thing to remember is that baby milestones are guides, not deadlines. Babies develop at different rates and may build skills in a different order. One baby may focus on movement while another becomes more interested in sounds, faces or fine-motor skills.

The quick answer: Baby milestones describe skills that commonly emerge as babies grow, including movement, communication, social interaction and problem-solving. Use the ages as flexible guides, look for progress across several areas and ask your health visitor for advice whenever something concerns you—especially if your baby loses a skill they previously had.

This article offers general UK guidance. Your health visitor, GP, paediatrician or therapy team can advise you about your baby’s individual health and development.

What Are Baby Milestones?

Baby milestones are skills or behaviours that commonly appear during development.

They may include:

• Smiling socially
• Holding the head more steadily
• Reaching for an object
• Rolling
• Sitting
• Babbling
• Responding to a familiar voice
• Picking up small items
• Pulling to stand
• Using gestures
• Attempting an early word
• Taking first steps

These baby development milestones usually appear across four connected areas.

Physical and Movement Development

This includes head control, reaching, grasping, rolling, sitting, moving around, standing and eventually walking.

Communication and Language Development

This includes responding to voices, cooing, babbling, copying sounds, recognising familiar words, using gestures and attempting first words.

Social and Emotional Development

This includes making eye contact, smiling, enjoying interaction, recognising familiar people, showing preferences and seeking reassurance.

Thinking and Learning Development

This includes watching moving objects, exploring with the hands and mouth, looking for a dropped toy, copying actions and understanding simple cause and effect.

The areas overlap. Reaching for a toy, for example, involves vision, coordination, balance, motivation and problem-solving—not only arm movement.

Baby Milestones Are Flexible, Not Pass-or-Fail Tests

A baby milestones chart can help you understand development, but it cannot predict the exact week each skill will arrive.

The NHS Inform guide to development from 2 to 12 months reminds parents that every baby develops at their own pace and that development is not a race.

Several things can influence development during the first year:

• Premature birth
• Health and growth
• Muscle tone
• Hearing or vision
• Opportunities for movement
• Temperament
• Individual interests
• Genetics
• Feeding history

One later skill does not automatically mean there is a developmental problem.

Look at the wider pattern:

• Is your baby learning new things?
• Are movements becoming stronger or more controlled?
• Are sounds becoming more varied?
• Does your baby show interest in people or surroundings?
• Are they using both sides of their body?
• Are they making progress over time?

If you are worried, you do not need to wait for the next review. Speak to your health visitor or GP.

Corrected Age for Premature Babies

Babies born early may be assessed using their corrected age, calculated from the original due date rather than only the birth date.

For example, a baby born eight weeks early may be six months old by birth date but closer to four months by corrected age.

Your neonatal or health-visiting team can explain how corrected age applies to development and how long it should be considered.

Baby Milestones Month by Month at a Glance

Age	Baby milestones you may notice
1 month	Watches faces briefly, startles at sounds, moves arms and legs
2 months	Social smiles, coos, follows movement, briefly lifts the head
3 months	Stronger head control, more open hands, more social interaction
4 months	Chuckles, reaches, holds toys, steadier head, may begin rolling
5 months	Reaches more accurately, explores hands and feet, becomes more vocal
6 months	Rolls, sits with support, babbles, reaches purposefully
7 months	Sits more steadily, transfers objects, responds to familiar sounds
8 months	May sit independently, moves towards objects, shows stronger preferences
9 months	Looks for hidden objects, uses varied babble, may crawl or shuffle
10 months	Pulls towards standing, develops a finer grasp, copies actions
11 months	Cruises or moves around furniture, uses gestures, explores containers
12 months	May stand or step, understands familiar words, uses gestures or early words

This baby milestones month-by-month table shows common patterns, not compulsory achievements. Your baby may develop these skills earlier, later or in another order.

1-Month Baby Milestones

During the first month, your baby is adjusting to light, sound, feeding, touch and life outside the womb.

Most movements are still reflexive rather than deliberate.

Your baby may:

• Move their arms and legs actively
• Keep their hands closed much of the time
• Turn their head to one side
• Briefly look at a face
• Focus best at close range
• Startle at sudden sounds
• Calm when held or when hearing a familiar voice
• Bring their hands towards their face
• Briefly lift or turn their head while lying on their tummy
• Communicate mainly through crying

At this stage, your baby does not need structured lessons or expensive developmental equipment.

How to Support Development at 1 Month

Try:

• Talking during feeds and nappy changes
• Holding your baby face-to-face
• Offering very short supervised tummy-time sessions
• Singing gentle, repetitive songs
• Letting your baby move freely on a safe, firm surface
• Responding when they cry

Tummy time can begin from birth while your baby is awake and supervised. Your chest can be a gentler starting position than the floor.

Continue on MyBoo: Tummy Time: Why It Matters and How to Make Baby Love It

2-Month Baby Milestones

Around two months, many babies become noticeably more social.

Your baby may:

• Smile when you speak or smile
• Make sounds other than crying
• React to loud sounds
• Look at your face
• Watch you as you move
• Hold their head up briefly during tummy time
• Open their hands for short periods
• Move both arms and legs
• Seem pleased when a familiar caregiver approaches

The NHS-connected Healthier Together milestone guide lists smiling, looking at faces, making sounds and holding the head up during tummy time among common two-month developments.

How to Support Development at 2 Months

Try:

• Copying your baby’s sounds
• Pausing so they can “answer”
• Smiling and using expressive faces
• Placing a simple toy within view
• Continuing short tummy-time sessions
• Reading simple books aloud

Babies learn early communication through back-and-forth interaction long before they understand words.

3-Month Baby Milestones

At three months, many babies seem more alert, social and physically organised.

Your baby may:

• Hold their head more steadily when supported
• Lift their head and upper chest during tummy time
• Open their hands more frequently
• Watch their own hands
• Swipe towards a toy
• Bring their hands to their mouth
• Kick with increasing strength
• Smile readily
• Make longer cooing sounds
• Recognise familiar people
• Become excited before feeds or familiar activities

Some babies begin attempting to roll. Others show no interest for several more months.

Both can fall within normal development.

How to Support Development at 3 Months

Offer:

• Supervised floor time every day
• Toys placed slightly to one side
• Face-to-face conversations
• Songs with repeated movements
• Safe textures to touch
• Time outside restrictive seats and containers

Bouncers and baby seats can be useful briefly, but floor time gives your baby more freedom to practise whole-body movement.

4-Month Baby Milestones

Four-month baby milestones often include stronger head control and more purposeful interaction.

Your baby may:

• Hold their head steady when supported upright
• Push onto their forearms during tummy time
• Reach towards a toy
• Hold an object placed in their hand
• Bring toys towards their mouth
• Bring their hands together
• Make cooing sounds back to you
• Turn towards your voice
• Chuckle or begin laughing
• Try to gain or maintain your attention
• Attempt to roll

Once your baby shows signs of rolling, stop swaddling with their arms contained and review every raised changing or sleeping surface.

How to Support Development at 4 Months

Try:

• Placing toys within reaching distance
• Using a baby-safe mirror
• Playing peekaboo
• Offering lightweight grasping toys
• Continuing tummy time
• Talking about what your baby is looking at
• Allowing plenty of kicking and reaching on the floor

Your baby does not need a huge toy collection. Your face, voice and a few safe objects can provide plenty of stimulation.

5-Month Baby Milestones

Five months can be a very grabby stage.

Your baby may:

• Reach more accurately
• Hold an object with both hands
• Bring their feet towards their mouth
• Roll or twist to reach something
• Push higher during tummy time
• Sit with substantial support
• Explore objects by mouthing them
• Laugh during social play
• Make repeated vowel sounds
• Show clear interest in familiar people
• Become more distracted during feeds

Mouthing is part of sensory learning. It does not prove that your baby is teething or ready for solids.

How to Support Development at 5 Months

Try:

• Offering clean objects with different textures
• Moving toys slowly from side to side
• Allowing floor play in several positions
• Reading sturdy picture books
• Copying sounds
• Letting your baby reach rather than handing over every object

Check the floor and nearby surfaces for choking hazards. Anything within reach may enter your baby’s mouth.

6-Month Baby Milestones

Six-month baby milestones often include stronger movement, purposeful reaching and more varied communication.

Your baby may:

• Roll from tummy to back or in both directions
• Push up using straighter arms
• Sit while leaning on their hands or with support
• Bear some weight through their legs when held
• Reach for a wanted toy
• Pass or move objects between their hands
• Explore objects with their mouth
• Recognise familiar people
• Laugh and squeal
• Take turns making sounds
• Blow raspberries
• Close their lips or turn away when they have had enough food

Around six months, some babies also show the three developmental signs needed to start solids:

• Staying in a sitting position with a steady head
• Coordinating their eyes, hands and mouth
• Swallowing food rather than automatically pushing it out

Interest in food by itself is not one of the three readiness signs.

Continue on MyBoo: When and How to Start Weaning: A Complete Guide to First Foods

How to Support Development at 6 Months

Try:

• Supported sitting on the floor
• Placing toys around your baby to encourage turning
• Offering safe objects to transfer between hands
• Reading and naming pictures
• Responding to babbling
• Playing action songs
• Offering suitable first foods once all readiness signs appear

Do not use a baby walker as a shortcut to walking. Floor play allows babies to develop balance and strength through natural movement.

7-Month Baby Milestones

At seven months, your baby may become more confident with their body and with objects.

Your baby may:

• Sit briefly with less support
• Use their hands to steady themselves
• Roll to reach toys
• Move an object from one hand to the other
• Bang toys against a surface
• Explore textures with fingers and mouth
• Respond to their name sometimes
• Use longer strings of babble
• Show preferences for familiar people
• Become more cautious around strangers
• Look for a partly hidden object

Not responding to their name every time does not necessarily mean your baby cannot recognise it. They may simply be focused on something else.

How to Support Development at 7 Months

Try:

• Sitting nearby during floor play
• Placing toys slightly out of reach
• Offering containers and safe objects
• Naming people and household items
• Playing peekaboo
• Taking turns making sounds
• Allowing supervised messy exploration during meals

Dropping a spoon repeatedly may feel like a test of patience. It is also an early cause-and-effect experiment.

8-Month Baby Milestones

Around eight months, your baby may become more mobile without using traditional hands-and-knees crawling.

Your baby may:

• Sit more steadily
• Reach from a sitting position
• Roll across the floor
• Pivot while lying on their tummy
• Move backwards
• Bottom-shuffle
• Attempt to crawl
• Use both hands during play
• Search for a dropped object
• Show separation anxiety
• Copy facial expressions or simple sounds

Some babies crawl. Others shuffle, roll, wriggle or move directly towards pulling up.

The exact method matters less than progress, strength and use of both sides of the body.

How to Support Development at 8 Months

Create a safe area where your baby can:

• Reach
• Turn
• Roll
• Move between toys
• Practise balance
• Explore safe household objects
• Play simple hiding games

Once mobility begins, baby-proofing becomes urgent. A baby who stayed in one place yesterday may reach a cable, stair or cupboard today.

Continue on MyBoo: Baby-Proofing Your Home: A Room-by-Room Checklist

9-Month Baby Milestones

Nine-month baby milestones often show greater understanding of people, objects and routines.

Your baby may:

• Sit without support
• Move towards or into a sitting position
• Crawl, shuffle or move another way
• Transfer objects between hands
• Bang two objects together
• Use their fingers to pull food closer
• Look for an item dropped out of sight
• React when you leave
• Look when you call their name
• Lift their arms to be picked up
• Use varied babbling such as “mamama” or “bababa”
• Enjoy peekaboo
• Show several facial expressions

Repeated sounds are not always meaningful words yet. They still represent valuable communication practice.

How to Support Development at 9 Months

Try:

• Hiding a toy partly under a cloth
• Playing pat-a-cake
• Waving hello and goodbye
• Offering safe finger foods
• Giving containers to empty
• Reading books with textures
• Responding enthusiastically to babble
• Naming objects during everyday routines

10-Month Baby Milestones

At ten months, many babies are motivated to move, explore and copy.

Your baby may:

• Pull towards standing
• Kneel beside furniture
• Crawl or shuffle quickly
• Move between sitting and the floor
• Pick up smaller pieces with fingers and thumb
• Point with the whole hand
• Copy clapping or waving
• Understand familiar routines
• Look towards a named familiar object
• Use varied strings of sounds
• Drop objects to see what happens
• Express strong preferences

Mobility often arrives before judgement.

Your baby may learn to stand before working out how to sit back down.

How to Support Development at 10 Months

Try:

• Practising standing and lowering with support
• Offering nesting cups
• Providing suitable finger foods
• Using gestures with words
• Letting your baby turn thick book pages
• Playing copying games
• Naming body parts while dressing or bathing

Follow your baby’s attempts rather than pulling them into standing before they are ready.

11-Month Baby Milestones

Eleven-month baby milestones may include increasing independence and more intentional communication.

Your baby may:

• Cruise sideways along furniture
• Stand briefly with support
• Move confidently around the floor
• Put objects into containers
• Release an object deliberately
• Use a more precise pincer grip
• Point, wave or reach to communicate
• Understand familiar phrases
• Copy sounds and actions
• Use “mama” or “dada” more meaningfully
• Bring you an object
• Repeat actions that make you laugh
• Protest when an enjoyable activity ends

Gestures are an important part of language development. Pointing, waving and reaching can communicate meaning before clear words arrive.

How to Support Development at 11 Months

Try:

• Stacking and filling games
• Narrating everyday routines
• Waiting for your baby to respond
• Giving simple choices
• Reading favourite books repeatedly
• Encouraging gestures
• Providing safe opportunities to cruise
• Using short phrases such as “shoes on” or “all done”

Repetition helps babies connect sounds, words, objects and actions.

12-Month Baby Milestones

By the first birthday, your baby may seem dramatically different from the newborn you brought home.

Possible 12-month baby milestones include:

• Pulling to stand
• Cruising along furniture
• Standing briefly
• Taking one or more independent steps
• Crawling or shuffling quickly
• Picking up small pieces between thumb and finger
• Putting an object into a container
• Looking for a hidden item
• Waving goodbye
• Playing games such as pat-a-cake
• Understanding “no” briefly
• Responding to familiar words
• Calling a caregiver “mama”, “dada” or another familiar name
• Drinking from a cup with help
• Showing clear preferences and emotions

Not walking independently at 12 months is not automatically a concern. Many babies begin after their first birthday.

Similarly, some use a recognisable first word by 12 months, while others communicate mainly through sounds, gestures and facial expressions.

How to Support Development at 12 Months

Try:

• Providing safe cruising and floor movement
• Offering stable push toys designed for supported use
• Naming everyday objects
• Giving simple one-step instructions with gestures
• Offering finger foods with varied textures
• Encouraging pointing and waving
• Reading and singing daily
• Playing turn-taking games
• Creating safe opportunities for exploration

Celebrate development without turning every new skill into a performance for other people.

What if My Baby Does Not Crawl?

Crawling is not a compulsory baby milestone.

Some babies:

• Bottom-shuffle
• Commando-crawl
• Roll
• Move backwards
• Move directly towards standing
• Use several movement styles

The NHS Inform development guide notes that the method of moving around can differ and that some babies shuffle or wriggle rather than crawl traditionally.

The useful questions are whether your baby is:

• Becoming more mobile
• Building strength
• Using both sides of the body
• Reaching and exploring
• Making progress over time

Speak to your health visitor when movement is strongly one-sided, appears painful or does not seem to be progressing.

What if My Baby Is Not Walking at 12 Months?

Many babies do not walk independently by their first birthday.

Before walking, babies build supporting baby development milestones such as:

• Head control
• Sitting
• Balance
• Core strength
• Weight-bearing
• Pulling to stand
• Cruising
• Confidence

NHS Inform recommends speaking to your health visitor or family nurse if your baby is not walking independently by 18 months.

Ask sooner when you notice unusual stiffness, floppiness, pain, strong asymmetry or loss of a previous skill.

What if My Baby Is Not Talking at 12 Months?

At 12 months, communication includes much more than clear words.

Look for:

• Babbling
• Reacting to sounds
• Turning towards familiar voices
• Taking turns with sounds
• Using gestures
• Pointing or reaching
• Showing interest in faces
• Understanding familiar words
• Attempting to copy sounds

The NHS language-development guidance encourages talking, singing, repetition and responsive interaction. It also advises speaking to your GP or health visitor if you are worried about speech or language development.

How to Support Baby Milestones Without Expensive Toys

You do not need a house full of specialist products to support baby milestones.

Babies learn through:

• Responsive interaction
• Repetition
• Movement
• Touch
• Sound
• Exploration
• Ordinary routines

Talk Throughout the Day

Describe what you are doing:

• “We are putting your socks on.”
• “Here is your spoon.”
• “The water feels warm.”
• “Look at the red bus.”

Your baby hears the rhythm and repeated patterns of language.

Copy Their Sounds

When your baby coos or babbles, copy the sound and pause.

This supports early conversational turn-taking.

Read Simple Books

You do not need to finish the story.

Point to pictures, name objects and allow your baby to touch the pages.

Sing and Repeat

Songs help babies hear rhythm and predict what comes next.

Your singing ability is irrelevant. Your baby has not read the reviews.

Prioritise Floor Time

Safe floor time gives your baby room to:

• Kick
• Reach
• Roll
• Pivot
• Sit
• Move
• Explore

The NHS recommends active play and ordinary interaction to support development. Its baby and toddler activity guidance includes tummy time and movement ideas for different stages.

Follow Your Baby’s Interest

When your baby repeatedly studies a spoon, fabric label or cardboard box, join them.

Development does not require every activity to be adult-designed.

Tummy Time and Physical Baby Milestones

Tummy time helps babies strengthen the neck, shoulders, arms and trunk.

Those muscles support later physical baby milestones such as reaching, rolling, sitting and moving around.

Start with short sessions while your baby is:

• Awake
• Alert
• Supervised
• Comfortable

Try tummy time:

• On your chest
• Across your lap
• On a firm floor mat
• With a toy or mirror nearby
• After a nappy change
• In several short sessions throughout the day

Never place your baby on their tummy to sleep. Place them on their back for every sleep.

Continue on MyBoo: Tummy Time: Why It Matters and How to Make Baby Love It

How Baby Milestones Can Affect Sleep

Development can temporarily change sleep.

A baby learning to roll, sit, crawl or stand may practise in the cot. Greater awareness and separation anxiety can also make settling more difficult.

This does not mean your routine has failed.

Continue:

• Using familiar sleep cues
• Responding to genuine needs
• Offering daytime practice
• Following safer-sleep guidance
• Keeping night-time interaction calm

Continue on MyBoo: Sleep Regressions: What They Are, When They Hit and How to Survive Them

Also useful: The Complete Newborn Sleep Guide

How Baby Milestones Change Home Safety

Every new ability creates new access.

When Your Baby Reaches

Move hot drinks, cables, medicines, small objects, tablecloths and sharp items.

When Your Baby Rolls

Never leave them unattended on beds, sofas, changing tables or other raised surfaces.

When Your Baby Sits

Review the highchair harness, bath supervision, floor hazards and nearby furniture.

When Your Baby Crawls or Shuffles

Check stairs, gates, cupboards, cleaning products, pet bowls, blind cords and low furniture.

When Your Baby Pulls to Stand

Secure chests of drawers, bookcases, televisions, lamps and furniture that could tip.

Prepare before each new ability arrives rather than waiting for the first near miss.

Continue on MyBoo: Baby-Proofing Your Home: A Room-by-Room Checklist

When Should You Ask About Your Baby’s Development?

You do not need to diagnose a delay before seeking advice.

Contact your health visitor, GP or paediatric team when:

• Your baby loses a skill they previously had
• They do not respond to sounds or familiar voices
• They appear unusually floppy or very stiff
• They consistently use one side much more than the other
• Head control is not developing as expected
• They do not reach for or grasp objects
• Movement appears painful or unusually difficult
• They have difficulty feeding or swallowing
• Eye contact or social interaction concerns you
• They are not making progress over time
• You are concerned about hearing
• You are concerned about vision
• You are concerned about communication
• Your instincts tell you something is different

The NHS-connected Healthier Together guidance gives age-related signs that parents can discuss with a health visitor or GP. Loss of a previously established skill should always be raised promptly.

Early advice does not automatically mean a diagnosis.

It creates an opportunity to check, reassure, monitor or offer support sooner.

Baby Health and Development Reviews

Your baby’s progress is supported through health and development reviews.

Depending on local arrangements, reviews may include:

• A new-baby review
• A 6-to-8-week review
• A review around 9 to 12 months
• A later review around 2 to 2½ years

The NHS baby-development hub explains reviews, learning, play, teething and other areas of development.

Reviews may consider:

• Movement
• Communication
• Social interaction
• Behaviour
• Hearing
• Vision
• Growth
• Feeding
• Sleep
• Safety
• Parental wellbeing

Bring your baby’s Personal Child Health Record, commonly called the Red Book, to relevant appointments.

Write down questions beforehand. You do not need to remember every concern while holding a baby and a changing bag.

Baby Milestones FAQs

Are Baby Milestones Exact?

No. Baby milestones describe common developmental patterns rather than fixed deadlines.

Look for progress across movement, communication, interaction and learning, and discuss concerns with your health visitor.

What Are the Most Important First-Year Baby Milestones?

Common first-year baby milestones include social smiling, head control, reaching, rolling, sitting, babbling, recognising familiar people, moving around, using gestures, pulling to stand and possibly taking first steps.

They do not always appear in the same order.

When Do Babies Start Smiling?

Many babies begin smiling socially at around six to eight weeks, although the timing varies.

Look for increasing eye contact, engagement and responses to your voice.

When Do Babies Hold Their Heads Up?

Head control develops gradually.

Babies need full support during the early months and often become much steadier between four and six months.

When Do Babies Roll?

Some babies begin rolling at around three or four months, while many take longer.

NHS Inform notes that some may begin at three to four months and that most roll by around seven months.

When Do Babies Sit?

Supported sitting usually develops before independent sitting.

NHS Inform advises that babies should generally be showing signs of sitting by around eight months. Ask your health visitor when you are concerned.

When Do Babies Crawl?

Crawling commonly appears during the second half of the first year, but there is wide variation.

Some babies shuffle, roll, wriggle or skip traditional crawling.

When Do Babies Start Walking?

Some babies take steps before 12 months, while many begin later.

Seek advice when your baby is not walking independently by 18 months or when you have earlier concerns about movement.

When Do Babies Say Their First Word?

Some babies attempt meaningful words near their first birthday.

Others communicate mainly through gestures, expressions and babbling. Look at the wider communication pattern rather than one word.

Is Pointing an Important Baby Milestone?

Yes. Pointing is part of intentional communication and shared attention.

It commonly develops towards the end of the first year or afterwards.

Do Premature Babies Reach Baby Milestones Later?

They may reach some developmental skills according to corrected age.

Ask your neonatal or health-visiting team how corrected age applies.

Can Toys Make My Baby Develop Faster?

No toy guarantees faster development.

Responsive interaction, talking, reading, singing, floor time and safe exploration provide strong everyday support.

Should I Compare My Baby With Other Babies?

Comparison is understandable but rarely useful.

Compare your baby with their own previous progress and ask for professional advice when something concerns you.

What Should I Do if My Baby Loses a Skill?

Contact your health visitor, GP or paediatric team promptly.

Loss of a previously established developmental skill should always be assessed.

A Final Word From MyBoo

Baby milestones should help you understand development—not turn the first year into a performance review.

Your baby may roll before another baby and walk after them.

They may babble constantly while showing little interest in crawling.

They may practise one skill for days and then focus on something completely different.

Development is rarely tidy.

Watch the whole baby.

Notice how they move, interact, communicate, explore and change over time.

Give them safe opportunities to play. Talk to them. Read to them. Let them move. Ask for support whenever something worries you.

The purpose of a baby milestones guide is not to prove that your baby is ahead or behind.

It is to help you notice progress and recognise when your family may benefit from advice.

Continue with MyBoo: Tummy Time: Why It Matters and How to Make Baby Love It

Still unsure about a new skill? Ask Boo, MyBoo’s 24/7 parenting guide for general guidance, and speak to your health visitor about individual developmental concerns.