Newborns are extremely vulnerable and must be looked after very carefully. They learn, grow and attain development milestones though relationships with their parents and family members and constant daily play.

Developmental milestones can be a great way to track changes in them as they learn to feel, see, hear, smell, move, perceive, observe, communicate and interact with others.

Baby development in the first twelve months is amazing. Through warn and responsive interactions with you and other care takers as well as play, they learn to think, act, communicate, express their thoughts and emotions etc.

Achievements can also be referred to as milestones. Growth and developmental milestones are a useful tracking device to monitor your baby’s development.

Developmental milestones can be:

• Large body movements which involves coordination and control of large muscles. It includes skills such as walking, running, crawling, standing and sitting.

• Small body movements which involves coordination and control of small muscles. It includes skills such as holding a bat or picking up a toy.

• Speech and language which is the ability to make them understand the sounds that form words and maybe the meaning of a few and teaching them few basic sounds for expressing their feelings and emotions.

• Vision which is the ability to see, observe and perceive stuff near or far from us and understand and make out what we are seeing.

• Hearing is the ability to hear and understand what is being told and the sounds that form the words.

• Social behavior and understanding is the ability to interact with others and learn from them in every way possible and later implement it when the time is right. It includes skills for playing, connecting and chatting with others.

DEVELOPMENTAL DELAY

It is not rare that some babies have a delay in their development, but the real thing is that it is hard to predict whether they are temporary short-term delays or permanent. The chances of permanent delays are very low.

Babies’ development can also be hampered due to environmental conditions. For example, if a baby does not receive a warm and a responsive environment, they may be unable to pick up on things which other babies can in a responsive environment.

Premature birth or some illness and injury can affect brain development and they can also be the cause of developmental delays.

WHEN TO SEEK HELP FOR DEVELOPMENT

If you are observing some delays in different areas or if your baby shows signs of losing his skills over several months, it is advised to seek professional help as soon as possible.

Here are some signs that you can look out for:

Physical Signs

Your baby:

• Has difficulty in noticing and seeing things properly around them
• Has difficulty in hearing sounds and voices properly
• Can’t seem to hold their head up after they are 3-4 months old
• Can’t seem to sit properly by 10 months
• Does not want or has problems with standing up and straight, even with support, by the time they are about a year old

Behavior Signs

Your baby:

• Has an unusual cry – for example, a high-pitched sound more like a squeal
• Is persistently crying for longer periods than usual especially after 3-4 months old

Social, Emotional and Communication Signs

Your baby:

• Does not look at their parents or caretakers 
• Has difficulty in recognizing sounds or more so, not at all respond to them
• Is not at all interest in what is going on in their surrounding
• Does not start murmuring or babbling by 8-9 months or is using fewer than 4-5 words y around 18 months.

Play is the most important activity that will help in their learning and boost their development. Encourage them to play or fidget with something constantly so that they can grow at a steady pace. To ensure this, try to spend as much time as possible with your child and try to communicate with them. 

Newborns are especially possessive. They want someone to be constantly by their side and not some stranger, but some they see every day. They will want to cling to you often. It is very natural and by doing this, you can be sure of the fact that they are indeed developing. 

Soon you will find that they have recognized that there is a name that is specially designated to them and will respond every time when you call it out. Every child has their own pace of development. Comparing to other newborns won’t do any good., neither will the thought of why are they developing so slowly. 

Some children learn to speak fast, even by 5-6 months they can communicate with small words, while some learn to crawl by that time. Some develop these abilities maybe after 8 months but that is not something to go on worrying about.

Patience and remaining calm is the key, but if you are feeling too anxious about their development, you can seek the help of child growth charts to track their constant progress.