Early Child Development Stages To Be Aware Of

February 4, 2020

If you are a parent, or you are going to become one soon, then you will know that it is going to be important to be fully prepared to have a child. That means doing your research, and knowing as much as possible about the whole process of the child developing and growing. That will ensure that you are ready for all of the changes that are going to occur, which will help you to be less shocked and surprised when things happen out of the blue, and which will equip you with a better understanding of what you need to do at these different times. All of that will help in being a better parent.

Of course, there is plenty that you will need to consider here, but at first you will want to at least know what the essentials are. In this article, we are going to take a look at some of the early development stages that your baby will go through, so that you can have some idea of what you can expect. As long as you know about these things and what they entail, you will feel much more ready to look after that baby.


Newborn

As a newborn, you can expect your baby to already be developing amazingly fast, and it is not uncommon for new parents to be surprised at the kinds of changes that are already happening at this young age. For one thing, your baby will be rapidly adjusting to the outside world, which means that as well as lots of sleeping and feeding going on, they are also going to be beginning to experiment with what is around them. They cannot yet see very far, but will recognise your face and enjoy a cuddle! If you stick your tongue out, you might well find that your baby copies you at this stage.

If you are wondering why your baby appears to look a little scrunched up at this stage, it’s actually perfectly normal, and merely a result of them not being able to unfurl their arms and legs fully yet. At first, your baby will need feeding around the clock, in the first few days of life at least. But soon enough, a routine will start to develop, and it’s one that both of you are going to be getting used to, so that is one of the most important parts of this newborn stage. At the same time, sleeping routines will start to develop as well - again, something that both of you are going to have to get used to.


One Month

This is the month during which babies are expected to start being able to lift their head, which is an important and often very exciting part of the process, and something that you will probably be very glad to see. However, you will still need to be giving them plenty of support along the way, so it’s important to bear that in mind too. Your child is also probably becoming more expressive and may gurgle when they see you, which is a particularly fascinating and enjoyable part of this stage. By responding to them, you will be helping them to encourage their communication skills, even at this early stage.

They are also likely becoming much more sensitive to what is going on around them generally, which is obviously important as a part of their development. You can play with them to help this along, and you might find that they enjoy more and more seeing your face or a colourful toy. All in all, this is the stage at which your baby is in the very first stages of socialization and movement.

Two Months

If there is anything exciting that you will probably find you are particularly looking forward to, it is when your baby first smiles at you. That is something that you can expect at around the two month stage, and it’s no surprise that this is one of the favourtie stages for many parents around the world. When that moment happens, it is a feeling unlike any other, and something that will really gladden the heart. Your child will also probably be sleeping for longer periods at this stage, which might well be a welcome change in itself. Also, their sight is starting to become much better, and you can help them out by continuing to play in the way that you should. All in all, it’s an important month for the both of you.


Three Months

This third month might well be considered to be one of the most important for their development of communication. It is at this point that you will almost certainly find them to be babbling away and ‘talking’ in their own way to you a lot. The more that you talk back to them, the more that their language skills will develop, so this is a particularly good time to be doing just that. At this stage, you might want to start describing what you are doing as you are doing it, as a means of getting the language function operating as you would hope it would. Your child will also start waving their limbs around here a lot, which is the start of more sustained movement. Your baby might be able to lift their head for a few seconds while lying on their back at this stage, a particularly exciting development. While they are at this stage they can start attending infant programs to help with their development. So if you're a working parent or are planning to head back to work soon, you could search for an 'infant school near me in Exton, PA' or wherever is local to you, to find programs to help your child develop their verbal and cognitive functions.

Four Months

At this time, the vision is developing quite a lot, and you will find that your baby is starting to explore their surroundings more and more in intriguing ways. It’s a good idea to give them materials of different textures at this point to play around with, so that they get a sense of different items in this way. Of course, part of all this is also that they might be starting to become much more distracted, so things like feeding could become more difficult. However, at the same time you will probably not need to feed them quite as often anymore, so in a way it is going to be easier on the whole.


Five Months

Month five is usually a big one for movement. It is often at this stage that a baby will start to sit up on their own, which is obviously a big step towards greater bodily self-control. You will also find that your baby is becoming more enamoured with expressing themselves to you, and that the communication between you is improving greatly along the way as well. They will be starting to show greater affection through hugs and kisses too, which is something that a lot of parents particularly enjoy! If you make the most of that, and help your baby to sit and crawl, you will find that this month is one of the most exciting of all.

Six Months

If your baby is developing well, there is a good chance that at this stage they will be starting to desire solid foods. This is obviously an important part of developing, and so is another milestone which you can expect at six months: rolling over. The baby roll over is a hugely important part of development, and one which many parents look forward to greatly.

Seven Months

In this month, your baby will start using their hands more and more. That is something that can have both wonderful and disastrous results, and you might want to have your camera ready! All in all, it is the start of the most exciting times of all - which is the remaining months up until the one year mark.

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