After having a baby, it is natural to start thinking, when will she do this or that! Babies learn and develop far quicker than you will imagine and before long, you will have a walking and talking little human right in front of you!
But before we get to that stage, we are going to look at normal development stages month by month for the first year of babies life, starting with month one.
Your baby can hear you
Although your baby could hear you and all the outside noises whilst in the womb, her hearing has continued to develop and she can hear you loud and clear now she is out into the real world. Continue to talk to her frequently and try not to shy away from normal household jobs and noises such as hoovering as eventually she will need to get used to it! If you shake a rattle or clap your hands, you might even be able to see your baby’s reaction – a slight movement or blink of the eyelids.
Vision
Even though everything is still quite fuzzy through your baby’s eyes, she can see at around a distance of 30cm. If you lean in nice and close, she will be able to see you, although your features will not be in HD detail! She will also be able to track your finger or an object if you hold it close enough into her line of vision and she might follow it with her eyes and by turning her head. Sometimes this can make babies look a little cross eyed, but it isn’t anything to worry about as focusing takes a lot of practice and effort!
Arms and legs
After being squashed up in a small space for so long, your baby has probably not realised that she has arms and legs – but after a little while she will start noticing and realising that she has these additional limbs – even if that is due to accidental hitting or slapping of her legs for example.
One-way conversation?
Soon, your baby will start making noises. Not talking as such, but making little murmurs, gurgling and grunting. As your baby gets used to these noises she is making as well as picking up from what is going on around her, she will start to talk more recognisable words after a few months – in the meantime, keep talking and interacting with her! If nothing else, it will tire her out ready for bedtime!
Heads up
Although her muscles are still quite weak, and you should still continue to support her head fully, you will notice that she may start trying to move her head and support herself more and more as every day passes. This will only be for a few seconds at a time, but is important in her development and learning.
Next month, we take a look at your baby and her development in month two
