Baby Development Month by Month: 0-12 Month Guide

Watching your baby learn something new every day is one of the best parts of parenthood. But what should you expect in each month? This guide summarises the developmental milestones from 0 to 12 months following the current CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) 2022 framework.

First, an Important Caveat: Milestones Are Ranges

The milestones the CDC updated together with the AAP are set at the age by which at least 75% of children reach each skill. So they are a guide, not a deadline. Every baby develops at their own pace.

These lists are not for making a diagnosis. If a milestone is missed, if a skill already gained is lost, or if you have any concern at all, see your paediatrician and ask for a developmental screening.

2 Months

• Social smile: smiles when they see you, calms when held, looks at faces.
• Starts making sounds other than crying.
• Briefly lifts the head during tummy time.

4 Months

• Holds the head steady and upright.
• Pushes up onto the elbows during tummy time.
• Brings hands to the mouth, reaches for and holds toys.
• Responds vocally and coos.

6 Months

• Rolls from front to back.
• Pushes up with straight arms.
• Sits with support (leaning on the hands).
• Brings objects to the mouth, reaches out to grasp.
• Laughs and makes raspberry sounds.

9 Months

• Sits without support.
• Passes objects from one hand to the other.
• Develops stranger wariness, responds to their own name.
• Makes syllable strings like "mamama" and "babab".

12 Months

• Pulls up to standing, cruises along furniture.
• Pincer grasp (picking up small objects with the fingertips) develops.
• Uses words like "mama" and "dada" meaningfully, waves bye-bye, understands "no".

Watch Out for Common Misconceptions

The current CDC framework changed some things that were previously taken as given:

• "Sitting without support" is a 9-month milestone, not a 6-month one.
• Independent walking and true first words are not on the 12-month list. At one year the CDC lists cruising and "mama/dada"; independent walking appears at 15 months. Walking at 12 months is normal but is not expected as a milestone.
• Crawling was removed from the milestone lists in 2022, because many healthy babies skip it.

Why Tracking Development Matters

Recording the skills your baby gains helps you see their development as a whole and share it at doctor's appointments. With Baby Wallie you can easily track developmental milestones, height and weight charts (to WHO standards) and the vaccination schedule. You can put questions about your baby's development to the Wallie AI assistant.

If your child's development worries you, talk to your paediatrician about any delay or loss of skill you observe. This content is for general information and does not replace medical advice.

You can check whether your baby's unsettled days line up with a developmental jump using our leap week calculator.