Baby's milestones

Learning to walk and talk are exciting steps, but there’s nothing cuter than that first giggle, cuddle, and boogie. Here's some baby milestones to look out for

Watching your little one grow and develop is amazing and there’s nothing better than knowing when to look out for those first magical milestones. Here’s our guide to what special treats your tiny tot will give you in the coming months…

0-6 months

Your mother-in-law may tell you it’s just wind, but you know it’s your baby’s first smile – and it’s all for you. Paving the way for a lifetime of the small steps that make being a mum worthwhile, those gummy early smiles at around six weeks will make stumbling over to her cot at 5.30am (almost) bearable.

At around four to six months, you might find your little one starts blowing raspberries at you. This might seem like a rather cheeky habit, but actually it’s just her way of preparing to talk by experimenting with her lips and tongue. The first giggle at around the same time is another heart warmer.

Sooner or later, you’ll probably find your baby happily chomping on her toes. Between four and eight months, she explores everything by putting it in her mouth – and that includes any body parts which will stretch that far. It looks a bit funny (and unfeasibly flexible) but it’s actually very soothing for her and a natural developmental stage.

6-12 months

At around a year old, as she gets to grips with the concept of being a separate person from you. She will start to learn by imitation – making for some very cute (but messy) attempts to copy the everyday things she sees you do, like brushing her own hair and feeding herself.

This awareness of being a separate person from you might also mean she gets particularly attached to a comfort object, like a teddy or special blankie.

There’s nothing quite like the sight of your little one curled up asleep clutching her favourite ted to remind you why you’ve just spent half an hour trying to clean dried-on porridge off her highchair.

By this stage, your tot’s also very aware of who’s who in her little world, and will probably be a bit wary of strangers. But proud grannies or other special regular visitors will get a huge kick out of seeing their little angel’s eyes light up in recognition and (if they’re really lucky) her arms outstretched for a cuddle.

12-18 months

You’ve planted countless kisses on her super-soft skin over the past year or so. Now it’s payback time. Okay, the first word’s incredibly exciting (especially if it’s ‘Mama’), but so is that first spontaneous (and rather wet) smacker – made all the more precious by the fact that, sadly, babies don’t generally produce smooches on demand, but only when they feel like it.

Another way she’ll start to respond to your efforts is by suddenly ‘getting’, and joining in with, games like hide and seek and peekaboo. She might show you she wants to play by placing her hands over her eyes or pulling a blanket over her head.
Now she’s active she’ll make you laugh with her interesting acrobatics (going ‘bottoms-up’ – bending over to touch the ground and looking through her legs – is a particular favourite) and by rocking out to her favourite tunes.

18+ months

The adorable little baby phase is coming to an end, and your tot’s increasing independence may bring on some ‘challenging’ behaviour. But the adorable antics that accompany walking and talking more than make up for the occasional (ahem) tantrum. Ah, those first wobbling attempts at running and the little jumps that never quite get off the ground…

At this stage, she’ll be trying more than ever to copy what ‘big’ people do – which may well result in her tottering around in your high heels, with all your necklaces strung round her neck and her mouth smeared with lipstick (even more entertaining if your tot’s a boy).

As she learns to put words together, her language will be filled with delightful sayings and endearing mistakes. The first ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ will warm your heart and, while obviously not to be encouraged, the first naughty word to come out of her mouth will probably have you in fits (as well as telling you it’s time to watch your language).

You’ll probably have to hang on past her second birthday for that first ‘I love you, Mummy’ but, like every special step in her development, it’ll be well worth the wait.