You’ll never forget the first time your baby cracked a gummy smile after you made up that hilarious song about belly buttons. Or how good it felt when they first toddled towards you, their pudgy arms outstretched for a celebratory hug. The amazing thing about milestones is that they’re as exciting for you as they are for the little ones who are learning to explore their worlds in new ways.
That being said, they can also become a bit of a fixation, especially when you find yourself comparing your baby to your friends’ kids, nieces and nephews, or that early-walking prodigy in music class. So we urge you to take our baby milestone timeline with a grain of salt, because every kid is different and timelines vary for lots of reasons. These vary so much that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) updated their milestone checklists in 2022 to account for how diversely they present in kids. As always, if you have any questions or concerns, have a chat with your child’s healthcare provider.
Related: Pediatrician Shares ‘Secret Milestones’ Most Parents Miss
Now onto the cute stuff: Here are 11 major milestones that generally happen in baby’s first year.
1. Smiling
When: 2 to 3 months
What: Is that a gas pain? No, it’s a real social smile! At about two months, baby will start to intentionally flash that not-so-toothy grin when they’re happy. Soak it up, because you’ve earned it. Now you’ll probably be doing anything to see that smile as much as humanly possible—and turn it into a laugh or a giggle in the coming months.
How: If you want them to crack a grin, talk to your newborn face to face in a super animated way, sing them an upbeat song, or make silly faces for them to imitate.
Fun fact: Babies start learning to smile in the womb, but these smiles are just reflexes—after all, practice makes perfect. You may also notice these little grins when they’re asleep or gassy. Your newborn will probably throw you the odd reflex smile during their first few months, but these fade out around the same time they learn to smile socially.
2. Voluntary Grasping
When: 3 to 4 months
What: Around three to four months, your little one could be able to grasp objects like soft blocks or a favorite stuffy, though they still can’t pick up smaller objects like peas (that comes later with the pincer grasp). Anything baby picks up will probably go straight into the mouth for taste testing, so pay attention to what’s in their reach. But it’s also a super exciting time because your infant will want to practice grabbing at toys as much as possible and may be able to entertain themselves for little stretches while you drink a hot coffee.
How: Activity mats are everything right now! Make sure there are lots of dangling toys for your little squish to grab at. They’ll also love rings or links to hold onto and shaker toys that make fun sounds when they move them around.
Fun fact: Those sweet moments when your baby wraps their tiny hand around your finger? Not the same. That involuntary reflex is called the “palmar grasp,” an evolutionary instinct to grasp items that are put in their hands, starting around the time they’re born. Much like their reflex smiles, the palmar grasp starts to fade as babies learn to grasp objects on purpose.
3. Rolling Over
When: 4 to 5 months
What: Watch out! Baby is on the move. By about four months, most infants can roll from belly to back. This is an important gross motor skill that helps them strengthen their cores, learn to control their heads, and get comfortable shifting their weight. Up until this point, they aren’t really able to roll because of something called the “tonic neck reflex” or “fencing posture,” which means when they turn their head to one side their arm goes out too. By six months, they’ll probably be able to roll from back to belly, too, and you might have your first “Where did they go?!” moment.
How: To get your little one practicing, make sure they have lots of tummy time to build up their muscles. If you place bright and exciting toys just out of their grasp, their reaching sometimes leads to a half-roll.
Look out: Once you’ve got a roller on your hands, you’ll want to be extra careful at the change table—you never know when your babe will try to practice their new skill!
4. Laughing
When: 4 months
What: Someone’s got the giggles! There’s nothing like hearing those sweet baby laughs—they are just the cutest sound in the world. By 5 or 6 months, you can expect baby’s chuckles to turn to heartier belly laughs that will make you think you’re way funnier than you are. This is especially exciting for big siblings who will make it their number-one goal to crack their baby up.
How: Blowing raspberries and bouncing babe on your knee can elicit some early chuckles before they’re able to recognize things they see and hear as humorous, like a silly song, a funny face, or a toy that makes a hilarious sound.
Fun fact: At first, your infant will probably break into peals of laughter over physical sensations that feel good (like tickling their feet), but by around 6 months they’ll start to find Tickle Me Elmo side-splittingly funny and laugh at even the slightest surprise (time for peekaboo!).
Related: 7 Surefire Ways to Delight a Baby Who Isn’t Crawling Yet
5. Sleeping Through the Night
When: 4 to 6 months
What: At this point, sleeping through the night means six hours at a time, and not all babies get there. Or if they do, as soon as you start bragging to your friends, they’ll start waking up again (hello, sleep regressions). Still, baby is capable of sleeping through the night now, and you should be getting a little relief from that newborn exhaustion.
How: Some unicorn babies start sleeping for long stretches at just a few months, but for the rest of us it takes longer. Once your baby is in this age range, you can see how their sleep progresses naturally or try one of the many sleep-training methods to help teach them learn to self-soothe and put themselves back to sleep.
Fun fact: According to the National Sleep Foundation, 80-90% of babies will figure out how to sleep through the night by 9 months. You’re almost there!
6. Sitting Up
When: 5 to 7 months
What: By now, your baby could be strong enough to perch on your lap or sit assisted with a pillow, allowing for a whole new worldview and a fun new set of games. Lap time will get them used to the sensation, so read lots of books and play with exciting toys in this position to help them get the hang of it. When your infant is first experimenting with sitting on their own, they’ll look like they’re completely hunched over and supporting themselves with their hands—also known as “tripoding.” By seven to nine months, baby can sit up unassisted, first for a minute or two at a time, then for longer periods.
How: When your kiddo first starts sitting, place a ring of cushions (or, mom hack, your nursing pillow) around their back to protect them if they fall. When they’re still wobbly, sprinkle toys by their feet for them to play with (they’ll get sturdier in the process!). Once they’re more upright, have some fun sitting in front of the mirror or blowing bubbles for them to try to reach and pop.
Fun fact: Sitting is a precursor for so many other exciting skills—it signals that your babe is ready to start solids; helps their gross motor skills develop so they can crawl, stand, and walk; and kicks off their fine motor development since they’re now manipulating so many toys and objects with those tiny hands.
7. Crawling
When: 7 to 10 months
What: Some babies never crawl; they scoot, roll, and scooch until it’s time to walk. Others always have their bellies on the floor as they slither from place to place. Some bear crawl on hands and feet or crab crawl using only one foot (and sometimes backwards!). Others crawl for months and take their time learning to walk. Suffice it to say, infants move in all kinds of ways. No matter how your little one gets from point A to point B, one thing’s for sure: you’ll be doing a lot of moving, too!
How: Before littles crawl, they tend to get up on all fours and rock, something you can do with them to get them into the swing of things. Once they’re pro rockers, try putting a few enticing toys just out of baby’s reach and see if and how they manage to get to them.
Look out: With your tot on the move, it’s time to expand your baby-proofing operations. In addition to covering outlets, hiding cords, blocking stairs, and locking drawers and cupboards, never leave choking hazards on the ground within baby’s reach—especially when there’s a big sibling around with a habit of sprinkling dangerous little things all over the place. These include button batteries, beads, balloons, and coins.
8. Pulling Up
When: 9 to 12 months
What: Time to put the crib mattress at the lowest setting: baby can pull up! According to the CDC, this will generally happen by one year (and typically goes down between 9 and 12 months), once your crafty tot has mastered sitting and sometimes crawling, too. Soon, she’ll learn to cruise—take small steps while holding onto furniture. Then, you can encourage her to take some small steps between the couch and you and before you know it you’ll have a wobbly walker on your hands who’s a danger to themselves and anyone (or thing) that gets in their way.
How: To prepare for this exciting new phase, infants need lots of time to explore their bodies, roll around, be on their tummies, and move in their own ways. Once you think they’re prepping to pull themselves up, make sure there is furniture around that they can safely use and won’t topple over.
Fun(ish) Fact: You can expect a few crash landings when baby first learns to pull themselves up since they don’t know how to get back down again (squatting is hard!). If your newly standing baby starts crying at night and you discover that they’ve pulled themselves up by the crib bars, they probably need help lying back down. Hopefully, they learn soon, because everyone needs sleep.
9. Waving
When: 9 months
What: Bye-bye, Baby! Some babies wave much earlier, but by about nine months, they’ll be using their “hello” and “bye-bye” waves in context. Be ready for your heart to melt the first time you leave your little nugget and get a little wave. This is also around the time they’ll try their hands at clapping and pointing.
How: Show your baby what waving looks like by modeling the action and moving their hand in a wave when there’s someone to greet or you’re leaving somewhere. Songs that sing about hello and goodbye can also help them connect the action with the words, and waving in front of the mirror lets them see what it looks like.
Related: What to Do With Toddlers On a Neighbourhood Walk
10. Walking
When: 10 to 18 months
What: Walking is a huge milestone that kiddos have to work up to slowly, so there’s a wide range of ages when kids start moving on two feet. Many will take their first shaky steps by thirteen months or so and be able to walk independently by 18 months. And if your infant’s got a big brother or sister, they may learn to walk on the earlier end just to try to keep up. Some kids start out wobbly and stay wobbly for some time, while others prefer to wait until they feel a little more sure. It all depends on their personality, development, and motivation. But all babies will master a few skills before they walk: sitting up, then pulling to stand, then cruising.
How: Push walkers (not sit-in rolling walkers, which have been deemed unsafe by the AAP) can help get your babe used to the feeling of walking. You can also go for walks holding your baby’s hand for support. And don’t forget to lay on the praise. That proud little face they make? Beyond!
Fun fact: Tots learn how to walk better without shoes, so don’t rush to throw on sneakers or sandals when they’re just setting out. When you’re outside though, you’re going to want to protect their feet with good early walker shoes.
11. Talking
When: One year and beyond
What: Some babies say their first words at 7 months, while others wait until 18 months—and it’s all perfectly normal either way! By the year mark, you’ll probably be hearing those golden “mamas” and “dadas” that you’ve been longing for, and by 15 months they’ll add a few more words to the mix, like “ba” for ball. As the second year develops, baby’s vocabulary will continue to explode, and by their second birthday, grammar will develop enough for two-word sentences like “Mama read” or “Me eat.”
How: There are so many things you can do and games you can play to help encourage baby’s first words and develop their language. Repetition is super important, so try singing the same songs, reading the same books, and pointing out and naming the same objects in your day-to-day life. You may feel like your head will explode if you say goodnight to the bears and the mush one more time, but it’s doing wonders for your little’s language! Give your baby lots of opportunities to mimic what you’re saying, and try to use proper names instead of pronouns.
Fun fact: That annoying sing-songy voice you may have heard Ms. Rachel use? It’s like nails on a chalkboard to parents, but babies love it—and it actually helps them learn to talk. Research has shown that tots learn to speak more quickly when their parents talk in “mother-ese” or “parents-ese,” so go ahead and make a complete fool of yourself. Your little one will thank you!
Make sure to capture all your baby’s amazing first—and share them with your family and friends near and far—with the Tinybeans app. The secure platform puts parents in total control of who sees and interacts with photos and videos of their kids.
