The Oprah Winfrey Show
Oprah's Best Life Series
Harpo Films
For One More Day
The Great Debaters
O, The Oprah Magazine
Subscribe Today
Oprah Radio
Oprah's Angel Network
Oprah's Book Club
Here's what to expect each month.
Baby's First Year
Your Newborn
Physical Development
- Your newborn's movements are generally uncontrolled and not deliberate. Most of his movements happen automatically without any conscious intention on his part. It will take time for him to learn how to control his movements.
- While your baby can move his head from side to side when he's lying on his stomach and he can raise his head an inch or two off the ground when he's lying on his back, his neck and shoulder muscles will need to develop further before he can support his head on his own.
- Your newborn is quite nearsighted. And even when he looks at objects that are within his ideal focal length, those objects look quite fuzzy.
- When your baby looks at something, he focuses on particular details rather than looking at the whole object. For example, when he looks at your face, he only takes in your eyes or your mouth, not your face as a whole.
- Your baby's eyes are only able to track objects within a 90-degree range of vision, and his eye movements are short and jerky. He has not yet figured out that he can move his head to follow objects beyond this range.
- Your baby's hearing is not yet as acute as the hearing of an adult. He can't hear very soft sounds like whispers. He's more attracted to high-pitched sounds than low-pitched sounds, something that helps to explain why parents around the world lapse into parentese (exaggerated speech patterns) when they start communicating with a baby.
- Your baby is born with a reflex that encourages him to turn his head in the direction of a sound. It will be a few months, however, before he starts consciously trying to determine the source of a particular sound.
Cognitive Development
- Your baby experiences brief periods of quiet alertness but spends most of his time sleeping. As the length and frequency of these periods of alertness increase, he will become increasingly tuned into the world around him.
Social Development
- Your baby is fascinated by human faces and human voices right from birth. He quickly learns how to pick up his mother's scent, to recognize the sound of her voice and to recognize her face. In fact, he started getting used to his mother's scent and voice long before birth.
Your 1-Month-Old
Physical Development
- Your baby's neck and shoulder muscles are much stronger than they were a month ago, which has resulted in significantly improved head control. While his head still lags when you pull him from a lying to a sitting position and you still need to support his head while you're walking around with him, he may be able to support his head for short periods of time when you're sitting or standing still. He can also lift his chin off the ground when he's lying on his stomach—a maneuver he couldn't have mastered a few short weeks ago.
- Your baby still spends a lot of time looking blankly around the room, but he's spending a greater proportion of his time taking in his surroundings. While he isn't able to take in much when you're walking around (just think of how hard it is for you to enjoy the scenery when you're taking a bus ride down a bumpy road!), he's able to process visual information quite readily when you're sitting or standing still.
- Your baby is increasingly fascinated by human faces and high-contrast patterns like black-and-white checkerboards, bull's-eyes and polka dots, while he'll barely give his growing collection of pastel-colored stuffed animals the time of day. The reason is simple: the higher the contrast, the easier it is for him to see the object in question.
- Your baby is very interested in listening to human voices—your voice in particular. He's also starting to develop an ear for music: He will often stop mid-squall to listen intensely if you start playing music or singing to him.
- Now that his larynx is more flexible and mobile, your baby is starting to experiment with making some language-like sounds. Originally, these sounds will resemble throat-clearing sounds. Then, at around age six weeks, he'll start making sounds like ah, eh and uh. He'll initially make these sounds by accident, but once he figures out how to make them, he'll amuse himself and others around him by cooing and gurgling over and over.
- Your baby's hand is generally held in a closed position. If you open his fingers, he is able to grasp an object for a couple of seconds before dropping it.
Cognitive Development
- Your baby's brain is working overtime these days—something that can easily result in overstimulation. Even though your baby may be tired of looking at a particular object, he does not know how to look away. It's hard to imagine your baby getting burned out from spending too much time staring at his baby mobile, but, believe it or not, it can happen! In fact, if you find that your baby tends to get crabby by late afternoon (a classic pattern for young babies), it could be overstimulation that's to blame. He may not know how to tell you what he needs, but odds are what he's craving is a brief time out rather than more stimulation.
- Your baby has already learned how to tell the difference between nipples that deliver food and nipples that don't—a skill he'll be only too happy to demonstrate if you make the mistake of offering him a pacifier when he's looking for a breast or bottle!
Social Development
- Your baby is more socially responsive than he was as a newborn. He may become excited and breathe more rapidly when you pick him up.
Your 2-Month-Old
Physical Development
- Your baby's head control continues to improve. He can now lift his head and shoulders several inches above the mattress and support himself with his arms when he's lying on his stomach. And he can support his own head briefly when he's braced against your shoulder.
- When your baby lies on his back, he raises his hands above his head in a U. The symmetrical positioning of his arms is a very significant milestone: It indicates that it is only a matter of time until he learns how to use two hands at once to accomplish a particular task.
- Your baby's grasp reflex isn't as strong as it once was. His fingers open if an object is placed in his palm and he then tries to bring that object to his mouth.
- Your baby's eyes are starting to work together, and his overall vision has improved, giving him a much more alert look. He is now capable of tracking objects that are moving vertically as well as objects that are moving horizontally, and he is particularly drawn to objects that are in motion. He is now able to recognize familiar people and toys.
- Your baby's hearing has improved since he was a newborn. He is now able to hear sounds in a variety of different pitches, intensities and intonations.
Cognitive Development
- Your baby is exhibiting clear signals that he's able to process information. For example, he may stop crying when he is placed in the breastfeeding position because he knows he's going to be fed.
Social Development
- Your baby is starting to understand how conversations work: that people take turns talking and listening. He makes sounds and smiles to indicate that he's ready to talk to you and then eagerly awaits your response. He's so fascinated by conversations, in fact, that you can sometimes convince him to stop crying simply by talking to him—a great ace card to have up your sleeve if he begins wailing when you're zooming down the highway at 60 miles an hour.
Your 3-Month-Old
Physical Development
- Your baby's neck and shoulder muscles are even stronger than they were a month ago, but he is still not able to support his own head for long periods of time.
- Your baby's arm muscles are more deliberate and coordinated.
- Your baby's leg muscles are getting quite a workout in preparation for rolling over, crawling and walking; he makes a point of kicking his legs vigorously whenever he's on his tummy or back.
- Your baby will open his hand when an object is offered to him, but he will then proceed to drop the object almost immediately.
- Your baby uses his palm and fingers when he's holding an object, but he has not yet figured out that his thumb could be useful as well.
- Your baby is able to see objects more clearly than he could in the past. He can now tell the difference between smiling and frowning faces and will rarely smile at someone who is frowning.
- Your baby now turns his head when he hears a sound from a nearby object (e.g., the ringing of a telephone).
Cognitive Development
- Your baby's spatial perception skills improve. He is beginning to understand that he can't reach that toy across the room unless someone else is willing to play courier.
Social Development
- If it hasn't already happened, this is likely to be the month when your baby typically masters the long-awaited first social smile. You'll find he's a much happier baby because he's better able to soothe himself when he becomes distressed.
- Your baby is always up for a game of vocal tennis (you imitate your baby and your baby imitates you). He loves making vowel sounds and is most likely to be found practicing his vocalizations when he's feeling happy or amused.
Your 4-Month-Old
Physical Development
- Your baby's back muscles are much stronger than they were, and his arms and legs are capable of much more deliberate movements—skills that allow him to master the art of rolling from his stomach onto his back. Unfortunately, once he gets over on his back, he's stranded. He doesn't have sufficient strength to roll from his back to his stomach just yet—the cause of endless frustration to him. (Expect to be called to rescue him countless times each day until he masters the other half of the rolling-over equation.)
- While your baby now enjoys being held in a sitting position, he can't support himself in this position yet because he lacks the necessary strength in his lower back.
- Your baby is now able to visually detect subtle differences in the texture of objects and has developed a marked preference for objects that are red or blue.
- Your baby's hearing continues to improve. He is able to hear much softer sounds than he was capable of hearing in the past.
Cognitive Development
- Your baby is starting to discover all the amazing things his hands can do for him. If you watch closely, you'll catch him looking at his hands while he guides them toward a toy. (Eventually, he'll just look at the toy, but right now he is still trying to figure out how to make his hands and eyes work together.) His thumb still doesn't move independently of his fingers or his hand, however, so his efforts to reach for toys are still rather clumsy.
Social Development
- Your baby throws his arms up in the air when you approach him—a sure sign that he wants you to pick him up.
- He's getting better at letting you know what he needs, and you're getting better at decoding the various cries in his repertoire, which makes for a happier baby and a happier parent!
- Your baby may start exhibiting the odd sign of jealousy. A group of researchers at the University of Portsmouth in England observed the reactions of 24 babies as young as 4 months when their mothers started showing love to another baby. They discovered that all but one baby reacted with jealousy.
- Your baby is now chatting up a storm. He's mastered certain types of consonant sounds (m, k, g, p and b), and he sometimes manages to pair up these consonants with a vowel sound (e.g., gaa).
Your 5-Month-Old
Physical Development
- Your baby is having a great time exploring his body from head to toe—literally! Now that he's thoroughly taste-tested his fingers, he's moved on to his toes. Fortunately, his body is still flexible enough to allow him to guide his toes into his mouth—a feat you're unlikely to be able to match!
- Your baby's neck, shoulder and chest muscles are very strong, his back is almost fully straight, and his abdominal muscles are firm to the touch. Now that he has improved muscle tone throughout his torso, he is better able to support his upper body. He can also roll in both directions from his stomach onto his back and from his back onto his stomach and momentarily sit unassisted before toppling over. He's even started experimenting with crawling motions, but it will be a while before he actually takes off.
- When your baby reaches for toys, he cups his hand to try to adjust the shape of his hand to the shape of the toy. Because his finger movements are still relatively uncoordinated, he finds it difficult to pick up small objects. He's much more adept at picking up slightly larger objects. Once he manages to get a toy in his hand, he explores it with his fingers and his mouth and passes it from hand to hand. (Your baby enjoys mouthing toys because his lips and tongue have very sensitive nerve endings that allow him to explore objects in great detail.) Your baby isn't capable of holding onto more than one toy at a time, however; if you place a toy in each hand, he'll invariably drop one.
- Your baby's depth perception is improving by leaps and bounds: he can now tell the difference between a real face and a picture of a face. His understanding of language is also improving: he's beginning to react to the speaker's tone, and he's starting to become familiar with the unique language patterns of his native language.
Cognitive Development
- Your baby now understands that it's possible to follow an object if it moves out of his line of vision. If he drops an object, he moves his head so that he can watch it fall.
- Your baby is trying his best to see the world through your eyes literally. If you look at an object, he'll follow your gaze to try to figure out what you're looking at, which allows him to learn more about the world around him and to start to make a link between the objects he sees you looking at and the words you use to describe them.
Social Development
- This is the month when you can expect to hear your baby's first laugh—one of the most magical sounds in the world. You'll no doubt find yourself doing all kinds of crazy things to make him laugh again and again.
- Your baby is beginning to differentiate between familiar and unfamiliar people. He doesn't usually cry when a stranger arrives on the scene—at least, not yet!—but he may become quiet and sober when someone he doesn't know approaches him. Over time, his wariness of strangers will evolve into full-blown anxiety, but for now he's willing to quietly tolerate them.
- Your baby is starting to signal his likes and dislikes, turning his head if you offer him food when he's not really hungry. He's also quite willing to let you know how frustrated he feels if he wants to do something but can't—a common state of affairs at this stage of his development.
Your 6-Month-Old
Physical Development
- Your baby is now officially on the loose! He can roll over easily and may also inch his way across the room on his belly (a common precursor to crawling). He can also support himself in a sitting position and may even be able to propel himself backward by pushing on his hands.
- Your baby's legs are strong enough to support him in a standing position for a minute or two, provided you're helping to support him.
Cognitive Development
- Your baby has become accustomed to his regular routine and will react to changes to it (e.g., if you bathe him in the morning rather than at night one day).
- Your baby has already learned how to distinguish between male and female voices and will react with surprise if a male voice seems to be coming from a female's mouth.
Social Development
- Your baby is starting to imitate your actions: you bang a toy, he bangs a toy; you cough, he coughs. He's also starting to imitate your emotions, putting on a sad face if he happens to catch you frowning or breaking into a grin if you greet him with a big smile.
- Your baby's babbling is sounding more and more like speech. The practice he's getting in making sounds now will prove invaluable when he starts saying his first real words in a couple of months.
Your 7-Month-Old
Physical Development
- Your baby is now able to sit on his own for prolonged periods of time, although he sometimes leans forward on his hands for support and stability. He can't get himself into a sitting position yet—you'll have to help him.
- Your baby can stand and bounce up and down with great enthusiasm, provided, of course, that you're holding on to him. It's the ultimate workout for his legs and your back!
- Your baby may have mastered the art of crawling by now. (Don't be alarmed if he hasn't, however. Some babies go straight from sitting to walking, skipping the crawling stage entirely, or they invent other ways to get around, like sliding around on their bellies or bums.)
- Your baby is starting to reach for objects with a single hand rather than two hands, and he's now an old pro at transferring objects from one hand to the other.
Cognitive Development
- If your baby doesn't think he's getting enough attention, he'll make a fake coughing noise or some other sound to get your attention.
- Your baby is capable of remembering someone's face for as long as a week—good news if he's finally used to the family friend who drops by for a visit every Sunday!
- Your baby seems to have grasped the cause-and-effect relationship between dropping a toy and hearing the satisfying bang that it makes.
Social Development
- Your baby thoroughly enjoys social games like peekaboo and patty-cake.
Your 8-Month-Old
Physical Development
- Your baby can now sit without support and get himself into a sitting position without any help.
- Your baby can pull himself into a standing position, but he hasn't quite figured out how to get himself down. He'll likely either let go and fall over or hold on for dear life and start wailing!
- Your baby is now capable of picking up objects using his thumb and index fingers only without having to press the object into the palm of his hand in order to get a good grip.
- Your baby's eyesight is finally as good as that of an adult. Now that he can see objects that are farther away, you'll find him staring off into the distance more often, taking in the scenery across the room.
Cognitive Development
- Your baby is beginning to understand the link between words and gestures (e.g., saying goodbye and waving goodbye).
Social Development
- Your baby is becoming a master at reading people's faces to determine how they are feeling.
- Your baby is now showing a marked preference for people he knows well and increased discomfort with strangers. You can help your baby to cope with his stranger anxiety by giving him time to get used to the stranger and indicating your own comfort with that person before you allow the other person to get too close.
Your 9-Month-Old
Physical Development
- Your baby is now able to poke at objects with his index finger, something that makes it easier for him to explore objects in his hands. He has also figured out how to let go of objects voluntarily when he's finished playing with them, thereby eliminating a major cause of much frustration.
Cognitive Development
- Your baby now understands that the baby in the mirror is, in fact, himself—a giant step forward in cognitive processing.
- Your baby is starting to learn how to solve problems on his own (e.g., he'll keep experimenting until he finds a way to get a block inside a bucket rather than give up in frustration right away). And, even more importantly, he's able to draw upon past solutions to problems rather than reinvent the wheel every time.
- Your baby now understands that objects still exist even if you can't see them—another major cognitive breakthrough.
- Your baby may start experiencing some sleep disruptions— the result of the onset of dreaming, according to some scientists.
Social Development
- Your baby is showing increased affection for the people who mean the most to him. He's not quite as liberal about sharing his smiles with strangers: He prefers to save them all for you.
Your 10-Month-Old
Physical Development
- Your baby is capable of taking a few tentative steps while holding your hand.
Cognitive Development
- Your baby now recognizes his own name.
- Your baby is becoming increasingly adept at repeating a sequence of actions: picking up a block with one hand, passing it to the other hand and depositing it in the bucket beside him.
- Your baby is now the ultimate copycat—a master at imitating the gestures of other people.
Social Development
- Your baby is crystal clear about whom he likes and doesn't like, and you're the top of the list of people he adores. This is the peak period for separation anxiety, so don't be surprised if your baby insists on following you everywhere you go—even to the bathroom!
- Your baby is starting to look to you for information and guidance—a process psychologists refer to as social referencing. If he's not sure about a particular situation, he'll look to you for a reassuring smile or nod of the head.
Your 11-Month-Old
Physical Development
- Your baby can stand unsupported for a couple of seconds at a time, which will no doubt have you bursting into thunderous applause. (Hey, it's moments like this that parents live for!)
- Your baby can get himself from a standing position to a sitting position, so you'll longer have to rush to his side to rescue him each time he decides he's tired of standing up.
Cognitive Development
- Your baby is beginning to understand the meanings of an increasing number of words, but he still relies heavily on other clues that help him understand what you're saying: gestures, body language, speech intonation and so on. One study showed that babies this age understand fewer than 25 percent of the simple nouns and verbs that their parents use while they are playing with them.
- Your baby is beginning to recognize the names for his various body parts.
- You may be astounded to find your baby exhibiting gender-specific toy preferences even if you've gone out of your way to provide both dump trucks and dollies. Studies have shown that boys this age gravitate toward action toys while girls prefer soft, cuddly toys.
Social Development
- Your baby will likely utter his first words this month—another exciting milestone for you and your baby and the beginning of an exciting dialogue that will last a lifetime.
- Chances are your baby's favorite games these days involve some sort of motion, such as flying like an airplane or being bounced on your knee.
- Your baby is becoming increasingly friendly with people he knows and trusts.
Your 12-Month-Old
Physical Development
- Your baby is either walking or is about to take his exciting first step—the mother of all Kodak moments! His wide-legged gait makes it very clear why 1-year-olds are known as toddlers. (From a functional perspective, the gait actually makes a lot of sense: It lowers his center of gravity and helps to improve his stability.) You'll so notice that these first efforts at walking require a tremendous amount of concentration; during the weeks ahead, your toddler will constantly be checking where his feet are in relation to objects around him.
- Your baby is capable of stacking blocks and working with very simple frame-style puzzles (e.g., the kind where a piece with a handle fits into a wooden or plastic frame of the same shape). He's also becoming a pro at placing objects inside one another (e.g., nesting cubes).
- Your baby may be starting to show a preference for one hand over the other.
Cognitive Development
- Your baby may understand as few as three words or as many as 100 words, but it's unlikely that he's able to say more than a dozen words at this stage of the game.
- Your baby is able to use some very basic methods of sorting toys (e.g., classifying them by color or shape).
Social Development
- Your baby is becoming increasingly independent, insisting feeding and attempting to dress or undress himself. His catchphrase will soon become an indignant, "Me do it!" Ready or not, you now have a toddler on your hands!
