Development and Activities for Your Baby from Birth through 6 Months

So you’ve carried this little one inside your body for almost a year, preparing mentally and emotionally to be parents. You’ve purchase clothes, diapers, and all of the gizmos and gadgets you could possibly need to care for a baby. Then the day comes for him or her to arrive.

Suddenly you’re holding an infant in your arms and wondering what you are supposed to do every day from here on out. He can’t walk, he can’t talk, he can’t read, and he sleeps most of the time. It’s not like you can play board games with her, and she’s probably not adept enough to be able to play video games with you.

But you don’t want to ignore the obvious learning that’s taking place everyday, and miss the chance to really make a difference in his little brain and possibly set him back in his learning. So many new parents worry about these same things when they have a new baby. Questions like “What is she learning right now?” and “What should I be doing with him?” are exactly the reason I’m writing this article.

I asked all of the same questions that you are likely wondering now. Having a new baby to mold and shape in your life can be a little scary and confusing at times, but hopefully that will no longer be the case after reading this article.

Let’s look at what your new baby is learning right now and some fun things you can be doing together.

Shortly After Birth

At this tender age, everything is a new learning experience for your baby. The first thing she is going to learn is the shape of your face, the smell of your body, and the sound of your voice. You are taking care of her. There is no one more important in her life.

And during the first month of life, your baby will learn by interacting with you. She can only see about 6 inches in front of her face, but she doesn’t need to see any further than that right now to see you and her food. Right now, her major needs are sleep, food, a clean diaper, and lots of love.

Some fun things that you can do with her this month are:

• Holding her close so that she feels safe and secure as much as possible
• Smiling, making soothing sounds, and giving her gentle caresses
• Let her feel your touch, hear the sound of your voice, and see your face
• Stick out your tongue, and make other funny expressions
• Play her some soft music and sing to her
• Read her some simple books, even if she sleeps through them right now

1 Month

By now you’re getting a little more comfortable with caring for a baby. Everything is a learning experience right now, for both of you. But this month you may be rewarded with some coos, gurgles, grunts, and hums as he expresses his feelings. He’ll be watching you closely for facial expressions, new sounds and noises, and to make sure you don’t get too far away.

This month he can see about a foot in front of his face, but he still may not be able to hold up his own head. He may begin to turn his head towards new sounds, but will likely still startle at sudden or loud noises. And this month, you might notice that he has discovered his legs and arms, even if that means he accidentally hits himself.

Some fun things that you can do with him this month are:

• Talk to him and repeat some of his sounds back to him softly
• Hold him close when you speak to him so he can see your facial expressions
• Keep talking even when you put him down and move away from him so he knows you’re near
• Sing to him and play some soft music for him
• Maintain lots of eye contact
• Choose a colorful toy and move it across his line of vision so he can follow it with his eyes

2 Months

At 2 months, she should be able to see a couple feet in front of her now, and can now see a variety of colors. She will likely be very interested in looking at everything around her and may even be able to hold her head up for brief periods of time. Kicking and moving is going to be the name of the game right now. She won’t be quite ready to roll or crawl yet, but will be very interested in moving her body.

She will also likely be doing a great deal of drooling, but her drool actually contains bacteria killing enzymes so it’s not bad thing if it gets on her toys or other surfaces. And speaking of drool getting on her toys, she is grabbing anything that gets anywhere near her and shoving it in her mouth. This is how she learns about the world around her.

Some fun things that you can do with her this month are:

• Show her brightly colored pictures to explore.
• Keep talking and singing to her. You can explain what you are doing and why you’re doing it if you need something to talk about.
• When you talk to her, ask questions and allow a pause for a response. Respond as if she answered your question. She’ll learn how to communicate and get a kick out of it with you.
• Read to her. Try varying your tone and intonation to keep her interested and build a better connection with her.
• Continue playing different types of soft music to her. Music builds her brain.

Related Articles:
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3 Months

He’s just about out of that helpless infant stage now and will start acting more like a baby. This is a great time to start introducing him to family and friends as he can now interact a little more and may even give them a smile. Playdates are also fun to start right now because he’s going to love being around other babies. You might see him scooting towards them on the ground and grabbing their faces.

He will probably discover his hands this month, and will possibly stare at them in fascination and try to bring them towards his mouth. If he’s not already scooting on his belly, backwards or forwards, you might see some of that now, as he’s sure to be able to hold his head up. You may even see him roll. He’s also going to love different textures, especially if it makes noise when he grabs it.

Some fun things that you can do with him this month are:

• Find different textured materials that your baby can play with and touch
• Continue holding your baby close, as this safety and security is more important than ever this month
• Give baby massage a try
• Find a great colorful toy and hold over his head so he can reach for it
• This is the perfect time for tummy time so he can strengthen those muscles need for crawling and rolling
• Schedule playdates with friends and family
• Keep reading to him so he can hear new words and the rhythm of language
• Try putting a rattle into his hands

4 Months

Teething is likely to start this month, which may mean anything from a fever and diarrhea to earaches and crying. But with teething, you can expect her to have lots more movement, to possibly start sitting up by herself, and to shove everything into her mouth. She may even start making sounds that you can understand this month.

She can now see across the room and you’re going to love her fascination of anything with a texture now. Although this may mean your keys, your phone and your plates during meals. She will likely hit herself in the face with the toy and cry. But she will be much easier to comfort and calm with your voice, especially since she can see you further away now.

Some fun things that you can do with her this month are:

• Give her more colorful toys and books to play with
• Imitate her efforts to speak to you
• Talk to her often, and mimic a conversation, where you give her time to respond
• Put interesting toys just out of her reach and to each side to encourage more movement
• Provide teething toys and frozen wet washcloths for her aching gums
• Give her different textured items like crinkly, shiny, lumpy or furry such as fur, tissue, felt, and velvet to play with
• Read books that make touching a part of the reading experience
• Create your own musical instruments like pots and pans, or sealed bottles of buttons to shake

5 Months

Your little one may surprise you this month and hold out his arms to be picked up. He is also adding new sounds to his repertoire. You’re likely going to hear laughing from him around now. Make sure to take advantage of any times you can make him laugh. He will recognize a wide range of objects now, and show you with coos of delight or happy facial expressions. He will also love more intricate toys, like toys that make noise and toys that have moving parts.

Some fun things that you can do with him this month are:

• Work on sitting up, propping him with pillows if necessary
• Make different sounds with him to get him to imitate you
• Make funny faces to get him to laugh
• Play games with him, like blowing on his stomach, tickling his feet, and peek a boo
• Start helping him to stand in order to build his leg muscles
• Continue reading to him. He will likely want to put the book in his mouth.

6 Months

Considering where she started, she has come so far now. She’s making all sorts of fun sounds, grabbing, pulling and putting everything in her mouth. Your baby is likely sitting up, rolling over front to back and back to front, and this month crawling. She will probably show interest in food this month and is ready to start trying some simple cooked and mashed fruits and veggies.

She will enjoy touching different textures, like feeling running water through her fingers, scrunching up a ball of paper, running her hands along blades of grass, etc. This means that she’s really going to enjoy exploring foods right now with different, colors, tastes and textures. She will also start noticing small things like your earrings, your buttons, your glasses. And stranger anxiety is normal at this age.

Some fun things that you can do with her this month are:

• Hold her close when you are out in public so she knows she is safe
• Keep up a running commentary on everything you’re doing with your baby
• Count the stairs as you climb, show them the leaves on the trees and point out animals
• Give everything around you a name.
• Start making animal noises with her
• Playdates and visiting with family are great for socializing
• Read touchy, feely books that make sounds
• Continue playing music and singing to your baby

Babies are so much fun at this stage as everything is so new and they just love to be cuddled. But every baby is different and meets milestones at different times. Don’t be concerned if your little one doesn’t meet all of the same milestones in the same timelines as other babies. Your child is unique, and even if they hit milestones before or after others of similar age, children usually equal out in abilities when they get older.

This article is simply meant to help you understand what your baby is likely learning at each stage to better connect with him and provide what he needs at each age. I also provide fun activities that you can do each month with your baby that will help her develop the skills she needs to succeed at the next skills coming up. Be patient, have fun, and treasure every stage your baby is in, especially when you can make her laugh.

If you ever have any questions, or you do reach a point where you are concerned with your child’s development in any area, don’t hesitate to contact your doctor. They are great at answering questions and are used to receiving concerned phone calls from parents.

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