Baby milestones by month

MilestonesOccupational TherapyBreastfeedingLactation
Written By Erica Rampant

Babies develop on different timelines. Development happens on a continuum, so some babies will develop some skills earlier and some a little later. Here are some of the skills/behaviors that are likely to emerge each month.

1 Month Milestones

  • Eyes follow objects when 8-10"

  • eye focal distance is about 8 to 12 inches

  • grasp reflex

  • An infant can imitate the adult’s facial expressions shortly after birth

  • efficient suckling, feedings last about 17 min

  • 8-16 feeds per day

  • 2-6 weeks- sleeps about 2-4 hours at a time

2 Month Milestones

  • social smile

  • turns head to moving obj

  • may lift head to 45 degrees

  • visually looks for sound

  • easily pacified by breastfeeding

  • eyes follow objects, react to -noise by crying

  • more sleep at night compared to day

3 month milestones

  • interested in surroundings

  • respond to vocalizing

  • regards own hands

  • turns head to moving objects

  • interrupts feeding if -

  • distracted by people coming into room

  • sleep wake cycles

  • consolidate, sleeps 4-5 hours at a time, longest stretch at night

  • beginning at 3 months infants can begin to become distracted during feeds

Infant milestones, when to be concerned?

If your baby hasn't achieved these skills It's not necessarily a delay, but If you have concerns that's a good reason to ask your pediatrician or get help from a pediatric OT or PT. Many things can be done to address milestone development. The Tummytime! Method is a great way to address gross motor, oral motor, social, and sensory needs. The tummytime! method is a researched based modality that helps reflexes integrate too.

More about Tummy Time

The Tummytime! method is a progressive, scientific program designed to help babies and parents connect so that babies get comfortable in the tummy time position. Tummy time is essential for posture, movement, sensory-motor processing, social-emotional connection, tongue and head movement (especially for restrictions), and development. This unique method addresses cranial nerve optimization and autonomic system regulation, and building resiliency! This 8-phase process promotes repetition and consistency, mixed with novelty and safety. It addresses development in a cephalocaudal progression, which means that occurs in a natural progression from head and downward. This is why tummy time is so important because lifting the head is the foundation of human growth and development.

If you are in the charleston area, I offer infant development classes, if you live outside of South Carolina I offer virtual visits. Contact me today

info@nurturenourishservices.com.

Want to learn more, check out LE’ Archive, yes that’s a RHOA joke lol

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