Child Development Milestones: Birth to 6 Months
From birth to six months: movement, communication, early social skills, play ideas, and when to raise concerns with parents.
Child Development · 6 min read
Level: Intermediate
In the first six months, babies change very quickly. They go from sleeping most of the day to smiling, laughing, reaching for toys and rolling over.
What you might see
Movement
At first, the baby's movements are jerky, and they can't hold their head up.
By around 3 months, they can lift their head and chest during tummy time.
By around 4 to 6 months, many babies roll over, reach for toys and hold them.
By around 6 months, some can sit with support.
Communication
Crying is the baby's main way to tell you something is wrong.
By around 6 to 8 weeks, most babies give their first real smile.
By around 3 months, they make cooing sounds, like "ooh" and "aah".
By around 6 months, they laugh, squeal and start to babble.
Social and emotional
Babies love faces, especially close up.
They start to recognise familiar people and may smile more at them.
They calm down when they hear a familiar voice.
Thinking and senses
Babies follow moving objects with their eyes.
They turn towards sounds and voices.
They explore everything by putting it in their mouth.
How you can help
Give tummy time every day while the baby is awake and you are watching. It makes the neck, back and arms strong.
Talk all the time. Describe what you are doing: "Now I'm changing your nappy. Here's a clean one!" Babies learn language by listening.
Get face to face. Smile, make faces and copy their sounds. This is their first "conversation".
Sing songs and nursery rhymes, even simple ones.
Respond when they cry. You can't spoil a young baby. Comforting them helps them feel safe.
When to talk to the parents
Mention it if the baby:
is not smiling by around 8 weeks
doesn't react to loud sounds
doesn't follow objects or faces with their eyes by around 3 months
feels very stiff or very floppy
can't hold their head up by around 4 months
stops doing something they could do before
Useful phrases
"He smiled at me today for the first time. It was lovely!"
"She did 10 minutes of tummy time this morning and lifted her head really high."
"He's started reaching for the toys on his play mat."
Vocabulary
WordMeaning
tummy timetime a baby spends lying on their front while awake
to cooto make soft "ooh" and "aah" sounds
to babbleto make baby sounds like "ba-ba" or "ma-ma"
to roll overto turn from front to back, or back to front
health visitora nurse who checks babies and young children in the UK
Next in the series: Child Development Milestones: 6 to 12 Months →