Charting your Child's Development

	Your one to two month old
	Your three to four month old
	Your five to six month old
	Your seven to eight month old
	Your nine to ten month old
	Your eleven to twelve month old
	Your one to two year old
	Your three to four year old

Your One to Two Month Old

By now you should be far more familiar with your baby and the daily routines that motherhood present. This is also a time when you will probably have many questions on the development of your baby, such as feeding schedules, colic and the best overall baby-care, so it is suggested that you compile a list of all the unanswered questions to take along on the next visit to your baby's paediatrician, or local clinic sister.

Physical skills:

• When placed on her stomach, may briefly lift her chin off the bed, and may turn her head from side to side
• Sneezes and hiccoughs often
• Probably be able to support his own head for a short space of time, when held in a sitting position
•  May be able to follow an object with her eyes
• Vocalise in ways other than crying
• Startles easily at sudden loud noises

Thinking skills:

• He should at this age be able to focus on a face
• Will avoid bright light, by closing his eyes
• At the end of this stage she should show signs of recognising her mother
• May delight you with the occasional smile
   

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Your Three to Four Month Old

At three to four months your baby would have outgrown his "brand-new" stage and should start smiling at most friendly faces, especially those familiar to him. Her neck muscles will gradually become stronger, and she will be able to turn her head in the direction of different sounds, and hold her head up for longer periods. Do remember, she is still very tiny and will still need the support of a hand behind her neck and head. Her hands will bring her much delight and enjoyment, as she now often manages to suck on her fingers or fist. Even at this early age, your playtime is of great importance -
The emotional feedback received at this stage, will more than make up for those sleepless nights!

Physical Growth Chart:

Weight: 5,7kg
Height: 60cm
Head circumference: 42cm

Physical skills:

• Head should be quite steady when held in an upright position
• She may find her hands extremely fascinating, and bring them together in front of her face.
• If placed on her stomach she may be able to support herself on her elbows and turn her head in different directions
• Grasp and hold objects offered to him.
• Roll over to one side
• Start bearing weight on her legs when held in a standing position.

Thinking skills:

• Respond well to people, smiling occasionally at faces with whom she is familiar.
• Laugh and coo, much to your delight.
• Enjoy simple games, especially those with musical involvement.
• Squeal with delight when talking to him.

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Your Five to Six Month Old

Weight: 6,8 - 7-3 kg
Height: 64,5 - 66 cm
Head circumference: 43 - 44 cm

Physical skills:

• Has gained full head control
• Motions for you to pick her up by holding out her arms
• Can roll over from stomach to back

• May briefly be able to sit without support
• Could start crawling or pulling himself along on his stomach with the help of his arms and legs
• Co-ordination is developing and holds, grasps and reaches for objects with ease

Thinking skills:

• May delight in seeing himself in a mirror
• Understands the meaning of particular words, even though he himself is unable to use them
  Studies objects for a longer period

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Your Seven to Eight Month Old

There should, at this stage be a general advancement in self mobility, and competency. However, your baby's most noticeable characteristic will still be his curiosity! Baby-talk is frequently practised, and should be encouraged.

At this stage most babies will be starting to crawl, so now is a good time to start "child-proofing" the house, especially considering that most objects will end up in her mouth!

Physical Growth Chart

Weight: 7,5 - 8,3 kg
Height: 65 - 69 cm
Head circumference: 45 cm

Physical skills:

• Able to eat 'finger foods'
• Crawling movements are evident and will rock when placed on his hands and knees
• Able to support weight on one hand while lying on her stomach

• Sits for longer periods without support
• Shows emotion, and may refuse to be put down at night
• May be able to pass an object from one hand to the other
• Two upper teeth may appear.

Thinking skills:

• May object to you taking a toy away from her
• Cause and effect becomes an important discovery, and she may continuously drop an object and cry for you to retrieve it.
• Practices babbling until she eventually utters a recognizable word

• If held in a standing position, she may bear some weight on her legs
• Enjoys playing simple games such as 'peek-a-boo'
• Can identify between 'no' and 'yes', although doesn't always obey them

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Your Nine to Ten Month Old

Your baby has learned a lot in the previous months, and this is a time when he is beginning to perfect all the new skills he has acquired, although he is eager to add to his existing knowledge. Despite his growth towards independence, he will still feel the need to remain close to his mother receiving constant reassurance as he discovers these novelties.

During this time you will also begin to notice how she becomes more agile by pulling herself upwards on any piece of suitable furniture. It is no doubt a very rewarding time, but will keep you just as apprehensive as she explores every inch of the house, jabbing her tiny fingers into every possible hole.

Physical Growth Chart
Weight: 8,5 - 9,2 kg
Height: 68 - 72 cm
Head circumference: 46 - 46,3 cm

Physical skills:

• Able to bang things together
• Can raise himself to a sitting position
• Crawls, holding something in one hand

• Pulls himself into a standing position, using a chair or other furniture
• Climbs on and off chairs
• Able to pick up small objects using his thumb and forefinger
• Can build a tower using two or three blocks

Thinking skills:

• Shows a preference for either the left or right hand
• Starts making his first attempts at speech
• Enjoys simple games, such as 'pat-a-cake'
• Responds to his name
• Able to follow simple instructions

• May repeat a particular word
• Able to say 'mama' or 'dada', and knows the difference between the two
• Develops a fear of strangers or unfamiliar surroundings
• Responds to music
• Starts to recognize objects in books

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Your Eleven to Twelve Month Old

This is a particularly interesting phase of your baby's development, not only does it require your constant attention and approval, but it also marks your baby's first birthday party, which will no doubt keep you busy. Now that she's almost a year old, she will start asserting her independence and may even refuse to accept your authority on occasion.

Physical Growth Chart
Weight: 9 - 10.4kg
Height: 73 - 75 cm
Head circumference: 46,6 - 47 cm

Physical skills:

• Can balance on one foot while holding onto something
• Able to climb up and down stairs on her hands and knees
• Attempts to hold two objects in one hand, and has stopped putting every available thing into her mouth
• Able to turn pages of a book
• Helps you with dressing, by constantly pulling her socks off

• Able to walk when you hold one of her hands and may even surprise you with her 'first-step'
• Able to feed himself, although still quite a messy affair
• Climbs stairs with ease, and may escape from his cot
• Builds a tower using several blocks

Thinking skills:

• Her sense of humour is developing rapidly, and will laugh if you make a funny noise or pull faces
• Still babbles, with some words being recognizable
• May be able to say two or three words, other than 'mama' or 'dada.
• Shows preference for a particular toy
• Is able to recognise the name of specific objects, e.g. dog

• Starts to enjoy social outings but will still cling to you in strange territory
• Starts to show signs of anger and impatience and may have the occasional temper tantrum
• Vocabulary expands rapidly
• Expects constant attention, as she has huge ideas but limited capability

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Your One to Two Year Old

Your little baby is now a toddler - often a very challenging time for parents who now have to relate to a miniature human being who is desperately trying to locate her space in this big wide world, opposed to a couple of months back, where the most difficult challenge was to get baby to smile. A time where conflicts are rife.... a time commonly known as the "Terrible Two's"!

Physical Skills

• Capable of raising arms high enough to be able to empty a bowl of porridge over her head.
• Diligently helps mommy clear the table by using the tablecloth as support.
• Practices his grip, by yanking on a piece of your hair, or worse the dog's tail.
• Marked improvement in his feeding habits - now only spills six times a day.
• Great improvement in the hand/eye co-ordination - repeatedly unties the laces of all family members shoes.
• Capable of opening the medicine cupboard and actually relishing it's contents.
• Enjoys building towers - using your ancient china teacups
• Is able to remove her own nappy and use the couch as a potty.

Intellectual Skills

• Able to stop crying for at least ten minutes at a time.
• Enjoys swallowing the contents of your purse, while you're busy with an important phone call.
• Insists on giving 'teddy' a bath in the toilet.
• Creative powers emerge. Decorates your walls with food and permanent markers.
• Is able to associate chocolate wrappers with the sugar content of it's insides.
• Has mastered the use of remote controls.

Social Skills

• Bites without forewarning.
• Waters the 'Joneses' artificial flower arrangement with her milk bottle.
• Allows mommy to leave the room for a whole ten seconds at a time.
• Practices her vocal sounds by screaming blue murder on a visit to the library.

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Your Three to Four Year Old

By the time your child has reached her third year, you may find that she is a much more pleasant person to be around, and that she no longer succumbs to the frequent 'tantrum attacks', so often seen a couple of months back. Her willingness to learn and need for information is great at this age - she should be able to carry out simple requests and follow commands; use short sentences and identify many objects.

Most of the skills which were acquired during the first and second year of her life, are now being put into practice. She will enjoy energetic games and those which involve adventure, as well as imaginative play and 'pretend' games.

Physical Skills:

• Able to run around with a mouthful of food.
• Able to jump over a sleeping cat without causing injury - to himself.
• Capable of climbing to the top of cupboards.
• Mastered the act of trimming the doll's eyelashes and gluing his masterpieces onto wallpaper.
• Helps with the laundry by putting his soiled shoes into the tumble drier.
• Capable of eating a packet of sweets after just having refused dinner.

Intellectual Skills:

• Able to draw pictures on the furniture using chocolate icing.
• Now able to watch television for four hours without dozing off.
• Capable of digging for worms using your silver cutlery.

• Capable of successfully convincing her mother that she really is to sick to attend school.
• Insists on wearing her oldest most tattiest outfit and shoes that should have long been passed down, to go shopping in.
• Delights in coating the walls with wet toilet paper or simply adding a whole roll to her bath water.

Social Skills:

• Refuses to share, even though they aren't his toys.
• Enjoys playing games like 'hide and seek' in a crowded shopping centre.
• 'Thank-you' is a word used only when in the company of her mother and not in a room filled with guests.

• Capable of stealing - intentionally.
• Begins to say "I hate you mommy" in moments of anger.
• Absorbs foul language far easier than other words.

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