what your baby can do

All babies are different. While babies usually develop in similar ways, your baby might do things faster, slower or differently from other babies and this is usually fine.

If your baby is doing things much more slowly or not doing some things at all, it is a good idea to check with your doctor to make sure that all is going well.

Here are some of the things your baby will probably be able to do.

six or seven weeks

He can smile at you when you smile at him.

two months

She can hold up her head when you are holding her upright and life her head up if she is lying on her tummy.

three months

She will enjoy hitting toys that make a noise and she can hold a rattle for a short time.

four months

He may be able to roll from his front to his back, but it may be another couple of months, or more, before he can roll from his back to his front. 

seven months

He will be sitting up and might be starting to crawl.

nine months

Many babies can pull themselves up to stand. Some babies take longer. It takes another two or three months or so before she can stand without holding onto something and then a few more weeks before she can actually walk.

twelve months

Babies will ‘talk’ to you in their own language and may say one or two clear words – probably one of them will be “No”. Your baby will be able to hold something between her thumb and forefinger and play little games like wave goodbye and ‘pat-a-cake’.