Your baby is born ready to learn about their world. Their brain is only 25 per cent developed at birth. Most brain growth occurs in the first two years of life. Every time you talk or sing to your baby you are helping their brain to grow.
One of our Senior Public Health Assistants, Charlotte Crayford, shares the importance of keeping your baby active, communicating with your baby and baby brain development in this video.
Babies learn to communicate through eye contact, facial expressions and sounds before using words. The first word your baby will learn to recognise is their own name. Hold your baby close to you when you are talking to them, so they can see your face.
We would expect that between six to eight weeks your baby will begin to smile and coo. They will love listening to your voice. This video from the baby's point of view, shows how they learn to talk, listen and communicate with you.
Physical activity and freedom to move are also essential for your baby's brain to grow as it should. One of our Health Visitors Gemma Sibley, shares the importance of spending time communicating with your baby and how this helps their brain to develop in this video.
In the first six months your baby will learn to hold their head up. In their first year your baby is likely to learn how to:
- roll from front to back
- sit firstly with support and then unaided
- get into the crawling position
- become more mobile including rolling, shuffling or crawling
- pull themselves up to stand and then as they become steadier and more confident begin walking.
Your baby will also develop fine motor skills such as holding a toy in their hand. As they get older you will see them passing the toy from hand to hand. You might see your baby begin to show a pincer grip when they are feeding themselves things like peas or sweetcorn. You might see your baby begin to poke or point at objects.
At about nine months your baby will begin to pull themselves into a sitting position and sit unsupported. They'll also be able to lean forward to pick up objects in front of them. Your baby may also begin to pull themselves up to stand from the sitting position, this may only be for a few moments.
Visual and eye development are also taking place during this time. Watching you move around the room, moving a toy from side to side will all help your baby's eyes develop. Babies and young children don't need screen time as this can impact on their eye development.
Children develop at different rates so try not to compare your child to other children. Babies born prematurely may reach milestones at a later stage. If you have any concerns about your baby's development you can contact your local health visitor for advice and support.
Useful resources
- Born to Move app - encouraging play and interaction to help the learning and development of your baby's brain at this early stage, building the foundations for a healthy, confident child.
- Families in Kent and Medway can access a free online antenatal course called 'Understanding your baby.' This is for everyone around a new baby, supporting you and the new arrival from birth to 12 months. This course gives you information about your baby's brain development and your baby's physical and emotional development. It shows how important your relationship is for the baby's development. Use the access code Invicta to register for your free account. This 'Brain Builders' video explains how experiences in the first years of our lives affect how our brains form.
- Better Health: Start for Life - NHS tips to help your baby with their communication development.