Infant and Newborn Development

On this page

Basics

• Summary
• Start Here
• Diagnosis and Tests
• Treatments and Therapies

Learn More

• Related Issues
• Specifics

See, Play and Learn

• No links available

Research

• Journal Articles

Resources

• Reference Desk
• Find an Expert

For You

• Patient Handouts

Summary

When will my baby take his first step or say her first word? During their first year, babies start to develop skills they will use for the rest of their lives. The normal growth of babies can be broken down into the following areas:

• Gross motor - controlling the head, sitting, crawling, maybe even starting to walk
• Fine motor - holding a spoon, picking up a piece of cereal between thumb and finger
• Sensory - seeing, hearing, tasting, touching and smelling
• Language - starting to make sounds, learning some words, understanding what people say
• Social - the ability to play with family members and other children

Babies do not develop at the same rate. There is a wide range of what is considered "normal." Your baby may be ahead in some areas and slightly behind in others. If you are worried about possible delays, talk to your baby's health care provider.

Start Here

• CDC's Developmental Milestones (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Also in Spanish
• Your Child's Development: 1 Month (Nemours Foundation)
• Your Child's Development: 2 Months (Nemours Foundation)
• Your Child's Development: 3-5 Days (Nemours Foundation)
• Your Child's Development: 6 Months (Nemours Foundation)
• Your Child's Development: 9 Months (Nemours Foundation)
• Your Child's Development: Newborn (Nemours Foundation)

Diagnosis and Tests

• Developmental and Behavioral Screening Tests (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
• Developmental Monitoring and Screening (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - PDF - In English and Spanish

Treatments and Therapies

• Physical Therapy (For Parents) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
• Speech-Language Therapy (For Parents) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish

Related Issues

• Developmental Milestones of Early Literacy (American Academy of Pediatrics) Also in Spanish
• Overview of Early Intervention (Center for Parent Information and Resources)
• Separation Anxiety (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
• Stopping the Bottle (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
• Tummy Time for a Healthy Baby (Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development) Also in Spanish
• What Is a Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrician? (American Academy of Pediatrics) Also in Spanish
• Your child needs vaccines as they grow! (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Also in Spanish

Specifics

• Emotional and Social Development: 4 to 7 Months (American Academy of Pediatrics)
• Emotional and Social Development: 8 to 12 Months (American Academy of Pediatrics)
• Emotional and Social Development: Birth to 3 Months (American Academy of Pediatrics) Also in Spanish
• Speech and Language Developmental Milestones (National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders) Also in Spanish

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

• Article: Association between birth length, linear growth velocities, and primary school achievement...
• Article: Dietary diversity and development among early childhood children in rural China.
• Article: Growth and Eating Behaviours at 2 Years Corrected Age in Extremely...
• Infant and Newborn Development -- see more articles

Reference Desk

• Growth Charts (For Parents) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish

Find an Expert

• Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Also in Spanish
• KidsHealth (Nemours Foundation)

Patient Handouts

• Developmental milestones record - 12 months (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Developmental Monitoring and Screening (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - PDF - In English and Spanish
• Infant - newborn development (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Normal growth and development (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish