Your baby's brain grows faster in the first year than at any other time. Simple, loving play every day helps it grow. This guide shows what most babies can do at each stage, how to play with them at home, and when to see a doctor. Every baby grows at their own pace: use it as a guide, not a test.
0 to 2 months: faces and strong contrasts
- Your baby sees best at 20 to 30 cm (8 to 12 inches), about the distance to your face while feeding.
- Bold black-and-white shapes and your face hold their attention longest.
- By 6 to 8 weeks most babies give their first real social smile.
Play at home: hold your baby close and talk, sing and make faces. Show one simple black-and-white picture at a time, slowly moving it side to side. Give short spells of tummy time on your chest or a firm surface while your baby is awake and you are watching.
3 to 5 months: colours, reaching and sounds
- Colour vision improves, and babies start to reach for and grab objects.
- They turn towards voices and sounds, laugh and coo back at you.
- Head control gets stronger; many roll from tummy to back.
Play at home: offer soft, washable cloth books and toys of different textures. Shake a gentle rattle to one side and let your baby find it. Copy their sounds and wait for them to "answer": this back-and-forth builds early language. Build tummy time up to a total of about 30 minutes a day, in short spells.
6 to 8 months: exploring and "where did it go?"
- Babies pass toys from hand to hand and explore everything with their mouth.
- They start to understand that things still exist when hidden (object permanence).
- Many sit with support, then on their own, and babble "ba-ba", "da-da".
Play at home: play peek-a-boo and hide a toy under a cloth for your baby to find. Read sturdy board books with flaps. Name everything you see. Keep small objects, coins, batteries and button cells out of reach: everything goes in the mouth at this age.
9 to 12 months: cause and effect, first words
- Babies learn that actions make things happen: push a button, a sound plays.
- They pick up small things between thumb and finger (pincer grasp), wave bye-bye and point.
- They look at your face to see how to react (social referencing), and may say a first word.
Play at home: stacking cups, simple sorting toys, rolling a ball back and forth. Give simple instructions with gestures ("give me the ball"). Read together every day and talk through daily routines.
Healthy habits that help development
- No screens before 18 months, except video calls with family. Talking, reading and play are what babies learn from.
- Plenty of safe floor time and tummy time while awake and watched.
- Breastfeeding when possible, and from 6 months nutritious home-cooked foods alongside milk.
- Regular sleep, always on the back in a safe cot with no pillows or soft toys.
- Vaccines on time. Track every dose in the MyDoctor Vaccine Tracker.
When to see a doctor
See your paediatrician if your baby:
- does not respond to loud sounds or does not watch your face by 2 to 3 months
- does not smile at people by 3 months
- cannot hold the head steady by 4 months, or does not reach for toys by 5 to 6 months
- does not sit without support by 9 months
- does not babble, point or respond to their name by 12 months
- loses a skill they had before, at any age
- seems very stiff or very floppy, or one side of the body moves differently
Trust your feeling: if you are worried, ask. Early help works best.
Emergency: if your baby has trouble breathing, turns blue, has a fit (seizure), is very hard to wake, or a fever under 3 months of age, call 108 or 112 in India, or 911 in the United States, at once.
How MyDoctor helps
- Child care with a paediatrician: book a check-up or video visit for growth and development reviews.
- Vaccine Tracker: every dose by age for India, the US and the WHO, with reminders.
- MyDoctor Premium Family: the whole family's records, reminders and check-ups in one place.
General information from MyDoctor's clinical team to help parents. It is not a diagnosis. Please see a doctor about your own child.