Midnight Baby Support

Month 1

• Lift head briefly during supervised tummy time
• Focus on a face
• Bring hands to face
• Suck well
• Respond to a loud noise in some way
• Lift head 45 degrees when on tummy
• Vocalize in ways other than crying
• Smile in response to a smile

Month 2 

• Baby can turn their head to either side and can wiggle and squirm moving their arms and legs.
• touch their face with their hand
• briefly hold a toy when you place it in their hand
• grab your finger when you place it in the palm of their hand
• follow an object or person with both eyes
• turn when they hear voices
• deliberately maintain eye contact
• smile when spoken to or when you smile at them
• make cooing sounds such as ‘aaah’, ‘gah’ and ‘ooo’
• make sounds back to you when you talk to your baby
• cry when wet, hungry, tired or if they want to be held
• smile or get excited

Month 3

• Your baby will be able to hold a simple toy in their hand.
• At 12 weeks old, your baby will giggle out loud and smile lots.
• Three-month-old babies move their heads in the direction of sound when they hear a noise.
• Your baby will be fascinated by their hands and examine them closely.
• Your baby will be able to lift their head and shoulders up for a few moments during tummy time.
• Your baby may pick up objects and bring to their mouth.
• Three-month-old babies also have the ability to mimic sounds.
• Your baby may be able to roll onto their front

Month 4

• when lying on their tummy, they can hold their head straight up and look around
• when lying on their back, they can bring their hands together over their chest and touch their fingers
• when in a supported sitting position, they can hold their head steady
• when in a supported sitting position, they start to reach for a nearby toy
• hold a toy in their hand whilst also looking at it, waving it about and attempting to chew it
• play with their fingers when they put their hands together
• grab or pull at their clothes
• smile or ‘coo’ at themselves when in front of a mirror
• giggle and laugh
• smile or get excited when they see you, after you have been out of sight
• stop crying when they hear a voice other than yours
• make sounds when looking at toys or people
• make high pitched squeals
• when in front of a mirror, smile and make noises at themselves

Month 5

• Playing. At 5 months old, your baby probably loves playtime. And the great thing is, playing helps your baby learn, develop skills, and boost their senses. Holding toys in front of your baby so they can practice reaching and grabbing them, playing "peek-a-boo," or attending a parent-baby music class are all good ways to play together. 
• Rolling over. Although not all babies will totally master this skill yet, some babies will be rolling over from front to back and back to front around 5 months. (Flipping from back to front is harder because your baby needs stronger neck and arm muscles for that maneuver.) Your baby may love their newfound ability, or may not like the view once they've flipped over. 
• Sitting up. Most 5-month-olds can't sit up without support yet, but your baby may enjoy sitting while propped up by pillows. This can help your baby develop the core strength needed for sitting, too. Just be sure to stay right next to your little one in case they topple over.
• Moving objects. Your baby may be able to pick up larger, easy-to-grasp objects like soft balls and blocks. Passing things from one hand to the other usually won't happen for another few months, but your baby is getting better at grabbing things. Your 5-month-old may begin reaching with both hands at the same time, touching their fingers together, and banging objects on a table or hard surface.
• Understanding cause and effect. At 5 months old, your baby is gaining the ability to recognize cause and effect. This means they might purposely throw a toy and giggle at the sound it makes, or realize that if they cry a certain way, you'll pick them up. Your baby is learning that their behavior has an impact on others – namely you!

Month 6 

• roll from their back to their tummy
• when on their back, play with their feet
• when on their tummy, pushing their whole chest off the floor and straightening both arms
• sit up with support
• lean on their hands when they sit on the floor
• get into a crawling position
• grasp a toy using both hands at once
• reach a small object using their finger and pick it up using their thumb and all their fingers
• pick up a small toy with one hand and pass it to the other
• try to get a toy that's out of reach by rolling, turning on their tummy or crawling
• start teething
• holds hands up to be lifted
• makes sounds like 'ba', ‘da’, ‘ga’, and ‘ka’
• squeal and laugh
• when playing with sounds they will growl, grunt, and make other deep-toned sounds
• repeats sounds back to you
• enjoy looking at themselves in a mirror
• act differently towards strangers than you or other familiar people such as staring, frowning or crying

Month 7 

• Passes objects from one to the other
• Rolls from front to back and back to front
• Sits without support
• Bears more weight on legs and bounces when in a standing position
• Recognizes familiar faces
• Responds to strangers by reaching for caregiver or crying
• Starting to crawl
•  At 7 months, we are expecting to hear vowel sounds and they should be starting with some consonant sounds.
• The beginning of separation anxiety, your baby may be clingy to you. This can disturb their sleep as they don't like not being next to you.
• Baby should now b e weaning and you can introduce little lumps in their food , meaning you can mash it rather than blending it.

Month 8 

• Your baby may now be crawling or bottom shuffling and moving around at home.
• Eight-month-old babies can often recognise the names of their parents and others in their household, such as siblings and pets.
• Your baby’s pincer grip and ability to hold and drop objects will now be developing fast.
• Your eight-month-old baby will now be making more babbling noises and attempting to copy you when you speak.
• Crawling. Your baby will likely start crawling soon after they're able to sit well. Don't worry if your baby doesn't crawl some babies without support. 
• Standing. Your baby may be practicing pulling themself up on furniture and standing while holding on. 
• Having a "lovey." Soon, your baby may develop an attachment to a special blanket, toy, or stuffed animal.  Your baby is transitioning from depending on you as their main source of comfort to having another source of support. You can encourage your baby's relationship with their lovey, but be sure to follow safe sleep practices and don't put stuffed animals, blankets, or pillows in their crib.
• Saying words. Babies will be babbling by 8 months old and some may have started saying words  like "mama" and "dada." . it is important to keep talking and reading to your baby.
• Increased motor control. Your baby may be able to pass things, such as a toy, smoothly from one hand to the other. They may also be skilled at grasping small items and getting them to their mouth. (Watch out!)
• Pointing. Babies often start pointing between now and a year old, so watch out for this fun milestone. 

Month 9

• sit without support
• get into a sitting position from lying down
• may crawl
• pull to stand
• stand with support and supporting their own weight on their feet
• stand and using furniture to support them
• bend down to pick up toys from the floor when holding onto furniture
• pick up a small toy in one hand using the tips of their fingers
• pick up a piece of string with their finger and thumb, this can be after a few tries
• bang or clap toys together
• copy simple sounds 
• babble making different sounds like "da", "ga", "ka" and "ba"
• say words like "baba", "dada" or "mama"
• will give items when asked or put back items when asked for example 'please give it to me' or 'please put it back'
• play at least 1 nursery rhyme game such as peek-a-boo, pat-a-cake or clap your hands. 
• recognise family members
• may prefer to be close to familiar adults.

Month 10

• Your baby may be able to stand confidently.
• 10-month-old babies often now have their first few teeth.
• At ten months, your baby can use each hand independently.
• Your baby will be able to understand simple words. 
• Walks with you holding their hands
• Shows curiosity and explores how things work
• Understands simple one-word phrases or requests
• Looks when their name is called.
• Drinks from a cup held for them
• May take a step or two
• Stands up unassisted (but only for a few seconds)
• Has specific preferences for tastes and textures

Month 11

• Throws objects
• Stands for a few seconds
• Finds toys when hidden under a cup
• Vocalizes to songs
• Bounces to music
• Standing and cruising around the furniture.
•  At this age, your baby is continuing to build their language skillsand understand more of what you are saying. "They are starting to do something that is called 'joint attention' where they will look at something you are pointing to. They also are increasingly conscious of things that have names and their purpose, so they might try to brush their hair with a brush or hold a telephone to their ear.

Month 12

• sit in a good position and are able to get into a sitting position alone
• pull to stand from sitting position and can sit down again
• walk around furniture (also known as cruising)
• may crawl or bottom shuffle
• may stand alone
• help turn the pages of a book
• throw a small ball
• pick up a piece of string with first finger and thumb
• pick up small objects with the tips of their fingers. 
• point at an object
• respond to their own name
• hold out arm or foot to help when being dressed
• make more meaningful sounds (for example, ‘mamma’ and ‘dadda’)
• look at an object when you ask where it is
• offer a toy when you ask for it, they may not let go of it
• play with a soft toy or doll by hugging it.