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Rooting
A reflex that is seen in newborn babies, who automatically turn the face toward the stimulus and make sucking motions with the mouth when the cheek or lip is touched. This usually begins four months into the child's birth. -
Moro Reflex
This reflex is an infantile reflex normally present in all infants and newborns up to 3-4 months of age as a response to a sudden loss is support, when the infant feels as if it is falling. -
Grasping Reflex
Also known as the palmar grasp, it appears as early as 16 weeks in utero and persists until five or six months of age. When an object is placed in the infants hand and strokes their palm, the fingers will close and grasp the object. -
Babbling
This is a language development, babies learn to talk in stages which usually begins with sighs and coos, followed by strung together consonant-vowel sounds known as babbling. -
Walking or Stepping
Babies take their first steps sometime between 9-12 months and are walking well by the time they're 14 or 15 months old. -
Tonic Neck Reflex
Also known as the fencing reflex, this is a primitive reflex found in newborns but usually vanishes around three months of age. The position of the infants arms and head resemble a classically trained fencer. -
Growth
By four months babies grow about 3 inches and gain an average of 4.5 pounds from their birth length and weight. Their head circumference also grows between .25 and .5 inches a month during the first year of life. -
Vision
During the fourth month of life, a baby's vision will improve, and most are able to link the senses of sight, taste, hearing and touch together to form an identity of one object or person, called sensory integration. Between six and nine months of age, babies begin to recognize those familiar sights, sounds and touches. -
Interaction
As infants at one month begin to better express their feelings (often with alert, widened eyes and a rounded mouth) the bond between parents and baby strengthens. By two months, a baby may begin to interact with someone by smiling, called the “social smile,” along with making eye contact and moving arms. As early as two to four months, babies will grow attached to familiar caregivers. -
Gross Motor
Gross motor behavior enables infants to move and thereby attain different and varied perspectives on the environment. Behaviors such as pulling to stand and climbing present children with new learning opportunities. When infants push a toy stroller or shopping cart, they are also engaging in processes related to cognitive development, such as imitation. -
Fine Motor
Fine motor development is related to the ability to draw, write, and participate in routines such as eating and dressing. Common early childhood learning materials, such as pegboards, stacking rings, stringing beads, and puzzles, offer opportunities for infants to practice their fine motor skills. Fine motor movements of the hands are coordinated with perceptual information provided through movements of the eyes. -
Crying
Crying may not sound conversational, but it's a newborn's primary way to communicate, meaning they use it for everything from "I'm tired" and "I need food" to "It's a little too bright in here." Wailing also primes a baby for genuine language by strengthening the same neural pathways in the brain that are used for speech. -
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First Year Abilities