There are some key developmental milestones you can expect your child to reach in their first 6 months.
The ages given for milestones in this guide are an average. Every child is different. Most children should be meeting these milestones.
Non-urgent advice: Contact your GP or public health nurse (PHN) if:
- you are concerned about your child’s development
- your child loses skills they had before
They may carry out more tests or refer your child to a specialist.
By 1 month
Most babies will reach certain milestones at 1 month old.
Motor skills
Your baby:
- will lift their head up briefly while lying on their tummy
- will begin to loosen their tight fists
You may notice that your baby can grip small objects in their hands, like your finger.
Communication and hearing
Your baby will be alert to sounds and throaty noises, such as gurgling.
You may notice that your baby:
- recognises your voice and enjoys when you chat and sing
- likes hearing people’s voices and prefers high-pitched voices
- is startled by loud noises
Learn how you can support your baby's communication development
Social and emotional
Your baby will be getting to know you and begin to bond.
You may notice that your baby:
- cries to communicate their needs
- cries or is upset for 2 to 3 hours a day
Learn how you can support your baby's social and emotional development
Problem-solving, learning and understanding
Your baby will fix on a bright object and follow it with their eyes.
You may notice your baby:
- likes to look at people’s faces more than objects
- can search for and suck from your breast or a bottle
When to get medical advice
Your baby will visit the GP at 2 weeks and 6 weeks for checks after birth.
But you can contact your GP or public health nurse before this if you are very concerned about your baby or notice they do not:
- startle to loud noises
- look at faces
By 2 months
Most babies will reach certain milestones at 2 months old.
Motor skills
Your baby will:
- lift their chest up while lying on their tummy
- keep their head in an upright position if they are being held
- move their eyes to track an object moved past the middle of their body
- hold a rattle or toy for a brief period
- have their hands loose and not in fists for about half of the time
Communication and hearing
Your baby will:
- look at people who are talking
- respond to your voice
They may also start making cooing noises.
Learn how you can support your baby's communication development
Social and emotional
Your baby will smile back at you when you smile at them. They will also enjoy it when you chat and sing to them.
You may start to notice that your baby:
- becomes more alert
- is awake for longer
- is more interested in the world around them
- smiles, cries or coos
- is often soothed by being picked up
Learn how you can support your baby's social and emotional development
Problem-solving, learning and understanding
Your baby can follow something that is moving up or down with their eyes.
When to get medical advice
Sometimes development can be slower than you expect. Or you may notice something different about your baby. It's normal to feel worried. Support is available.
Contact your GP or public health nurse if you notice your baby:
- does not engage in eye contact when you speak to them
- does not watch and follow you with their eyes
- does not grasp objects when placed in their hands
- cannot lift their head up for short periods
- loses skills they had before
By 3 months
Most babies will reach certain milestones at 3 months old.
Motor skills
Your baby will:
- have good control of their head when seated
- rest on their forearms (the part between the elbow and the wrist) while lying on their tummy
- use their hands to bat at objects
- have their hands loose and not in fists most of the time
- use their eyes to follow an object in a circular pattern
Communication and hearing
Your baby will:
- chuckle
- echo the sounds made by someone who is talking
Learn how you can support your baby's communication development
Social and emotional
Your baby's cries will vary depending on what they are trying to communicate. For example, hunger or pain.
Your baby may:
- give warm smiles and laugh in response to your smiling, chatting and singing
- cry when upset and look for comfort
- be soothed by a calm voice
- copy sounds that you make, such as 'ooh' and 'aah'
- show excitement by waving their arms and legs
- enjoy toys that make noises, such as rattles
- enjoy it when you read a short story to them
- continue to enjoy looking at your face
- make eye contact with you for longer
Learn how you can support your baby's social and emotional development
Problem-solving, learning and understanding
Your baby can look at a 1 inch object when it is held in front of them.
When to get medical advice
Sometimes development can be slower than you expect. Or you may notice something different about your baby. It's normal to feel worried. Support is available.
Contact your GP or public health nurse if you notice your baby:
- does not smile in response to others
- cannot hold their head up
- cannot push their chest up when they are on their tummy
- loses skills they had before
By 4 months
Most babies will reach certain milestones at 4 months old.
Motor skills
Your baby will be able to hold their head steady in line with their body. This will stop their head lagging behind their shoulders when lifted.
They may also roll their body from front to back.
Your baby will also:
- sit with their back supported on your lap
- clutch at objects
- reach out and move their hands while lying on their back
Communication and hearing
Your baby will:
- laugh out loud
- move their body towards a voice
- make sounds like 'ah-goo'
- focus on people who are talking
- make a vocal sound when a person stops talking
Learn how you can support your baby's communication development
Social and emotional
Your baby will recognise their mother.
Learn how you can support your baby's social and emotional development
Problem-solving, learning and understanding
Your baby will reach for objects and look at them while they hold it.
When to get medical advice
Sometimes development can be slower than you expect. Or you may notice something different about your baby. It's normal to feel worried. Support is available.
Contact your GP or public health nurse if you notice your baby:
- does not engage in eye contact when speaking to them
- does not fix their eyes on something and follow it with their eyes
- does not grasp objects when placed in their hands
- cannot lift their head up for short periods when placed on their tummy
- cannot hold their head steady
- does not coo or make sounds
- does not bring things to their mouth
- loses skills they had before
By 5 months
Most babies will reach certain milestones at 5 months old.
Motor skills
Your baby will lift their head when sitting.
Communication and hearing
Your baby will:
- smile and make vocal sounds when they see themselves in a mirror
- copy a person’s voice by making vocal sounds
- make ‘raspberry’ (spitting) sounds
Learn how you can support your baby's communication development
Social and emotional
Your baby will:
- smile spontaneously
- react to different tones of your voice - they prefer a calm, gentle tone
Learn how you can support your baby's social and emotional development
Problem-solving, learning and understanding
Your baby can reach out and grasp a dangling object.
They'll start to look at small objects with interest.
When to get medical advice
Sometimes development can be slower than you expect. Or you may notice something different about your baby. It's normal to feel worried. Support is available.
Contact your GP or public health nurse if you notice your baby:
- does not chuckle or laugh
- does not reach for objects
- loses skills they had before
By 6 months
Most babies will reach certain milestones by the time they're 6 months old.
Motor skill
Your baby will:
- be able to sit with support
- roll their body from back to front
- be able to move things from 1 hand to the other
Communication and hearing
Your baby will make babbling sounds such as 'baba' and 'gagaga'.
They may also:
- turn and look towards new sounds and noises
- turn and look towards people when they enter the room
- enjoy talking back and forth with you using different cooing and babble noises
Learn how you can support your baby's communication development
Social and emotional
Your baby will show a preference for a particular person.
Your baby may:
- get upset when they cannot see their main caregiver
- recognise familiar faces
- react to different tones of voice
- smile more often - especially at their parents or main caregiver
- try to hold their bottle while drinking
Learn how you can support your baby's social and emotional development
Problem-solving, learning and understanding
Your baby will look to the floor when they drop a toy.
When to get medical advice
Sometimes development can be slower than you expect. Or you may notice something different about your baby. It's normal to feel worried. Support is available.
Contact your GP or public health nurse if you notice your baby:
- does not reach for and grasp toys
- does not bring their hands to the middle of their body
- does not explore objects with their hands, eyes and mouth
- does not hold their head or shoulders up with control when they're lying on their tummy or sitting with support
- loses skills they had before
