Babies

Baby Growth

Stages of Baby Growth

Birth: A newborn baby can see, hear and has primitive reflexes, such as sucking and finger gasping. It can recognize the shape of a human face and by three days old, can tell its mother's voice from those of others

Up to 2 months baby growth: Babies learn to focus their eyes and smile. The first smiles are just mimicry of adult faces but babies soon learn that smiling elicits positive responses from others and the process becomes linked with pleasure. During the first eight weeks of life, memory of the existence of objects is limited to 15 seconds

2-6 months baby growth: During this time, different emotions begin to emerge and become clearly defined. Fear and anger separate and the first signs of satisfaction become apparent. At four months, babies start to recognize objects and by six months have begun to explore the shapes and sizes of things using their mouths.

6-9 months baby growth: Babies start to focus on facial expressions rather than just facial features, and depth perception improves. During this period, babies realize that hidden objects continue to exist. They learn to sit up and to crawl. The foundations of speech are laid as they go from cooing through babbling to increasingly accurate imitation of adult noises.

9-12 months baby growth: Most babies utter their first recognizable words, and begin to imitate words, and begin to imitate their mother's actions, such as combing hair. Babies can walk with assistance.

1-2 years baby growth: Babies become toddlers and learn to walk. By the time they are two they can run and kick a ball without overbalancing, they can also string two words (noun and adjective) together. Emotionally, they begin to feel jealousy and guilt. Fear of imaginary monsters and darkness begins

2-3 years baby growth: children begin to understand the concept of sharing and start to play with others. They increasingly link images of objects with thoughts about them, and improve in their ability to classify things.

3-4 years baby growth: Children move from being able to copy lines and circles to complete letters. Speech becomes more grammatical and sentences longer. The sense of balance improves, enabling climbing, hopping and running on tiptoe.

4-5 years baby growth: Peers become important to children and they start to make closer friends. Coordination improves and they become able to write some letters without needing to copy them. During this period, identification with the parent of the same sex as the child is at its stronger. By five years old, the brain has reached three quarters of its adult size.

5-7 years baby growth: Children can increasingly distinguish between letters. For the first time, their world is dominated by other children rather than adults, and they learn social roles and their own limits by play. At five, thought is centered on the present, but by seven concepts of past and future have started to form.

9-15 years baby: Puberty begins, starting with a sudden growth spurt and other physical changes. Girls begin to menstruate about two and a half years after puberty begins

15-20 years baby: The body reaches its maximum height and the brain its full size.

Article Published: Friday 23rd November 2007