As a parent, it’s almost impossible not to monitor your child’s development and compare them to others of the same age. Everyone does it, and everyone feels some anxiety that their baby might be developing at a slower rate. But the truth is, all babies are different, and so they should develop at different paces.

So, while it’s useful to keep growth and development milestones in mind, your baby’s overall health and happiness are much more important than whether or not they’re the first to walk or say “dada”.

Having said this, you’re not at fault for wanting to know how their first year might play out—how their height, weight, sight, hearing, touch, taste, smell, language and understanding, and physicality will change. Just make sure to remember that these are just guidelines. And there’s very likely nothing wrong if your baby doesn’t quite match up to the general expectations.

So, let’s begin with the area that often has parents most concerned: their baby’s weight.

How does my baby’s weight develop?

A lot of parents become paranoid about their baby’s weight. Are they too heavy? Are they too light? And it can get to a point where you find yourself weighing them from week to week. But it’s your baby’s general health over a period of some weeks that’s much more important. Know that a lot of babies are a little chubby, but they’ll soon lose the excess weight when they start to crawl and move about, so don’t feed them less. Remember, healthy babies don’t overfeed or underfeed.

This is a rough pattern of a baby’s weight gain patterns:

In the first few days, they may lose up to 10% of their body weight.

Over the next 10 days, they are likely to gain this back.

Thereafter, weight gain is around a kilo a month (roughly 2 pounds). This won’t always be consistent.

It will then slow to roughly half a kilo (1 pound) a month.

By 4 or 5 months old, most babies have doubled their birth weight.

At 12 months, they’ll have tripled their original weight.

What about my baby’s height?

Most babies will grow around 25–30 cm (10–12 inches) in their first year, so they'll be around 70–75 cm (28–29 inches). Their head will also begin to look a little more proportionate to their body.

What about their sight?

When they are a newborn, your baby will only see clearly at a distance of around 20–25 cm (8–10 inches), which means they’ll easily see your face as you breastfeed. Initially, they’ll be much more responsive to contrast as opposed to colour, so black and white toys and baby mobiles will prove very entertaining. But in six weeks, their eyes will start to work together, and things will come into greater focus. By 3 months, colours will prove easier to differentiate; by 6 months, objects will possess more detail; and at 12 months, they’ll see pretty much everything.

How does my baby’s hearing develop?

At birth, your baby will quickly come to recognise and respond to your voice and any family members who live in the same home. They’ll also hear and react to loud noises. Your baby's hearing will be checked at birth. It may be checked again if you express any concerns about their hearing during their routine baby checks.

What about their touch, taste, and smell?

Your baby won’t just use their hands to touch; they’ll want to put everything in their mouth! They’ll bring all sorts of items up to their mouth and nose, tasting, smelling, and exploring this world that they don’t yet understand. So just be careful; they aren’t putting anything dangerous in or around their mouth. They’ll taste things as you do but will prefer sweeter tastes and may not enjoy spicy, salty, or sour tastes. And they’ll know their parents smell anywhere.

How do my baby’s language and understanding skills develop?

They will develop different cries for different reasons, which you’ll soon come to learn. By 6 weeks, they start to smile and even respond when you speak to them with all sorts of noises. They’ll become fascinated with their reflections and strangers (at around 4 months). Once they’re 6 months old, they can repeat several noises, such as “ma-ma”, though “da-da” is a little trickier and may come later. At 7 months, they’ll recognise their name as well as the word “no” (that’ll come in handy), but at 8 to 9 months, they may become rather clingy. But it’s not all bad, as they’ll love spending time with other babies.

By their first birthday, they’ll happily chatter nonsense words and also understand simple directions. They may even say a few words. The rate of language development in healthy babies is hugely variable, so don’t be alarmed if they’re not quite there yet.

What about their physical development?

In the beginning, it’s all about head control. They’ll follow items that are in close range and try to lift their heads if they’re lying belly down. If they’re on their backs, they’ll love to kick their legs here and there. At 6 weeks, they really discover their hands, and at 12 months, they may even be able to roll onto their stomach or back all on their own. Hand-eye coordination starts to develop soon after this point, and by 4 months, they’ll be able to control their heads. 5 months sees them hold and bring objects to their mouths, and at 6 months, they can even pass objects to others.

From 8 months onwards, they might learn to crawl or shuffle along on their bottoms and even feed themselves. By 8 months, they can generally sit up on their own. They will also pick up and drop objects, wave goodbye, and might even attempt their first steps. Their grips also become more like ours, using thumbs and forefingers to pick things up.

How does my baby grow and develop in their first year?

On Unii’s Baby Development Journey, we look at a baby’s development in its first year.