You believe your baby is developing the right skills at the right time, but how can you be completely sure? Do you find yourself comparing them to other babies? Or do you simply let them develop at their own pace?

Without a doubt, it can be tricky trying to track your child’s progress as they get older. But don’t worry! We’re here to take you through a guide to major milestones in each area of development and explain what your child should be able to achieve by the time they’re 1–4 months old.

Just a quick reminder: children develop at their own pace! Please don’t overthink or stress if they’re not meeting these milestones the moment they turn 1–4 months old. These are guidelines; they’re not set in stone.

So, let’s begin with their physical appearance and growth.

Physical appearance and growth:

Generally speaking, babies going through this period will grow between 2 and 4 cm (1 to 1½ inches) and gain 0.7 to 0.9 kg (1½ to 2 pounds) a month. And their head, which will look rather big for their body, will grow about 1.3 cm (½ an inch) in circumference each month. At 2 months, they’ll look a little chubby (which you’ll undoubtedly find adorable), but once they begin to move their limbs and grow, they’ll start to appear taller and thinner.

Movement development:

One of your baby’s most important developments at this stage is their growing neck strength. For 5 minutes, three times a day, lie your baby down on their stomach to encourage the strengthening of their neck muscles. They won’t be able to lift their head on their own before they’re 2 months old, but with practice, they’ll be able to hold their head and chest up using their elbows by the time they reach 4 months.

Their hand and arm movements will also develop rapidly during these months, so that by the time they’re 3 months old, they’re grasping objects and bringing them up to their faces. This is quite amazing given that, at first, they could only hold their hands in tight little fists.

What are the movement milestones?

raises the head and chest when lying on the stomach.

Opens and shuts hands.

Brings hands to mouth.

Can support their upper body with arms when lying on their stomach.

Stretches and kicks legs out when lying on their back or stomach.

Pushes down with legs when their feet are placed on a hard surface.

Uses hands to swipe at dangling objects.

Grasps and shakes toys.

Visual development:

At one month, your baby won’t yet be able to see past 15 inches, but that’s not to say that everything within this range won’t interest them greatly. While faces and eyes, in particular, will be their favourite images, they’ll also love looking at moving objects that hang above their crib, even if they’re black and white—colours aren’t all that easy for them to see at this age. Over the next couple of months, they’ll become much more responsive to facial expressions and will love looking at themselves in the mirror.

What are the visual milestones?

Watches faces very intently.

Follows moving objects within their line of vision.

Recognises familiar objects, even at a distance.

Starts using his eyes and hands in coordination.

Development of hearing and making sounds:

Your baby will respond most of all to voices, especially the ones they hear the most and those they associate with warmth, comfort, and food. They’ll respond better to high-pitched, melodic voices and noises. Speak to them, read to them, and sing to them as much as possible! They’ll even recognise the music and voices they heard in the womb.

Hearing and speech milestones:

Begins to babble.

Smiles at the sound of your voice.

Begins to imitate sounds.

Turns their head in the direction of a sound.

Emotional and social development:

During your baby’s first month, they’ll experiment with little grins and grimaces, though these might not mean all that much just yet. But by their second month, these expressions will communicate genuine pleasure and friendliness. At 2 months old, your baby will spend most of their time watching and listening to the people around them, learning that these people feed, entertain, and soothe them.

What are the emotional and social milestones?

Begins to develop a social smile.

Imitates some facial expressions and movements.

Becomes more communicative and expressive with both their face and body.

Enjoys playing with others and may even cry when play comes to a stop.

What are the things to look out for?

Every child is different and will develop different skills in their own time. However, it’s always a good idea to talk to your GP or paediatrician if your child is still showing these signs at 1–3 months old:

Doesn’t respond to loud sounds.

They don't notice their own hands after 2 months.

Doesn’t smile at the sound of your voice for 2 months?

Doesn’t smile at people at 3 months.

Doesn’t try to grasp, hold, or reach objects by 4 months.

They don't follow moving objects with their eyes by 3 months.

Struggles to support their head at 3 months.

Doesn’t babble by 3 to 4 months.

Doesn’t bring objects to their mouth by 4 months.

Don’t try to imitate any of your sounds for 4 months.

They don't push their legs down when their feet are placed on a hard surface for 4 months.

Doesn’t pay any attention to new faces or seems frightened by new faces and surroundings.

Crosses their eyes a lot of the time (eyes crossing occasionally in the first couple of months isn’t unusual).

What are the developmental milestones for 1 - 4 months?

From Unii’s Baby Development Journey, we look at the milestones for 1–4 months.