The “As Children Develop” Series Part I: Infants 0-3 Milestones and Activities

There is no faster time of brain development than from zero to three, and some of the most formative experiences that have lifelong consequences occur in early childhood. Because of this period of expedited development, babies’ and young children’s needs vary during these early years.

That’s why I’m going to focus on age-by-age information during these early years in my first series that seeks to break down crucial information so it’s applicable to babies’ and young children’s specific and appropriate developmental needs. Each part in the series will include an activity for you to try.

Ages 0-3

Your newborn will grow and change more in their first year of life than during any other time. Being a parent is one of the hardest jobs we’ll ever do, filled with joy–along with stress and anxiety. It’s a period that’s not only about managing your child's ups and downs, but most importantly having the support to manage your own ups and downs that come with the job of being a parent. Although there is no “perfect parenting” manual to guide us, having the knowledge of how to manage our own big emotions together with knowledge about their developmental stages can help. 

Within the first thousand days of life, your baby’s brain is growing rapidly, with one million neural connections happening every second. Every baby is different and will grow at their own pace, but during this malleable, plastic first year, your baby will change dramatically in five areas of development: physical (sensory and motor), language, cognitive, emotional, and social skills. Each physical change provides a different and unique perspective about themselves and the world around them. 

Emotion is Our First Language

As research shows and we can see, children are born ready to learn, and optimal learning and development happen within the context of responsive empathic relationships with trusted, nurturing, supportive adults. From a baby’s first smile, squeal, cry, and scream, they are communicating with you through their first language – emotion. How we respond to these cues and help children develop emotional competencies is dependent on our ability to manage our own emotions, so we can be available to model, guide, and respond empathically and calmly.  

Remember, a developing brain overwhelmed by dysregulated emotions cannot learn. Emotional intelligence – our ability to recognize, understand, express, and deal with our own emotions and those of others – is the key to dealing with the hurdles and challenges kids and adults face. We aren’t born with these skills, but we are born able to learn. If children are learning from adults who have the necessary support in dealing with their own emotionality, then their child(ren) will be set on the path to healthy brain development, a positive and secure sense of self, strong relationships, and success in learning and life.

Here are some tips and activities that you can use and practice during the first several months of your child’s life to help guide you through this amazing, rapidly ever-changing period of your child’s life and yours as a growing parent.

0-3 months Milestones

Cognitive Milestones:

•     Will turn to gaze at new objects in interest
•     Gaze longer at complex objects

Language Milestones:

•     Expressive language development – cooing, crying, vocalizing
•     Looks, listens, and smiles back at caregiver

Sensory & Motor Milestones:

• Begin to lift head
• Examine hands, try to touch, and grab fingers
  • Sensory integration – children start to wiggle their fingers, see their fingers move, and feel them move 

Emotional & Social Milestones:

• Sensitive, cooperative interactions with caregivers help infants learn how to manage tension 

Try this free activity to practice emotional expressions with baby in the mirror to build recognition, expression, and early emotion identification skills: Peek-a-Boo Emotions.