The first year of a baby's life brings exciting changes and growth. Babies go through so many child development stages at a pace that is sometimes breathtaking.
Reviewing Baby Development Stages
Let’s pause to remember just a few of your baby's developmental learning achievements:
- At birth, your baby ate many times, day and night. Now she eats regular meals of solid foods and can even feed herself.
- At birth, your baby could barely lift her heavy head. Now she can sit, stand, stoop and maybe even walk.
- At birth, your baby communicated only by crying. Now she smiles, laughs and frowns. She shows anger, fear, joy, curiosity and love. She may even say a few words.
Get Ready for Toddler Speech Development
Take some time to celebrate these changes at each of the baby development stages. Then buckle your seat belts for another exciting year. Want a little taste of what’s to come? Consider this about toddler language development: Your 12-month-old may now speak two or three words. By the time she’s 2, she may know as many as 200 to 300 words! That’s enough to have a real conversation.
Don’t be surprised, though, if most of those words stay locked inside her head most days. That’s because your toddler is also getting ready to take a few steps toward independence. Take it from a mom who’s raised and loved four toddlers — for awhile, you’re likely to hear only a few words: “No!”, “Mine!” and “Me do it!”
Source: Parenting the First Year, Month 12. University of Wisconsin-Extension, NCR Publication No. 321. 1999.
Linda Wacyk is a mother of four children and freelance writer from Grand Ledge, Michigan.