What Can A Baby Do By The End Of The First Year?

When your baby turns 1, you will be impressed by how much he can already do.

A baby, who not long ago needed your help constantly, begins to show first signs of independence. Aside from that, your 1 year old is starting to form a personality of his own.

Movement.

During the first year, your baby learned to roll around, crawl and stand for several seconds – all on his own. He also has made his first attempts to walk – it could be that your baby already walks holding on to your hand. Some 1 year olds are already able to climb a small step.

During this year, a child actively explores the world around him: he learns about space by moving around and examines objects by grabbing them with his hands.

Social development.

A 1 year old child can distinguish between adults, being able to recognize his mother and react to her presence in a special way. He gives an object to his mom if asked to, mimics adults’ gestures, for example claps his hands or waves goodbye.

Independence.

The baby starts to display first signs of independence: tries to help his mom get him dressed, expresses his wish to eat on his own or refuses food completely. By the end of the first year, the baby can signal for your attention, if he needs something, not only by crying but also by pointing his index finger at what he wants.

Eyesight.

By the end of the first year, the baby is able to recognize objects on pictures, tell apart different colors and perceives his surroundings almost like an adult. The baby begins to grasp the concept of space – depth and distance to objects and even their geometric shapes.

Sense of smell.

During the first year, the baby’s ability to perceive and distinguish between smells develops significantly, and there already are different reactions to good and bad smells.

Speech.

At 1 year, the baby understands particular words and simple instructions – restrictions, for instance. He can name objects by their first letters and actively repeats familiar sounds.

Emotions.

During the first 12 months, the baby’s emotional life is significantly enriched: he doesn’t just smile, he can laugh too. Other emotions evolved as well: there are shyness and self-consciousness, which are usually negated by the child’s innate curiosity.

Games.

A 1 year old baby happily plays with lots of toys: rolling a ball back and forth, dragging around a toy with a string, put objects into bigger ones and even tries to draw with a pencil on his own.

While evaluating the skills, picked up by your baby along the way, take your child’s character and unique features into account, since every baby is unique.

This material is based on the book “Child illness propedeutics”, edited by I.M. Vorontsova, A.V. Mazurina, 3rd ed., updated – St. Petersburg, “Izdatelstvo Foliant” LLC, 2009 – 1008 p.