9 Red Flags In Your Babys Development To Watch Out For

The first six months of your baby’s growth can bring out utmost satisfaction in the small yet significant movements in your baby. These months will be filled with the joy of watching your little baby grow.

In the first few months after your baby’s birth, you will notice signs of natural adaptability that your baby is in-built with. They might take a while to adjust to the new surroundings after the nine month confinement of a womb. Movements and recognitions will take your breath away. Sit back and enjoy the pleasant signs of growth in your baby.

Do not fret if your baby shows certain signs of growth a little later, unless you think there is something to be worried about. In such a case consult a doctor. Some babies are born with deformities, these can be quite visible in the first few months. Keep a lookout for this in the probability that your baby might have a slight deformity. The earlier you notice these signs the better it is for your baby to overcome these glitches.

At each stage, your baby should be crossing certain milestones. Some babies can be late at catching up development-wise, but this should not be a problem. However, if you see that your baby is unable to do the same, consult your paediatrician.

For the first one and a half years, look out for these signs that baby’s should be showing.

0-6 Months

1. Notice if your baby is unable to keep their eyes still or tend to cross them most of the time. It is important that they pick up the ability to focus on things. They should be recognising faces. There is a problem if your baby is unable to focus on objects moving in front of their eyes or if their eyes tear up, but is not a sign of crying.

2. When there is a loud noise of a steel dish falling or cars constantly honking, a baby’s response is usually to cry out loud because of the disturbance. If your baby does not show a sign of disturbance with a loud sound, there might be a slight flaw in his/her hearing.

3. Your baby should be able to make slight recognitions to their names as well as recognise their own hands by the early age of 2 months. Ensure you teach them to use their limbs and move them around for them to check for stiff muscles.

4. Grasping objects is something that children learn at the age of 3 months. This starts with holding on to a person’s fingers tightly, which should start in the first few months. If this does not happen, wait for a few more months to check if they are unable to grasp onto any object.

5. Babies start to recognise familiar faces at an early age. They learn how to imitate expressions like smiling. At the age of 3 months, check if your baby is able to recognise faces as well as smile, or show happy faces when they see familiar faces trying to play with them or make squeaky, random noises.

6. By the third month, they should be able to support their own head. Even though it might be unstable, there should be signs of an attempt to support it. Ensure that their neck does not fall back as soon as you let go of your support on the neck.

7. Baby’s tend to start babbling to themselves or others in their fourth month. Making vowel sounds of meaningless sounds is a sign of brain development. Encourage your baby to talk to you, and make sure you listen and try to understand what they are saying to you. If you do not see these signs, consult your doctor.

8. In their fourth month of development, babies start to teeth, which mean they will start to nibble on everything. In this month, if you do not see your baby bringing objects to their mouth, it might be a sign of slow development.

9. Since your baby has still not gained full control of their limbs, putting them on their feet should result in them pushing down. If your baby does not react that way it might be a result of tight muscles or inability to move their lower limbs. 10. Your baby should be able to rollover on both sides by the age of five months or earlier. Not being able to do this is again a sign of inability to gain control over limbs and other parts of the body.

7-13 Months

In the next six months your baby should be showing signs of self reliance and individuality. Given below are a few distinct signs you need to look out for.

1. Your little genius should be able to recognize their own name when called out. Responding to their name is a sign of development of their ear and brain. Responding to their name is a major milestone in your baby’s seventh month.

2. Your baby should show signs of anxiety in the absence of familiar faces. Crying and looking around for their mother or father can be a sign of personal development. In the off chance that your baby does not recognise faces and does not notice your absence, it might be a sign of slow brain development.

3. Peek-a-boo is the most enjoyable child-mother bonding game. If your baby does not recognize your face or play along, try other games that engage your baby before you consult a doctor.

4. When you hide objects in front of your baby, they should be able to find it. This shows the basic development of an average percentage of children at the age of 8 months.

5. At 9 to 10 months, your baby should be able to sit without your help. Babies have a tendency to bounce themselves on you while sitting on your lap. If these signs are not seen at this ag, there might be a problem in the development of your baby’s muscles.

6. Crawling starts at the age of 10 to11 months. See that your baby is crawling or making attempts to do so at the early age of 8 months. Keep an eye out for signs of dragging on one side or dragging of the lower part of their body.

7. Before your baby’s first birthday they should be attempting to pick up food with a pincer grip, which involves the use of their thumb and index finger. When you find that they are not attempting to use their hands to pick at their food, it might be a sign of inability to move their fingers.

8. At the age of 11-12 months your baby should be making an attempt to talk just a little. For example, ‘Mumma’ or ‘Papa’ should be words they can say flawlessly. If there is no sign of an attempt to talk, try to encourage your baby by having conversations with them. If there is still no response, consult a doctor.

9. There should be clear signs of playing with other children when put together with them. They should show signs of getting along or even jealousy of other children, as this is a sign of emotional development. Imitating other children and their actions is also an important milestone for your baby. If these signs are missing, it is an alert for you to take your child to the doctor.

10. Hand gestures at the age of one or even earlier is a sign of good development. Waving, saying no, and pointing are common gestures found in children of this age. See that your baby is able to make any gestures with their hand.and if not, consult a doctor.

14- 20 Months

After your baby has reached the one year mark, development should be a lot more speedy. Check for these red flags in your baby’s development, which might be a sign of uneven growth. In these six months, your baby should be able to walk, say a couple more words kick, walk up the stairs, throw a ball (or anything for that matter). There should be a visible progress in their potty training too.

1. Your baby should be able to make at least two haphazard sentences or speak a few unconnected words. If your child is unable to speak words but continues to fumble with noises, there might be a speech disorder. In this case, it is best to cross check with your doctor.

2. Your baby should be able to walk without much of a wobble. If he/she is still attempting at a crawl, you need to consult your pediatrician.

3. There are chances of your baby forgetting the skills they have already learned. This recedes in learning can be a red sign for your baby’s development. It is crucial that your baby is learning new things and is moving forward in their learning.

4. There should be an understanding in the words that your baby is using. They should be able to associate these words with hand gestures or objects around the house. The inability to understand the meaning of simple words is a sign of low brain development. Imitating actions and words is another development that is commonly viewed as a sign of good progress.

5. The ability to listen, understand and follow instructions is an important milestone in your baby’s development. Check if your baby is able to do the following. In the case that they cannot do so, consult your pediatrician. All of the above signs are common developments that baby’s show at the specified ages. If your baby is not one among the others to pick up these skills, it might be because of delayed growth, but you must cross check with a doctor.

The earlier you start treatment, the better the journey of your baby’s development.