Introduction
Becoming a parent can be one of the most amazing and rewarding experiences for any of us during the course of our lives. It’s said that raising a child doesn’t come with a manual, and in my experience as a pediatric and neuro focused chiropractor, this is especially true early in the life of a new baby. Trying to understand what it takes for our babies to be healthy and grow to their fullest potential can be overwhelming.
I believe that for all parents, understanding early developmental milestones is one of the keys to supporting your baby’s growth, both physically and mentally. From the moment your baby latches for the first time to their earliest words, every tiny step represents major leaps in brain development. Proper neurodevelopment lays the foundation for optimal physical and cognitive/emotional function throughout life. Here’s a breakdown of key early milestones and what’s happening in your baby’s brain as they achieve each one.
1. Latching and Feeding (0-2 months)
Milestone: Ability to latch onto the breast and suck for feeding.
What’s Happening in the Brain:
The brainstem controls survival instincts (primitive reflexes) like the rooting reflex, enabling newborns to feed and breathe simultaneously.
Motor coordination pathways begin forming, helping the baby manage the complex task of latching, sucking, swallowing, and breathing.
2. Focus and Eye-Tracking (0-3 months)
Milestone: Tracks objects and faces with their eyes; focuses on familiar faces.
What’s Happening in the Brain:
The visual cortex is maturing, improving the baby’s ability to process visual stimuli.
Strengthening neural connections between the eyes and brain helps the baby recognize and track faces and objects.
3. Smiling and Social Interaction (2months)
Milestone: Smiles in response to familiar faces and engages in early social interaction.
What’s Happening in the Brain:
The limbic system, which governs emotions, becomes more active, allowing the baby to respond to emotional cues.
Neural pathways strengthen as the baby begins to bond socially, responding to parents and caregivers with smiles and eye contact. We now know this also to be the foundation of the Poly Vagal System (another blog on this topic to follow!)
4. Head Control and Grasping (3-4 months)
Milestone: Gains control over head movements; reaches out to grasp objects.
What’s Happening in the Brain:
The motor cortex is developing, allowing more voluntary control over movements like lifting the head and reaching for objects. This also represents the foundation for the postural system to engage.
Gross motor coordination improves as neural pathways between the brain and muscles become more efficient.
5. Rolling Over and Early Mobility (4-6 months)
Milestone: Rolls over; shows early signs of mobility like rocking or scooting.
What’s Happening in the Brain:
The cerebellum, which helps coordinate movement, balance, and timing, grows rapidly, enabling the baby to roll and explore new movements.
Motor neurons are myelinating, allowing signals to travel faster, which is crucial for improved physical coordination.
6. Babbling and Vocal Play (4-7 months)
Milestone: Starts babbling and experimenting with sounds (“ma-ma,” “da-da”).
What’s Happening in the Brain:
The language centers (Broca’s area) are developing, forming early speech pathways.
Auditory processing improves, allowing the baby to imitate sounds and rhythms they hear from their environment.
7. Sitting and Beginning to Crawl (6-9 months)
Milestone: Sits without support; begins crawling or moving toward objects.
What’s Happening in the Brain:
The cerebellum and motor cortex support balance and movement, helping the baby master sitting and eventually crawling, which are foundational motor functions for all body movement at maturity.
Spatial awareness centers in the brain help babies understand their environment and navigate it more effectively.
8. Object Permanence and Exploration (8-12 months)
Milestone: Understands that objects exist even when out of sight (object permanence), like a favorite toy or blanket.
What’s Happening in the Brain:
The prefrontal cortex is involved in memory and cognitive development, allowing babies to understand that hidden objects still exist.
This milestone marks a shift toward more complex problem-solving and memory formation.
9. First Words and Gestures (9-12 months)
Milestone: Says first words (“mama,” “dada”); begins using gestures like waving.
What’s Happening in the Brain:
Language centers (Broca’s and Wernicke’s areas) grow rapidly, helping the baby connect sounds with meanings.
Mirror neurons support imitation of actions and sounds, helping babies learn through observing others.
10. Walking and Independent Exploration (12-18 months)
Milestone: begins walking and exploring independently.
What’s Happening in the Brain:
The cerebellum and motor pathways continue to refine, providing the coordination needed for walking.
Increased spatial awareness and problem-solving abilities emerge as babies explore their environment.
11. Language Explosion and Simple Sentences (18-24 months)
Milestone: Rapid vocabulary growth; begins forming two-word sentences (“more juice”).
What’s Happening in the Brain:
Language centers experience a rapid increase in synaptic connections, enabling the “language explosion.”
The frontal lobe begins to mature, supporting more complex thought processes and communication.
Our Conclusion: These Tiny Steps in Development Have a Huge Impact!!
Each of these developmental milestones is fueled by significant changes in your baby’s brain. From learning to feed to taking their first steps, their brain is constantly forming and refining connections that support every new skill. As parents, understanding these milestones helps you recognize and celebrate your baby’s growth while providing the support they need to thrive. When neurodevelopment is disrupted—whether due to genetic factors, environmental influences, or lifestyle choices—it can lead to challenges in areas like learning, behavior, and emotional regulation.
These challenges can manifest as conditions such as learning disorders, ADHD, autism spectrum disorders, anxiety, and more. The good news is that the brain has an amazing ability to change, called neuroplasticity (more on this in an upcoming blog!). The key is learning, as a parent, to monitor your child for signs of delayed or impaired milestones so that the right intervention, at the right time can be applied to get your child’s neurodevelopment back on track!