Baby month by month: a care guide for the whole first year

How to use this guide

Every month of the first year has its own page in this series, with the detail on feeding, sleep, safety and what to watch for. This page is the map: what changes when, and where the turning points fall.

The first three months are covered week by week as well, because so much changes so fast — if your baby is under twelve weeks, the weekly pages give more detail than the monthly ones.

Two things to hold on to while reading any milestone list. First, ranges are wide: walking any time between nine and eighteen months is normal, and so is a first tooth anywhere from four to twelve. Second, the loss of a skill a baby already had is always worth a doctor's appointment, at any age.

The first year at a glance

Growth, roughly: birth weight regained by two weeks, doubled by four to six months, tripled by around a year. Length increases by about 25 cm across the year.

The four turning points

Six weeks: the first big vaccination visit, and the peak of crying. Everything gets easier from here, which is worth knowing while you are in it.

Four months: sleep permanently reorganises into adult-like cycles, which is why a baby who slept well starts waking. It is developmental, not a regression in your parenting.

Six months: solids begin, because milk alone stops covering iron needs. This is the biggest single change of the year, and iron-rich food — dal, ragi, egg, greens — matters more than variety at the start.

Nine months: the measles-rubella vaccine, which is not a visit to postpone. Measles still circulates in India and is dangerous in infancy.

What stays the same all year

Sleep on the back, on a firm flat surface, with nothing soft near the face, in your room for at least six months.

Milk — breast or formula — remains the main source of nutrition until twelve months. Solids from six months are addition, not replacement.

Nothing before six months but milk: no water, no honey, no ghutti, no cow's milk. Honey stays off the list until one year, and cow's milk as a drink until one year.

The vaccination card goes to every visit, and a missed dose is caught up rather than abandoned.

And the growth chart matters more than any single weighing: the curve, not the number.

When to see a doctor

The rule that outranks everything else at this age: any fever of 38°C or above in a baby under three months means the hospital the same day — not the next morning, and not after a sponge bath. A newborn's immune system cannot wall off an infection, and fever is often the only sign.

At any age, same-day: fast or laboured breathing, the chest sucking in, grunting or blue lips; a fit; a baby who is floppy or hard to wake; refusing feeds; no wet nappy for six to eight hours; a rash that does not fade when pressed; repeated forceful or green vomiting; blood in stool or vomit; a bulging soft spot; or a marked change from your baby's normal pattern. Call 108 for breathing difficulty.

Book an assessment for: the loss of any skill at any age, no social smile by eight weeks, no response to sound at any age, not sitting with support by nine months, no babbling or gestures by twelve months, not bearing weight on the legs by ten to twelve months, or persistent use of only one side of the body. Early assessment is free through the public system and works better the earlier it happens.

This article is general information, not medical advice, and is no substitute for personal medical advice. For any decision about your or your child's health, please consult your doctor.

Frequently asked questions

Q: My baby is behind on one milestone but ahead on others. — Common and usually fine. Babies pour resources into one area at a time. Overall progress and no loss of skills are what matter, though a single area lagging persistently still deserves a check.

Q: Should I compare with the growth chart or with other babies? — With the chart, and with your own baby last month. Cousins and neighbours' children are the least useful comparison available.

Q: My baby was born premature. — Use corrected age for milestones for the first two years: a baby born two months early is assessed against the chart for their corrected age. Vaccines, though, go by the actual birth date.

Q: What comes after twelve months? — Growth slows sharply and appetite drops with it, which alarms almost every family. Our toddler milestones and fussy-eating guides cover the second year.