Child’s Development From Birth to 3 Years

Understanding child development can help you know what to expect and what you can do to help your child grow in a healthy way. In the early years of life, your child’s behavior communicates their needs and how they are changing and growing. Listening to your child’s unique cues can help you support them through their years of very rapid growth and development.

The stages of child development described here are guidelines only, not a set of rules. Every child develops at their own pace. If you have any concerns about your child’s development, talk to your health care provider.

From birth to 3 months, your baby:

Recognizes parents’ voices, right from birth
Discovers their own voice
Enjoys eye contact, smiles at people and studies faces
Cries as a way of communicating needs
Coos and gurgles happily when given attention
Startles at noise and responds to sounds in time
Stretches or moves arms and legs
Lifts head when lying on tummy
Holds head up to search for sounds and movement
Rolls over to one side
Discovers feet and hands and holds objects
Follows moving objects with their eyes

From 3 to 6 months, your baby:

Lifts head about 90 degrees
Sits with some support
Stands up with help
Rolls over from front to side and then in all directions
Reaches for and lets go of objects
Responds to their name
Enjoys social interaction
Shows interest in colours
Recognizes faces and shows a preference for familiar people
Laughs and squeals when happy
By 6 months understands that an object still exists even if they can’t see it

From 6 to 12 months, your baby:

Recognizes their name
Responds to some words, such as ‘Mommy’ or ‘Daddy’
Says or repeats sounds, or babbles
Mimics simple actions of other children or people
Shows strong feelings and emotions about likes and dislikes and shows happiness or sadness
Sits steadily without help for longer periods
Drinks water from a lidless cup
Stands firmly with help or when held
Can move or shuffle on belly and then crawl
Takes first steps and walks alone, between 8 and 18 months of age
Enjoys crawling and walking
Loves getting a lot of attention from their caregiver
Gets scared around strangers and cries when parents leave
Throws toys or objects on purpose
Plays social games, such as ‘peekaboo’ or ‘patty cake’
With all the exciting changes in their life, your child may wake up more frequently at night

From 12 to 18 months, your child:

Has a lot of energy and wants to explore everything
Can feed themselves using fingers or a spoon
May climb out of the crib
Walks alone and walks upstairs 1 step at a time
Speaks in short phrases, such as “mama go?” or “all done”
Understands basic sentences and says 1 word sentences. For example, says “more” for “I want more”
Names pictures in a book
Follows simple directions
Understands much more than they can say
Enjoys receiving attention
Plays best by themselves and is unlikely to share toys
Cooperates or resists limits parents set
Gets frustrated easily
Cries less but may whimper or whine more
Uses the word ‘no’ correctly or shakes head
May have a special toy or blanket
Has a short memory and does actions again even if you tell them not to. May do the opposite of what you tell them to do

From 18 to 36 months, your child:

Uses 2 or 3-word sentences
Asks for help using words or actions
Can count and use new words
Understands shapes and sizes
Shows a range of emotions
Learns to recognize and to others’ feelings
Wants approval and needs praise
Asks a lot of questions
Responds to requests, such as ‘Get your coat’
Gradually uses 1 hand more than the other
Can walk up and down stairs
Can learn to ride a tricycle
Can run, climb, kick, and throw a ball
Dances to music
Tells stories, sings songs, and plays
Tries to do more independently
Helps with simple household chores, such as taking laundry out of the dryer
Has trouble sharing and says ‘no’ or ‘mine’
Becomes familiar with and enjoys routines
Recognizes and names familiar people
Shows interest in a new person, thing, or sound
Enjoys playing alone and near other children
By 36 months, enjoys pretend play with others
May start to identify with a specific gender
Shows an increased attention span
Solves problems by trial and error
Participates in group activities
Shows affection openly, such as hugging
Uses social language, such as please and thank you
Copies adult behaviours
Gets frustrated sometimes because they want to do more than they are able to do
May start becoming anxious about real and imaginary dangers or uncomfortable situations.