Baby Milestones: Developmental Stages in the First 18 Months
Your baby’s first 18 months are filled with many exciting new changes. You want to soak up the time with your little one at any stage while looking ahead to the next steps in their development.
This timeline of developmental stages represents some of the most common milestones your baby will have and when they occur most often. Keep in mind that all babies are different in their development. Your little one is unique, and it’s normal for babies to reach milestones in different timing, or sometimes to skip them entirely. If you have any questions about your baby’s development, ask your pediatrician.
The First 2 Months
Within the first 2 months, your baby:
- Begins tummy time
- Lifts their head
- Has their first smile
- Sleeps well with a swaddle
Month 3
Starting at month 3, you can look for the following:
- Starts to show signs of rolling over from belly to back
- Has their first laugh
- Reaches for toys
- Begins to break out of a swaddle
Between months 3-5, it’s common for your baby to start to show readiness for rolling and to break out of a swaddle. These are indicators that it’s time to swaddle transition into a Magic Sleepsuit.
Month 6
Around month 6, you may start to see some of these milestones:
- Responds to their name
- Begins eating solid foods
- Starts to sit up without support
- Sleeps for longer nighttime stretches
- May soon begin rolling in the Magic Sleepsuit
Between months 6-12, your baby’s increased motor skills and developing strength prepares them to start rolling more at night. When your baby shows signs of rolling over while in the Magic Sleepsuit, they are ready to move to a Magic Dream Sack. This roomy sleep sack gives your baby familiar comfort from the same cozy fabrics as the Magic Sleepsuit, but in a style that helps them sleep in their next stage of development.
Month 9
At month 9, it’s common to see that your baby:
- Crawls or scoots
- Plays peek-a-boo
- Pulls themselves up on things
- Stands while holding on to objects
1 Year
When your baby is around 12 months, you can expect the following:
- Says first word, often “mama” or “dada”
- Waves “bye-bye”
- Stands independently
- May start taking a few steps
- Ready to transition out of a Dream Sack
Around 12 months, your baby may be phasing out of the Dream Sack and ready to upgrade. The Magic Dream Sack Walker is for babies 12-18 months who need sleepwear that offers the same comfort with more mobility. It has foot openings that allow for more movement needed for crawling and walking.
Month 18
At month 18, it is common to see these milestones:
- Walks without support
- Eats with a spoon and drinks from a cup
- Says several small words
- Plays pretend with dolls or stuffed animals
Baby Merlin offers a complete sleep system that offers sleepwear solutions from the time your baby is first transitioning from a swaddle through their 18 month mark. We’re here to help your baby to get good sleep so that you can enjoy your time together in every developmental stage.
Also in Our Blog
What’s the Difference Between a Swaddle and a Sleepsack
Five Questions about Early Morning Wakeups for Baby
The team at NAPS helps you tackle the issue of early wakeups. *BONUS* NAPS is hosting a webinar on February 24th. Register here and use the extra-special code MAGICMERLIN and you can join the webinar FREE of charge!
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The sound of cheery calls of “MAAAAMAAAAA” from the next room may be lovely at 7am. At 4am, or 5 am, not so much. Your baby may be up and ready to start the day, but you probably aren’t.
Answering the questions below may help you get there.
- Is your nap schedule mucking up your baby’s overnight sleep?
This might seem like an obvious question, but your baby’s sleep needs will change fast in the first few years of their lives. A quick look at the average nap number and duration might give you an idea:
- For babies from 3-6 months old, it’s normal to take 3-4 hour-long naps per day.
- For babies 6-15 months old, expect 2 naps with 3-3.5 hours of total sleep.
- For one and two-year-olds, you should expect a single 2-hour nap.
Part of the reason you might be seeing earlier wakeups is that your baby has graduated from one nap cycle to the next.
- Does your baby have enough time between their last nap and their bedtime?
We call this an “awake window,” and it can make a big difference. It might seem strange that your baby went to bed fine the night before, and you’re seeing a response to nap scheduling in the pre-dawn hours, but if your kiddo’s sleep is disrupted at night, it will impact the morning.
- 3-6 months, at least 1.5-2 hours between final nap wakeup and bedtime.
- 6-12 months, at least 2.5-3.5 hours between final nap wakeup and bed.
- 12-18+ months, 3.5-4.5 hours between final nap wakeup and bed.
- Is the room staying dark after the sun comes up?
Black 0ut curtains can make a big difference here. Remember that our brains signal wakeup when the light changes. So if dawn is at 430am, and even a little bit of light comes into your baby’s room, their little brains will PING with wake up juice.
- Is your baby going to sleep too early or too late?
It might seem counter-intuitive, but a late bedtime can actually backfire on you. Overtired kids don’t sleep as well. If you made their bedtime later and it didn’t fix the problem, try an earlier bedtime and see if that helps. You might be surprised.
- How do you make it better?
Try to make one change at a time; just one. Stick with that change for 3-5 days to see if it impacts things. (One night is usually not enough to see substantial change.) Be as consistent as you can with the change you made. For instance, if you decide to increase the space between bedtime and final nap wakeup, make sure to stick to the wakeup time you planned.
If your baby is waking up and chirping happily to themselves, feel free to leave them there for a little while. Let them get used to being alone in the crib. If you can, try to delay the start of the day by 5-10 minutes each day. This can make a big impact.
Everything else aside, remember that this is a short time in your kid’s life; as they get older, their sleep will become more regular, and so will yours. Don’t let yourself get too discouraged. Things are hard now, and you’re doing a great job.
