- Mumsnet user, GrubbyWindows
Between six and seven months, she'll start using his lips and tongue to make mono-syllabic sounds like 'ba' or 'da' and will build from there. Once she's said her first proper word, she'll begin to add others to her vocabulary, starting with things she knows like her cot, toy or bottle. By 18 months, most babies become vocabulary sponges adding new words to their repertoire every day, as well as forming the ability to ask questions.
You can help your child's language development by talking to them and using full words as opposed to abbreviations or nicknames. Even if she's not yet able to speak properly, she's always listening. If your child hasn't said anything by 16 months, you should discuss her speech and language development with your GP or health visitor.
Baby walking milestones
Your baby's first steps are a special moment, but as well as representing a new chapter in her life they're also the culmination of months of effort on her part. She'll begin by learning to roll over and then sit (it's not so far off having a puppy at this stage), before beginning to crawl and stand, and then eventually putting one foot in front of the other and walking. Following her mobility milestones will help you to make sure she is developing as expected – and prepare you for life chasing after a toddler – so here's a guide to her movements from first shuffles to early faltering steps
When do babies roll over?
Babies usually begin to roll between two and four months.
This milestone marks her first attempt at becoming mobile. She'll only be able to roll over once she has developed strong neck and torso muscles, and enough control to twist her body.
Some babies will roll from their back onto their tummy but most start by going tummy to back first, which is easier as they can use their arms for leverage. Your baby's first roll may take her and you by surprise – her world has just flipped upside down.
Plenty of tummy time is key to developing the strength for this skill although be warned: once your little one starts rolling over, you'll need to be extra vigilant so she doesn't have an accident. Don't leave her unattended lying on your bed or couch, just in case she takes that as her opportunity to roll over and onto the floor.
From this point, your baby will be keen to use her newly strengthened muscles and it won't be long before she's sitting up by herself and crawling. You may even find that she skips this stage entirely and, without warning, shoots off across the living room floor or across her playpen one day.
When do babies sit up by themselves?
By the time your baby is three to four months, she'll have mastered holding her head up by herself. From there, you can begin supporting her to sit up. Again, tummy time is key in helping your baby get to this point. Every time she's on her tummy, she'll start naturally lifting her head to look around, strengthening her neck and spine.
Supporting her to sit is a great way to help stimulate your baby's development in other ways, offering her a new view of her world and improving her visual skills before she becomes mobile.
When supporting your baby to sit, keep your hands around her waist or use pillows to prop her up. If you have a nursing pillow, sit her into it for support. Not only will this help to strengthen her lower back and core muscles, she'll also develop balance.
From four to six months, most babies can sit for a few seconds propped up or by themselves but stay close by – she'll be wobbly at first and you may need to catch her from toppling sideways. She might start off by stretching her arms out in front of her or to the side to steady herself.
From eight months, she'll be able to sit up by herself easily for a good long while.
If your baby can't hold her head up by four months or sit up unaided by nine months, speak to your doctor or health visitor.
“[My first daughter] sat up the day before she turned six months. She was a textbook baby as far as milestones went. Once she could sit, she rarely fell back. [My second daughter] didn't sit up at10 months. However she was crawling by six months, so if you tried to sit her up, she just flung herself on her tummy and crawled away.” - Mumsnet user, DeeWe
When do babies crawl?
Most babies start to crawl somewhere between six and 10 months. All babies are different and some might start crawling earlier while others might not be on the move until 12 months or beyond.
What's important to know is that crawling styles can vary. They can include the traditional crawl where your baby pushes herself up on all fours and takes off across the living room. Alternatively, she might shuffle on her bum, crawl backwards (much to her own frustration) or crab-crawl sideways with one leg extended out and the other bent.
Your baby will naturally learn to crawl so you don't need to try to teach her. Her first foray into crawling will usually begin with the commando crawl, where she'll shuffle about on her tummy and 'swim' with her arms and legs. Offering plenty of tummy time is the best way to encourage your baby to develop her crawl. This will help to strengthen her tummy muscles, arms and legs and eventually she'll learn to pull herself up into this position.
Some eager babies can bypass the crawling stage completely and move straight onto pulling themselves up into a standing position, so don't panic if your baby doesn't crawl. What counts is not how she moves but that she does move.
When do babies stand?