Child Development (Infant)

In the first few years of life, your child’s brain develops more than at any other time with more than one million brain connections formed each second. The quality of your child’s experiences during these early years helps to shape how their brain develops and sets the foundation for learning, how they get along with others, and how they respond to daily stresses and challenges.

Play is a key part of childhood. Play provides a chance to learn and explore the world.   As a parent or caregiver, you can nurture and protect your child as they grow and develop. Through encouragement, support, and access to various activities, you help them achieve key developmental milestones as they progress through different stages of growth. Learning about child development can guide your parenting and help your child reach their potential.

While every developmental stage has milestones, development is not a race. Your child will grow and develop at their own pace. The table below is a general guide for development from birth to 18 months. For babies born prematurely, milestones are based on the corrected age (your baby’s actual age minus the period they were born early in days or weeks).

To learn more about developmental milestones in young children (2-5), please visit: Child Development (Young Children).

You know your baby best. If your baby is not meeting one or more milestones, has lost skills, or if you have concerns, act early and reach out to your local Public Health Nurse or your health-care provider.

Services related to this information:

• Contact your Public Health Nurse.
• 811 HealthLine (Newfoundland & Labrador) – Call 811 or 1-888-709-2929 / TTY 1-888-709-3555