0-6 Months

Baby's First Year Guide

This is a month by month guide to your Baby's First Year. It covers milestones and development, sleeping, babycare, immunisation reminders, feeding and more.


Need help? Talk to others about any issues with baby on our forums. Discuss anything about life with your baby birth to six months and six to twelve months, chat to other mums about breastfeeding, sleeping, starting solids and allergy and food intolerances.

Latest

baby road map

Your baby’s developmental roadmap

Caring for your new baby can feel like driving along a dark highway without a GPS: you know your destination – a happy, healthy human being – but you’re not sure whether you’re heading in the right direction.

  • Contains:
140x93_month1

Baby's first month: development, medical and sleep

Congratulations you have a brand new addition to your family! Whether it is your first or fifth plenty of Mums can't remember exactly what's it's like to have newborn, so find out about baby's first month on Essential Baby.

  • Contains:
It takes months for your child's vision to develop fully.

Learning to see

Watching your child develop and grow is one of the joys of parenthood. Actively participating in your child's development will ensure that your child realises his or her full visual potential.

  • Contains:
abfy-06-90x60

Baby's First Year - Month 6

At this stage many parents introduce solid food for the first time. Solid food is actually assortments of purees. We have some tips to get you started below. Baby will also be continuing to absorb language and it is never too early to start reading and singing songs to your baby who just loves the sound of your voice!

  • Contains:
abfy-03-90x60

Baby's First Year - Month 3

At 3 months old your baby is getting stronger and more interested in his surroundings. It is a good time to talk, sing and read to your baby who will now love this type of interaction. Some babies might even have settled into a routine and be sleeping more consistently, however most babies will still not sleep as well as many parents would hope.

  • Contains:
eb-month-babteeth_90x60

Baby's fifth month: teething

Tooth eruption rate is hereditary so if you or your baby’s father had teeth come in early or late, this is a good indication of how your own baby’s teeth will come in.

  • Contains:
abfy-01-90x60

Baby's First Year - Month 1

Your baby is born with some amazing abilities - he is not just a little sponge waiting to soak up experiences. From the moment he is born, his ability to snuggle into your neck, grip your finger tightly and look into your eyes will have you falling in love.

  • Contains:
Advertisement
abfy-02-90x60

Baby's First Year - Month 2

In the early months so much is new that it is natural to wonder or worry about how your baby is feeding, sleeping and crying. Below we answer some of the questions most frequently asked about newborn cries, feeding, sleep and how you can interact with your baby at this age.

  • Contains:
140x93_month2

Baby's second month: development, medical and sleep

Early experiences are significant in shaping babies minds. A baby can begin to communicate as early as two months and will be able to smile and coo although crying is still his main form of expressing their needs.

  • Contains:
timeout_swaddling

Baby's second month: SIDS

There is no known reason for SIDS but it is believed to be related to a baby’s inability to wake up when breathing irregularly, as part of a larger defect of the arcuate nucleus in the brain or elsewhere in the body that goes undetected.

  • Contains: