Newborn Development Milestones: Newborn Care

Newborn Development Milestones: Newborn Care

Dr. Frank Baum helps new parents with pediatric newborn care in Maui, HI, so your baby can have a great start to a long and healthy life. A pediatrician will track your baby's growth and development and teach you the milestones to look for between well-baby visits. Keep reading about newborn milestones and schedule a pediatric appointment for your newest little family member today.

What Are Developmental Milestones?

If you are a new parent needing newborn care in Maui, HI, you have heard about your child reaching developmental milestones, but what does that mean for a newborn? Developmental milestones are behaviors that indicate understanding or skills that show physical, mental, social, and emotional development. The American Academy of Pediatrics has published guidelines for developmental milestones to look out for, and your newborn can exhibit milestone behaviors as early as two months into life. Missing a developmental milestone could be the earliest indication your child is experiencing a developmental delay.

Newborn Developmental Milestones

Even as a newborn, your baby develops skills that pediatric experts can measure by developmental milestones. With your help, your pediatrician tracks your child's milestones throughout the first few years of life. For a newborn, the first milestones you can look for include: 

• Two months: looking at and recognizing a parent's face, smiling when talked to, or smiled at 
• Four months: smiling at parents or caregivers to draw attention, chuckling when you try to make them laugh, making gestures or sounds to capture the attention of a parent or caregiver 
• Six months: laughing and giggling in response to stimulation, recognizing familiar people, looking at their reflection 
• Nine months: making noises, reacting to their name being called 

As your child grows up, they hit more milestones at one year old and beyond. If you notice any delays in movement (motor skills), language, thinking, behavior, or emotional development, early intervention and treatment can help ensure your child leads a healthy and fulfilling life. 

Make a Newborn Appointment Now

When you need newborn care in Maui, HI, Dr. Baum is here to help you monitor developmental milestones. Contact us for an appointment at (808) 871-7116 to schedule a thorough pediatric assessment of your newborn care in Maui, HI.