Child Development

Infants watch your face and will look at the pictures of book. They enjoy hearing the sound effects you make, "Moo-Moo for the cow", and seeing the pictures. Soon they learn that the sounds they make interests you and they begin to mimic sounds.

Babies talk with their bodies---they stretch and wiggle when they want to change positions, or get down. They crawl over and pull themselves up on your leg when they want to be picked up. They bounce up and down when they are excited or happy. Babies get to know routines and respond, for example, when it is bath time they might pull on their clothes in anticipation of you taking off their clothing. Babies chew their fists when they are hungry.

Babies can make noise as soon as they are born and they will have learned a language and be able to put simple sentences together by age five.

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Personalized Toys, Books and Gifts for Baby and Kids

Birth to 3 months	Gets attention by making happy noises. When people respond to noises, baby feels better and makes more happy noises
3 to 6 months	Laughs, squeals and screams when upset. Make sounds like "moo-moo" and "goo-goo, ga-ga". They like to talk to themselves. Babies don't understand words yet but they understand the tone of your voice.
6 to 9 months	They like conversations, listen, babble with words like, "mama", "dada". Parents listen and repeat back words they think the baby is saying. They understand, "bye-bye" and "no", even though they can't yet say the words.
9 to 12 months	Recognize their name and turn their head when they hear it. Understand words like cup, bottle, car, and kitty, though most will not be able to say the words yet. They can carry out instruction such as " Give Mommy the toy", "Kiss Daddy goodnight", and "don't touch".
12 to 15 months	Say their first words (more than mama and dada). Point to objects and name them. They understand phases like, "Don't touch", "Give me the ball", etc.
15 to 18 months	Very chatty, tey say up to 20 words and understand about 100 words. They will repeat the last word you say in a phase, such as when you say," Want to ride in the car? They will say, "car"
18 months to 2 years	They will be talking in sentences that no one can understand. They learn quicker if they are talked to by siblings and adults frequently. They begin to use combinations of words, such as, "more milk", "mama bye-bye". They love songs and nursery rhymes.
2 - 2 1/2 years	They talk to toys and stuffed animals as they play. They can even change their voice like a ventriloquist as they play. They ask endless questions like, "Why?" and "What?". They love to listen to stories in a book and begin to learn that you are saying the words on the page. They learn to enjoy reading while sitting on your lap.
2 1/2 to 3 years	They will have learned hundreds of words and speak well. They can say simple phrases such as the "Toy on bed". They might be able to count, but they don't understand numbers, but they like the rhyme.
3 to 4 years	They begin to use simple sentences "I buyed lickle ball today". They make "mistakes" in grammar. You do not need to correct them. Simply confirm you understand then repeat the sentence with the correct grammar. They like fun word games like, "one-two buckle my shoe."
4 to 5 years	They understand basic language . They still make "mistakes" in pronunciation, such as, "We had hamburgular for dinner". The best way to help them continue improve language skills is to chat happily with your child everyday.

Source: Love, Laughter and Parenting by Steve and Shaaron Biddulph, Dorling-Kindersley, 2000