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0–11 months · Last updated 13 Nov 2026

Babies, 0–12 months

In the first year, babies form bonds of love and trust with the people who care for them, and learn by looking, listening, reaching and exploring.CDC · Positive parenting tips: infants (0–1) ↗

  1. 1 · What your child is developing
  2. 2 · What you can do together
  3. 3 · Health and safety essentials
1

What your child is developing

These are things most children can do by this age. They are for understanding your child, not a scorecard; every child develops at their own pace.CDC · Positive parenting tips: infants (0–1) ↗

Social and emotional

Language

Thinking and learning

Movement

When to talk to a doctor: If your child is not meeting the milestones for their age, has lost skills they once had, or you are worried about how they play, learn, speak, act or move, talk with your child's doctor. Don't wait: acting early can make a real difference.CDC · Concerned about your child's development? ↗

The research behind it

What each study found comes first, then the kind of study and where it was published. We prefer systematic reviews and meta-analyses, and check for new research every month.

  • 9-month-old infants learned Mandarin speech sounds from live sessions with a person, but not from the same material shown on video or audio.

    ExperimentKuhl, Tsao & Liu, PNAS, 2003Study details

  • Five-month-old babies looked longer when a screen appeared to pass through a hidden box, suggesting they knew the box still existed - months earlier than Piaget's account predicted.

    ExperimentBaillargeon, Spelke & Wasserman, Cognition, 1985Study details

  • Following about 2,400 children, more screen time at 2 and 3 years was linked to poorer developmental screening results a year or more later.

    Long-term cohort studyMadigan et al., JAMA Pediatrics, 2019Study details

  • A meta-analysis of 42 studies. More screen use was linked to weaker language skills, while co-viewing with an adult and better-quality programmes were linked to stronger skills.

    Meta-analysisMadigan et al., JAMA Pediatrics, 2020Study details

Idea roots

Educators whose ideas connect to this stage. Open one to see what modern research supports and what it does not.
Jean Piaget 1896–1980 Babies learn through their senses and movement, as Piaget described - though research shows they understand more, earlier, than he thought. Lev Vygotsky 1896–1934 Back-and-forth with caregivers is where thinking starts, in Vygotsky's view.
2

What you can do together

3

Health and safety essentials

Sleep in 24 hours12–16 hours (4–11 months)WHO 2019; AASM 2016
Screen timeNot recommendedWHO 2019

Further reading

Classic parenting books with a note on the evidence. Links go to publisher details and library holdings (WorldCat). No affiliate links.