INFANT STAGES OF DEVELOPMENT

0 – 3 MONTHS

Physical
• At birth, the child’s head will fall loosely if not supported. A must to support
baby’s neck. The large jerky movements at birth develop into smoother more
continuous movements. By 3 months, a baby will be able to hold head and steady
for several seconds.
• Able to kick vigorously. Able to open hands and fist.
• By 3 months, a baby will be able to lift head up to 45 degrees when lying on their
tummy.

Mental
• Will recognize parents and response to their approaches. Starts to make
connections.
• Will protest loudly if needs are not met. Will play with hands and feet.
• At birth will look at high contract pictures and colors.
• By 3 months, a baby will like details and high contrast pictures/colors.

Hearing & Language

• New born will be startled by sudden loud noises. Cries when hungry.
• By 3 months, a baby will show excitement at the sound of approaching voices,
footsteps, etc. Will be able to laugh out loud and squeal in delight.

Social Skills
• New born will sleep for the majority of the time.
• During this period baby will begin to stop crying when picked up and soothed.
• Will recognize familiar adults and smile in response to their approaches. Babies
will also react to familiar situations and routines.

Visual
• Baby will focus on Mum’s face when being fed. By 3 months baby will also
recognize their feeding bottle or Mom’s breast (breast feeding).
• At the end of this period baby will start to be very interested in their own fingers
and will engage in play activity. Good to introduce baby with soft educational
toys.
• By 3 months, a baby will be able to follow a slow moving object about 6 inches
away.
• Baby is visually very alert. Response most to Black and Red colors.

Recommeded Toys & Stimuli

• Soft toys with bold patterns, black, white and red colours to promote eye focus.
• Cuddling soft toys with different textures and sound to promote tactile stimulation,
auditory stimulation and security feeling.
 • Toys recommened such as musical mobile, musical pull string, activity playgyms,
hand held rattle , musical toys and squeaker toys.

3 – 6 MONTHS

Physical
• By 6 months may be able to lift head when lying on back to look at feet. Will try
to grasp one or two feet.
• Holds arms out to be lifted. Rolls over from front to back and maybe visa versa.
• If held in standing position may be able to bear some of own weight.

Mental
• Objects if try to take a toy away. Will try to reach an object just out of grasp.
• Will look for dropped toy.
• Bubbles and become aware that people and objects have names, labels, etc.
• Explores things by tasting.
• Push away disliked activities e.g. baths, face washing.

Hearing & Language

• Will turn in the direction of parent’s voice.
• Vocalises tunefully to self and others in a sing-song fashion.
• Laughs, chuckles and squeals aloud when playing. Will scream with annoyance.
• Tries to mimic sounds, watches speaker’s mouth closely.

Social
• Will regard and play with feet as well as hands.
• Will pat bottle, breast when being fed.
• Will reach for and shake a rattle. Passes objects from hand to hand.
• Loves social interactions. Sometimes at end of this stage becoming shy of
strangers.

Visual
• Visually insatiable – taking everything in. Follows others activity alertly.
• Enjoy looking at other children at play.
• Can focus quickly on small object close by.
• Will be able to follow fallen objects but will forget them if outside field of vision.

Recommemded Toys & Stimuli

• Stacking rings, cubes, balls and squeaking toys to promote fine motor skill.
• Pull along toys and push toys to promote gross motor skill.
• Activity cloth books with bright colours, pockets, textures and movements to
promote eye-hand coordination and motor skills.
• Activity playmates to promote hand grasping, tummy-time and picking of object,
thus this will promote fine motor skill and encourage crawling.
• Drums and toys which move, sing, activate when hit.
6 – 9 MONTHS

Physical
• By 9 months, a baby will be able to sit alone for up to 15 minutes. In sitting
position, will lean forward to pick up toy without tumbling forward.
• Tend to be very active and nappy changing can be difficult. May attempt to pull
up to standing position.
• If held standing, will attempt to take steps. Will get up on all fours and rock.
• Attempts to crawl – sometimes succeeds, will often going backwards first.
• Will attempt to drink from cup.

Mental
• May be able to wave bye-bye. Understands some words e.g. No, Bye, Mama,
Dada and response to own name.
• Can concentrate to chosen toys, activities for minutes at a time.
• Will find partially hidden toys. Suitable to introduce to more and advance baby
toys such as Stacking Rings and Soft Books.

Hearing & Language

• Very attentive to everyday sounds and voices. Best to read to baby with simple
educational books.
• Babbles delightedly often loudly – to others. Will shout for attention, wait for
response. Beginning to understand turn-taking in conversations.

Social
• Tries to grasp spoon while being fed.
• Clearly distinguishes strangers from families. Will begin to become shy and
sometimes afraid of strangers.
• When being carried, will sit upright and look around.

Visual
• Very attentive to environment. Will see and reach for fallen toy.
• May begin to point. Can spot and pick up small objects which go straight to
mouth.
• Likes own reflection. Watches other children, adults, animals for minutes at a
time.

Recommeded Toys
• Toys to enhance creativity and exploration skill such as stacking blocks, stacking
rings, shape sorters. Playing with these toys will also promote eye-hand coordination.
• Toys with music, sound and lights.
• Soft and huggable toys to promote social interaction.
• Toys with mirror ( unbreakable ) for self discovery .
• Activity Playgyms and mats to promote crawling.
9 – 12 MONTHS

Physical
• Masters crawling or may be a bottom shuffler. May be able to crawl up stairs
(Time for stair gates).
• Can stand while supported.
• Can raise to sitting from lying.
• May walk with help. Can climb on low pieces of furniture.

Mental
• Starts to understand phrases e.g. come to Daddy/Mummy.
• Will explore by touching everything. May hand over an object on request.
• Enjoys and anticipates daily routine.

Hearing & Language

• Beginning to say simple words. Understanding of language developing daily.
• Babbles – sound like conversation.

Social
• Enjoys mimicking others.
• Will watch other children at play but will not join in.
• Loves being praised.
• Will play same game over and over again e.g. peek-a-boo. Loves playing games
and laughs often.

Visual
• Points to desired objects.
• Will deliberately throw toys and watch them fall.
• Looks in correct place for toys that roll out of sight.

Recommeded Toys & Stimuli

• Simple puzzle toys and shape sorter toys to further promote finger dexterity, eye-
hand coordination and logical intelligence skill.
• Toys which have words and linguistic sound to promote meaning of words and
vocabularies such as sing-along toys, story telling toys, musical toys, and hand
puppets.
• Toys with buttons, tie strings, levers, clips to promote daily living skill such as
learning to dress and clean up.

12 – 18 MONTHS
Physical
• In this stage will go from bouncing to music to dancing, trotting and prancing.
Will begin to move backwards.
• Tries to kick ball.
• Will scribble with thick crayons.
• Can hold spoon and cup.
• Will walk up stairs.

Mental
• Understands cause and effect.
• Starts to pretend.
• Beginning to remember separation while left alone, anxiety, eases when parent
returns.
• Can match shapes. Can point to familiar objects in simple pictures. Excellent to
introduce baby to Shape sorting toys, Learn to dress toys, Musical & Recording
toys.

Hearing & Language

• Likes to sing. Says several words. Can say “No” and shake head.
• Listen to sound-making toys and will repeat actions to make the sound again.
• May make 1st sentence. Communicates needs by vocalizing and pointing.

Social
• Likes to look at books.
• Waves Bye-Bye.
• Laughs at funny things. Starts to show temper when angry. Very emotional,
laughing, crying within short space of time.
• Likes to be constantly within sight or hearing of familiar adults.
• Demonstrates affection.
• Will begin to indicate wet or soiled pants.
• Physically restless and intensely curious. Need constant supervision. (Good time
to protect you home with safety gadgets e.g. door stoppers, locks and latches).

Visual
• Looks with interest at colored pictures.
• Follows rolling ball with eyes.
• Picks up tiny objects neatly with thumb and forefinger.

Recommeded Toys & Stimuli

• More difficult puzzles and shape sorter toys that promote repetition. Toddlers at
this milestone like to take things apart and put them together again. When a
toddler can complete a task on his own, he/she will feel good and this helps to
 build a stronger self esteem. When stronger self esteem is achieved, this helps to
enhance better social interaction and better judgement skill.
• Character toys, playmate toys, puppet toys, phone toys, computer toys, tool toys
and role-playing toys are highly recommemded at this stage. This is to promote
social interaction, emotional expression and communication skills.
• Books and art supplies to stimulate their artistic, creativity, innovative and
curiosity skills.
• Press button toys with music and sound, recording toys to promote the
understanding of cause and effect.

18 – 24 MONTHS

Physical
• Walks well – stopping and starting safely.
• Can hold pencil and scribble with it.
• Can turn pages – several at a time.
• Feeds self with spoon and can manage a cup without too much spilling.
• Will try to help undressing by attempting to and sometimes succeeding to remove
some items of clothing.
• Can push and pull larger toys. Great to introduce baby will Pull Along toys.

Mental
• Enjoys nursery rhythms and tries to join in.
• Remembers where objects belong.
• Briefly imitates everyday activities e.g. feeding doll, read book or driving car.
• Understands and obeys simple instructions.
• Will point to own or doll’s hair, shoes, nose, etc.

Hearing & Language

• Jabbers loudly and continually to self.
• Listens to others when they speak to him/her.
• Vocabulary increasing. Often echoes last word of speaker’s sentences.
• Can point to and name some familiar pictures.

Social
• Plays contentedly alone but likes to be near familiar adults or children.
• Enjoys putting small object in and out of small containers (Stacking Toys &
Nesting Toys )
• Enjoys shows of affection.
• Demonstrates wide range of emotions, temper tantrums may be frequent.
• Will indicate if wet or soiled pants.

Visual
• Enjoys simple picture books, recognizing and pointing to familiar objects.
• Point to interesting, distant object.
Recommeded Toys & Activities
• More complex role-play toys, adult imitation toys such as computer toys,
telephone toys, kitchen tools toys, feeding toys, bath toys, gym toys and character
toys to promote language, words and logical thinking. This will also promote a
better daily living skill.
• Overall, with all the above activities and interventions, a child should be able to
better understand his/she environment and response better with people around
them

Simple Dimple is committed to parents and babies especially in the development

milestones . Therefore, Simple Dimple educational toys are develop with all stimuli and
activities to enhance babies at every development stages. Let Simple Dimple and friends
to accompany your child through all stages of development, enhancing them with all the
physical, mental, social, visual, emotional, creativity, language, logical and sensory
development skills.

Watch you baby grow and most of all have fun at it. We hope that you have enjoyed the
Simple Dimple experience and thank you.

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