Discovering movement 

In the first few months, babies will start to: 

• turn their head from side to side when lying on their tummy
• lift their head and chest during tummy time
• use their arms to support their upper body
• kick and stretch their legs with excitement
• become very interested in their hands, bringing them to their face and trying to grab things 

Activities to try: 

• lay your baby on their tummy with a rattle or toy in front of them
• singing songs and playing music
• slowly moving colourful objects for their eyes to follow 

See your doctor or nurse if your baby: 

• can’t lift their head even slightly during tummy time. 

Early grasping 

In the first few months, babies will start to: 

• clench their fists- fingers wrapped around thumb
• show a reflex grip, called the palmar grasp, when you touch their palm
• hold objects and bring them to their mouth 

Activities to try: 

• colourful toys above them to reach and swat at
• offer soft balls or rattles with different colours and textures
• place objects in your baby's hand to trigger the palmar grasp 

See your doctor or nurse if your baby: 

• doesn’t follow things with their eyes
• keeps their hands clenched 

Communication foundations 

During pregnancy, your baby can hear the familiar sounds of your voice.  

In the first few months outside, babies will start to: 

• recognise voices more clearly
• smile and gurgle to engage with you
• make very early sounds like cooing and gurgling

Activities to try: 

• describe your everyday activities to baby- what you’re doing and seeing
• sing and read out loud
• have "conversations" with your baby by giving eye contact and actively responding to their sounds

See your doctor or nurse if your baby doesn’t seem to hear you or respond to sound. 

building trust and connection 

In the first few months, babies will start to: 

• calm down when held or spoken to
• smile when they recognise your face
• cry when they are hungry, need comfort or a clean nappy
• prefer napping on your body as a way of connecting 

Activities to try: 

• respond quickly and calmly to your baby's cries-building trust.
• make eye contact, smile, and talk to improve emotional connection
• use a mirror to help your baby explore facial expressions- building self-awareness 

See your doctor or nurse if your baby doesn’t smile or interact with others. 

Rolling and sitting 

Babies will make some big leaps with movement during this period.  

They will start to: 

• hold their head up with confidence
• roll from back to tummy and tummy to back, getting faster too
• explore their surroundings by grabbing and grasping
• sit up with support from their hands
• learn how to sit without support

Activities to try: 

• placing toys just out of reach
• handing your baby toys or items to explore
• encourage rolling by placing toys in their side view when on the floor  

See your doctor or nurse if your baby can’t hold their head up when lying or sitting with support. 

Exploring with hands 

During this period, babies realise they have hands and will love to grab objects.  

They will start to: 

• grip, grasp, and handle toys between hands or sometimes in their mouth
• use clawing and raking motions with their hands to bring items closer, pick them up and look closely 

Activities to try: 

• threading ribbons through a baking rack for your baby to grasp and pull
• giving your baby large slices of safe foods like avocado or teething rusks to hold and explore
• scrunching wrapping paper in the holiday season for your baby to crinkle and crush with their hands 

See your doctor or nurse if your baby: 

• isn’t reaching for things or holding objects
• keeps hands clenched
• doesn’t follow things with their eyes and head
• doesn’t bring things to their mouth
• can’t bring their hands together in the middle of their body 

Babbling babies 

Between 4 to 7 months, your baby will know who you are and what you sound like.  

They will also start to: 

• babble or baby talk, making sounds like muh-muh or bah-bah
• test how loud their voice is by screeching
• become more aware of voice cues, like recognising sing-song words you might say before a bath or going out for the day

Continue activities like: 

• having baby chats and experiment with different volumes, emphasis, and emotions like surprise
• describe your everyday activities and try new environments, like the zoo or aquarium
• reading books with texture or flaps in the pages

See your doctor or nurse if your baby doesn’t start to babble or vocalise noises. 

Connection through play 

Your baby will engage and connect with you more during this period.  

They will start to: 

• smile and laugh on their own
• laugh in response to play or noise
• look at you more on purpose and keep you engaged with noises and movement 

Try activities such as: 

• music and play to encourage smiles and laughter
• playing peek-a-boo games to explore different reactions
• using a mirror or make funny faces 

See your doctor or nurse if your baby: 

• doesn’t smile or make eye contact with others
• doesn’t show facial expressions 

Crawling, standing, and first steps 

Babies approaching their first birthday are likely on the move, crawling all over the house. 

They will start to: 

• sit up by themselves, staying upright without help
• crawl on their tummy, pushing and pulling with arms and legs
• rock back and forth on their hands and knees practicing balance and coordination
• pull themselves up to stand holding their body weight with their strong legs
• practise side steps and balancing along furniture
• take a few steps on their own

Try activities such as: 

• making music with shakers, pots, and pans
• placing toys a short distance away encouraging  your baby to crawl and walk
• giving safe places to pull themselves up or balance

See your doctor or nurse if your baby isn’t crawling, moving or standing.

Precision and coordination 

Babies will use their developing fine motor skills to grab your attention, and your keys.  

They will start to: 

• develop a pincer grasp with their thumb and forefinger, robbing bits of your food
• learn about cause and effect, for example, throwing a spoon on the ground and watching you pick it up
• become more coordinated when exploring, finding latches, door hinges and drawers

Try activities such as: 

• rolling a ball back and forth to encourage hand-eye coordination
• hiding toys inside containers to open
• letting them freely explore indoors and outside, with close supervision

See your doctor or nurse if your baby: 

• can’t hold objects by themself
• can’t move objects between hands
• doesn’t hand objects to other people when asked
• doesn’t use both sides of their body

Getting close to first words 

Babies will slowly become more confident in telling you what they want, even if they don’t have gully formed words yet. 

They start to: 

• change babbles into more defined sounds, like “ba-ba” and “ma-ma”.
• link noises to meaning based on your reaction, like seeing your excitement with “ma-ma” or “da-da” and associating the sound with you
• understand common words, like milk, sleep or nappy. 

Try activities such as: 

• copying sounds your baby makes and encouraging them to do the same
• describing more of your day and environment to them
• speaking in 'parentese' - using a sing-song voice, higher pitch and stretched-out vowels when speaking to your baby to help them focus on words

Check-in with your doctor or nurse if your baby doesn't: 

• babble using syllables, like “da-da” or “la-la”
• respond when spoken to
• gesture by waving or pointing
• have a response to familiar words, like "bottle" or "bath 

Expressing their personality 

Over time, your baby will develop their own personality and preferences. You may notice your baby:  

• become shy or afraid of new people
• show emotions like happiness, sadness, anger or surprise with their face
• respond to their name
• notice when you leave the room 

Try activities such as: 

• name their emotions and offer comfort - "I can see you are scared. It’s okay, we’ll go home and play soon.”
• use puppets to show different emotions and situations
• try sensory play, like sand or water, to explore emotions safely 

Check-in with your doctor or nurse if your baby doesn't: 

• smile or laugh
• notice or respond to new people
• start taking turns in play, like peekaboo 

It's tempting for parents to buy equipment to help their baby grow and move. Some equipment can be unsafe and even harmful. Equipment that puts a baby in a position they can’t get into themselves can affect their muscle and bone development. Some equipment may increase the risk of suffocation. 

These might include things like: 

• positioners
• supported seats
• seated walkers
• jumpers
• neck floaties 

If you choose to use these items, use them rarely, for short periods and under adult supervision. 

Ask your doctor or paediatric physiotherapist for more information on safe equipment. 

Babyproofing 

As your baby starts to move more, make sure your home is safe. 

See Baby proofing the house for more information.  

Learning one language is difficult and takes time. Babies growing up in a bilingual household might take a bit longer to speak. This is normal and not usually seen as a delay. 

Learning multiple languages can help children:  

• grow a larger vocabulary
• improve memory and problem-solving skills
• build strong reading skills 

You may notice your baby: 

• language mixing: using two or more languages in the same sentence
• code-switching: switching between languages between sentences
• language choice: using a language based on who they are speaking to

Support language learning by: 

• speaking your languages often at home
• playing radio, music, or television in different languages
• using books or toys in language 

If you are concerned about language delay speak to your doctor about seeing a bilingual speech pathologist 

Baby sign language helps babies communicate before they can talk. It is different from Auslan and uses simple hand signals based on gestures. 

You can start baby sign language at any age, but most find it easiest around 9 months when their hand skills improve. 

Common signs: 

1. milk: opening and closing the hand like milking a cow
2. more: tapping fingers and thumbs together
3. done:  holding hands up with palms opened and facing forward
4. up: pointing one finger to the sky or raising both hands above the head

Babies will stop using signs when they can speak more clearly. Baby sign is not essential but can be a fin and helpful part of development. 

Your local health service may invite you to join a parent group about 4 weeks after your baby is born. 

Parent groups often meet at community health centre or online. These groups are made up of other new parents with babies of the same age. 

Joining a parent group is a good opportunity to: 

• connect with families going through the same development stages
• learn tips on feeding, settling, and soothing your baby
• access support services
• build friendships for you and your baby

Groups are encouraged to stay in touch. You can also ask about other support groups for: 

dads, carers and non-birthing parents 

• second or third-time parents
• playgroups for older children
• birth trauma
• breastfeeding
• LGBTIQ families