As much as you may have prepared for your new baby’s arrival, there is much to learn and remember along the way. Here, we provide a basic checklist of milestones and reminders to help keep you and your little one on track.
0-3 months
- Make appointment for baby’s newborn well checkup
- If nursing, set up your breast pump and clean all parts
- Remove all bedding from baby’s bassinette and/or crib except for a tightly fitted sheet
- Complete and submit the paperwork for baby’s Social Security card
- Complete and submit the paperwork for baby’s birth certificate
- Pursue CPR and first-aid training if you haven’t already
- Carefully mind baby’s umbilical cord until it falls off
- Start bathing baby in infant tub once cord is gone
- If nursing, pump to establish a breast milk supply
- Pursue creation of a will and trust
- Make appointment for baby’s 1-month well checkup
- Send out baby announcements
- Make appointment for baby’s 2-month well checkup
- Hire a babysitter, so you can enjoy some baby-free time to recharge
- Line up child care if returning to work
- Pull out age-appropriate developmental toys for baby
- Join a parenting group
- Record baby’s first weeks in his/her baby book
- Give baby daily tummy time
- Read daily to baby
- Consider starting and keeping a journal for your child
- Talk to your baby every day throughout the day
- Take lots of photos and video of your little one. Share with family and friends.
- Sing to baby
- Take 3-month photo
- If returning to work, prepare baby’s supplies for nanny, daycare center or other child care provider.
3-6 months
- Schedule baby’s 4-month well checkup
- Exchange laughs with your baby by making silly faces and playing peekaboo
- Talk to your doctor about when and how to introduce your baby to solid foods
- If you haven’t already, start baby proofing your home
- Get down on the floor and play with your baby each day
- Make sure dad gets his share of time bonding with baby
- Help your baby learn to sit up
- Play soothing music for baby at home and while driving in the car
- Take your baby for walks outside or at a local shopping center
- Continue regular, daily tummy time
- Schedule baby’s 6-month well checkup
- Take 6-month photo
- Set up your child’s MESP college savings plan
- If breast-feeding, continue to do so exclusively until at least 6 months, per guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics
- Consider starting your baby in a parent-tot swim class
- Join a play group
- Investigate local options for mommy-and-me classes
6-9 months
- Encourage your baby to crawl with ample tummy time
- Encourage your child to wave and link the proper words (“hi” or “bye-bye”) to the gesture
- Be on the lookout for baby’s first teeth, which typically appear between 6 and 12 months
- Per the AAP, start brushing baby’s first teeth as soon as they appear with a wet cloth or gauze
- If nursing, continue to do so while supplementing with complementary foods
- Schedule baby’s 9-month well checkup
- Help your baby learn to walk by having him/her walk from furniture piece to furniture piece (this is often called “cruising”)
- Play games like “how big is baby?”
- Introduce touch-and-feel books to baby
- Take 9-month photo
9-12 months
- Begin planning first birthday party
- Encourage walking with push toys
- Take 1-year photos
- If breast-feeding, continue until at least 12 months, per AAP guidelines
- Introduce finger foods cut into tiny pieces
- Regularly scan floors and other areas of your home for small objects that could present a choke hazard
- Encourage first words by repeating simple words like “mama” and “dada”
- Give baby regular access to age-appropriate books to play with and thumb through
- Scrapbook baby’s first year photos and mementoes
- Save a lock of baby’s hair for his/her baby book
- Assemble monthly photos of baby’s first year for a collage
- Schedule 1-year well baby checkup
- Invite family to contribute to baby’s MESP college savings account for a 1-year birthday present
12-18 months
- Weather permitting, play outside with baby
- Schedule 15-month well baby checkup
- Play games like hide-and-seek with baby
- At 18 months, begin using a low-fluoride toothpaste to brush baby’s teeth
- Play ball with baby
- Have a baby dance party
- Look at family photos with baby and encourage him/her to point to familiar faces
- Help baby transition to one nap a day
- Schedule 18-month well baby checkup
18-24 months
- Practice stacking blocks and other toys with your baby
- Practice giving baby two-step directions
- Provide opportunities for your little one to kick and throw a ball
- Schedule 21-month well child checkup
- Let your child scribble with crayons on paper
- Encourage indoor and outdoor play
- Provide lots of simple toys like stacking cups, blocks and boxes
- Schedule 2-year well checkup
- Take 2-year photos
- Plan second birthday party
- Invite family to contribute to baby’s MESP college savings account for a second birthday present
24-30 months
- Start talking about going potty and reading potty training books to your child
- Model sneezing into your elbow and encourage your child to do the same
- Let your child practice brushing his or her own teeth under your supervision
- While interactive play is unusual at this age, encourage parallel play between your child and other kids his or her age
- Schedule 2 1/2-year well checkup
- Read lots of books with your 2-year-old, prompting him/her to name objects and colors
- Introduce shapes to your child
- Sing fun toddler songs with your child
- Play simple games like “Ring Around the Rosie”
- Quiz him on parts of the body
30-36 months
- Give your child opportunities to practice climbing and pedaling
- Begin looking into preschool options in your area
- Ask questions of your child that require more than a one word, yes/no answer
- At day’s end, encourage your child to discuss what he or she did that day
- Schedule 3-year well checkup
- Make time for play
- Visit your local library and take advantage of youth programming
- Acknowledge positive behavior
- Set up group play dates for your toddler with other families in your area
- Count simple everyday objects with your child
- Introduce play dough
- Encourage your child to sort similar objects, like blocks
- Take 3-year photos
- Plan 3-year birthday celebration
- Invite family to contribute to baby’s MESP college savings account for a third birthday present
This post was originally published in 2015 and has been updated for 2017.
