Kids' Wellness Matters Podcast Ep. 25: What to Expect in Your Baby's First Year

The first year of a child’s life can be exciting and overwhelming for parents, especially new parents. In this episode, Drs. Rob Sanchez and Nina Alfieri dive into what the first year of parenting really looks like, from key developmental milestones and tips to support your baby's growth to the unforgettable moments they’ve experienced firsthand as both pediatricians and parents. They dedicated a previous episode to caring for a newborn the first month of life and in this episode they continue the newborn’s journey through the first year, with what signs to look for and how to support your baby’s development while navigating the joys and challenges of raising a new child.

“Development is such a tricky topic because it really goes in leapfrogs. Like some kids are really focusing on one skill and they might learn how to walk a little bit later because their language was really kind of being pushed forward. There's an age range for every milestone. But, that being said, parents know their kids best. So, we want you to bring up concerns to your pediatrician. And remember there's such a benefit to having early therapy and there's lots of great resources for therapies if you're worried about your child.”

-Dr. Nina Alfieri

Show Notes

• Months 1–3: Awakening to the World: During these months, babies become more alert, start making eye contact and produce their first coos and smiles. Daily tummy time and interactive play help strengthen muscles and encourage social skills, while also alerting parents to early warning they should discuss with their pediatricians.
  
  
• Months 4–7: Movement and Discovery: At this stage babies begin rolling over, sitting with support, laughing, and babbling. It is important to continue safe sleep and play strategies and start introducing solid foods. Mealtimes can be a positive—and often hilarious— family experience as babies explore new tastes and textures with food for the first time.
  
  
• Months 8–12: Little Explorers with Big Personalities: Many babies become mobile during this time through crawling, cruising and sometimes first steps. It is important to childproof your home as your little one’s curiosity soars. Interactive games like peek-a-boo and patty-cake support language and social development during this critical stage, too.
  
  
• When to Call Your Pediatrician: While there are things to watch for at every stage—like delays in head control, lack of social smiles, limited vocalization, or loss of previously learned skills— you know your baby best, and if you are concerned about something, tell your pediatrician. Early intervention can be game-changing for babies experiencing delays.
  
  

Transcript

[00:00:00] Dr. Nina Alfieri: Welcome to Kids' Wellness Matters. I'm Dr. Nina Alfieri.

[00:00:07] Dr. Rob Sanchez: And I'm Dr. Rob Sanchez. We are both parents and pediatricians at the world renowned Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago.

[00:00:15] Dr. Nina Alfieri: On this show, we'll chat with a wide range of experts about caring for children from newborn to young adult. Because Kids' Wellness Matters.

[00:00:29] Dr. Nina Alfieri: Today we are so, so excited to talk about the first year of welcoming a new baby into your home from our perspective as pediatricians and parents.

[00:00:37] Dr. Rob Sanchez: The first year can be overwhelming for parents, especially new parents, and we ourselves have had some of the same feelings, fears, and experiences as you, from sleepless nights to overjoyed moments when they do something new for the first time.

[00:00:52] Dr. Nina Alfieri: Absolutely, and we're diving into what the first year of parenting really looks like from key developmental milestones and tips to support your baby's growth to the unforgettable moments we've experienced firsthand as both pediatricians and parents.

The newborn period is really exciting. There are a lot of places where you can go to get your questions answered. Including on this podcast. We just released an episode all about caring for newborns.

[00:01:15] Dr. Rob Sanchez: Head to the episode right before this one. We go through the entire newborn stage, in detail. Then get to jump into our next stage, which is the months of one to three. You wanna describe the stage a little bit for those first months. 1, 2, 3.

[00:01:28] Dr. Nina Alfieri: These months get really exciting. This is when babies really start to wake up more to the world around them. They're more alert, they're making eye contact, and they're showing signs of social engagement. And it's so sweet because they start to coo and smile. What are some milestones or things that you think we should be aware of?

[00:01:43] Dr. Rob Sanchez: So by the end of that first month babies might start to really briefly lift their head when they're on their tummy. They might start to respond to familiar voices, and that can be just a gentle smile. Or turn to the head. In month two, you can really expect to see that first real social smile come in and it's the best because you've been working hard for them, for, you know, for weeks at a time. And then they just start to smile and everything comes together. Cooing sounds start happening there too. And, even by month three, a lot of babies will turn towards sounds and start to visually track moving objects. And it's really awesome to see that,

[00:02:16] Dr. Nina Alfieri: There's some things you can do to help your babies thrive during this stage. So, Tummy time every day to build their neck and shoulder strength, talk and sing to your baby. That really helps with early language development. Babies at this stage. Love high contrast toys, so those black and white cards. You know, I had a pillow on my couch that was black and white both of my girls just stared at it. So making lots of eye contact can also stimulate their visual tracking and their social skills.

[00:02:39] Dr. Rob Sanchez: It is important for parents to know when to be a little concerned. So a few things. that We wanted to point out that might be important to mention to your pediatrician. If you notice that your baby in this age, between one to two to three months is not reacting to sound. Not focusing on faces or objects very well and not really having that social smile by two to three months. And if they're not showing improvement in that head control, so kind of really able to kind of lift it up off a mat that may be signs that are really important. Discuss with your pediatrician because there. Could be some important interventions that we're able to do for you and talk with you during that time.

[00:03:11] Dr. Nina Alfieri: Rob, what were some of your favorite memories during the one to three month stage?

[00:03:15] Dr. Rob Sanchez: Okay. It goes without saying , but it's been tummy time and I have this personal memory. Well with both of my boys, but my firstborn I had set up like a little bobby pillow. That I kind of propped him up on, and I had three different mirrors. They're all different toys. Like set All the aside and it just, like, I just remember him like lifting his head. And looking to one mirror and then all the way to the next and all that. And I am just like a coach.

[00:03:41] Dr. Nina Alfieri: But it really was. I love it. How about you? I'm, I'm sure you got great too. Oh man. I loved being a tummy time coach too, but, in order to be innovative, I would've to say probably eating dinner while holding the babies. While they were trying on various food hats. I, they, both of my babies just loved to be held and so I just ate over them and they would get food all over them. So many covered.

[00:04:05] Dr. Rob Sanchez: Just like a big thing of, like a spaghetti noodle on one.

[00:04:08] Dr. Nina Alfieri: Yep.

[00:04:10] Dr. Rob Sanchez: Oh, that's great. Yeah. Oh, absolutely. I mean, you gotta, you gotta feed yourself, you

[00:04:14] Dr. Nina Alfieri: Yep. That's a perfect bridge into the next section, months four to seven when they'll start looking at your food for themselves. So tell me a little bit about the four to seven month stage.

[00:04:24] Dr. Rob Sanchez: Yeah, so let's describe this stage. This is a period of a lot of exciting growth and discovery. This is where babies can become more coordinated and expressive and they begin to physically interact with the world around them in a lot of new ways. So every day kind of feels like a new adventure because with each, you know, ability that they develop, they're gonna wanna interact, And that could be using their hands and starting solid foods and all different types of habits and even starting to roll around which is really. Key. What are some of those big milestones that you like to talk about with families during this stretch of time?

[00:04:52] Dr. Nina Alfieri: Yeah. Babies really start using those tummy time skills to roll over sit with support. They start to chuckle and actually laugh out loud, which is hilarious. I remember we would do anything to make them laugh. And babies begin babbling around this time too. Around six months and sometimes a little bit earlier, babies will start solid foods. They'll learn to transfer objects between their hands. Babies also love seeing themselves in the mirror. And it's just a really fun time because they're really engaging more and more with the world. What are some reasons why parents should call their pediatrician in this age group?

[00:05:24] Dr. Rob Sanchez: Between months four and seven, you're not seeing them being able to reach for objects. or not really showing any effort in trying to do that if they don't have great head control. So really having difficulty turning and needing extra support when you hold them if they're not really making good chuckles, laughter, other kinds of vowel sounds or cooing sounds. Or if they kind of seem to be disengaged from the caregivers or their toys that would be a good thing to bring up to the pediatrician because again, it could be a marker that they may need some extra support or focused attention to help with those developmental areas. and your pediatrician will be glad to discuss those concerns with you and make sure that you get those resources and support for those areas.

[00:06:00] Dr. Nina Alfieri: That's great and there's so much that we can also do to help babies thrive during this stage. So again, lots of supervised floor time to roll and play. Making sure they have a safe sleep environment. Offering safe and varied textures and toys and early foods. Solid food introduction is so exciting and we could probably do an entire episode on that, but there's a lot of good resources out there. Babies will start solids during this age block in addition to taking primarily breast milk or formula for their main nutrition. We recommend families begin with iron rich options and also add in fruits and vegetables.

[00:06:33] Dr. Rob Sanchez: Those Are all things that I talk about between those visits at four and six months, which are the big kind of places where you have, well child visits and, you know, it often leads to fun conversations I think a lot of times you're starting to see the, fruits of the labor, all of those, like, talking with them, and singing with them and playing with them doing all those tummy times, it all starts to show off and the abilities that they show in terms of being able to roll, or sit up and start engaging with the world, like we said. And, you know, one of the things I often talk about with families and making sure there's. That we keep them safe during that time. so especially as they learn the ability to roll or start to move around, trying to make sure that they're always safe. So keeping a very close eye on them when they're on high surfaces like your bed helps prevent falls or if they are starting to roll around, making sure the world around them is safe and watching out for things that they might be able to grab onto get within their reach. We always talk about safety during that time and kind of childproofing the areas. It's a perfect time to do it before they continue to grow on to the next stage where they're doing more and more. There's so many personal, like favorite memories during the stage but nina, do you have some favorite ones?

[00:07:34] Dr. Nina Alfieri: It's gotta be the chuckles. We would do anything for a chuckle, and I'm sure our neighbors thought we were crazy, we would just sing all kinds of songs and it was just the first couple chuckles were belly laughs and they were just the best. How about you?

[00:07:47] Dr. Rob Sanchez: I think for me it made us laugh. It didn't necessarily make our children laugh, but it was the first food introduction because they weren't always a big fan. So I think we have videos that we look at not infrequently or like the first time they tried eggs or the first time they tried, I think some avocado and they were like, just, what is this? Just the faces that they make as they try it, which is very common, and normal. but I remember it just cracked up so much and it was very much one of those things of like, yep. We're first time parents, figuring this out.

[00:08:12] Dr. Nina Alfieri: Love it. Well, let's round the corner on the first year. There's a couple more months. We have eight to 12. Tell me a little bit about the stage.

[00:08:20] Dr. Rob Sanchez: Yeah, it's the home stretch, so let's talk about it. So months eight to 12, this is a big stage. When babies start to become little explorers with big personalities. They're mobile, they're curious, and they're learning how to communicate more clearly. And they're also testing boundaries and showing preferences for sure.

[00:08:38] Dr. Nina Alfieri: Mm-hmm.

[00:08:40] Dr. Rob Sanchez: What are some milestones that we like to think about during this age range?

[00:08:43] Dr. Nina Alfieri: During this age range, babies may start to crawl. They might start to pull the stand and cruise along furniture. And you might even see your baby take their first steps. They often wave, they clap, they play interactive games like peekaboo. It's so fun. Around this time, babies might also say where it's like Mama dadada and some other short words. And they can start to understand simple words and routines. What are some things to keep an eye out for as a parent?

[00:09:08] Dr. Rob Sanchez: Yeah, especially at like our nine month well child check. We're gonna start kind of checking off these boxes and seeing all the things that they're starting to be able to do. But we'll also talk to families about, you know, if they're not able to do some things, what to really, look out for. So one of the big. Things that we look out for by that 12 month stage is if. Your baby isn't crawling or not really bearing weight on their legs. I always like to mention that there's big wide ranges of normal for where a lot of these milestones kind of walking independently can happen between like nine and 18 months. And that's all normal. But really If they're not starting to crawl, really bear weight by 12 months, that's. When we should talk to your pediatrician. and the other things are just about their communication areas. So if they're not seeming to respond to their name, turn their head towards you if you say it. Or if they're not using gestures that are really common like pointing or waving, they're not just showing a lot of interest in those interactions. Those are really things to talk with your pediatrician about. The thing would be, if they had certain abilities then they would start to lose them. So for example, if they were able to sit up independently but suddenly can't do that anymore, or if they were rolling over or crawling even, but then suddenly not able to do that, it's really important that you mention that to your doctor and a well child visit or to schedule an appointment with them to talk about those, because those could be some concerning signs that wanna make sure that you have a chance to talk about with your pediatrician and get support for. What are some big things that you like to talk about with families to help them thrive during this stage? I'm sure there's so many,

[00:10:30] Dr. Nina Alfieri: So many. I think it's important to create safe spaces to explore and practice standing or cruising. Parents are the most important first teachers the baby will ever have. So the more time you spend playing interactive games like Patty cake peekaboo this reinforces social and communication skills. Reading books every day is really really helpful and a great way to connect with your baby. And we have a separate episode on that as well.

[00:10:54] Dr. Rob Sanchez: Reach out and read Dr. Glusman. Yeah. 

[00:10:55] Dr. Nina Alfieri: Woohoo. Also encouraging simple problem solving with toys like stacking and sorting or opening and closing could be great. And don't underestimate cardboard, the Tupperware and the random things you have around your house, they often make the best toys. What else do you recommend for families?

[00:11:12] Dr. Rob Sanchez: I think a lot. Of times we talk about narrating the day, right? With families. So I mean, it's like from the moment you wake up. We're gonna change your diaper. Or you know, when you're in the kitchen, we're gonna take the bowl and we're gonna put the banana on the bowl and bananas are yellow. And, you know, talking in that way, kind of that parents type of cadence. And it's just a way to maximize that time with your child. Oftentimes during that age range, they might be starting in daycare or other types of childcare as a lot of parents may be returning to work. And so trying to maximize that time through finding opportunities to share language and communicate with them, and have fun play activities are always really key. And I like talking about that with families a lot during this age range.

[00:11:51] Dr. Nina Alfieri: Love it. What were your favorite memories of this stage?

[00:11:53] Dr. Rob Sanchez: I think there's too many to count. But I, one of the things I love is that especially at a little bit around this age range, is that when they find their feet

[00:12:01] Dr. Nina Alfieri: so much

[00:12:01] Dr. Rob Sanchez: They're just so cute as they roll around and play and, you know, just thinking of new games to play with them. Because the more that they interact, the more that you can do it. So peek-a-boo was a huge one. My son, he was a little bit earlier on the walking stage, my firstborn. And so that just meant. He could do so many more things. And I mean, seeing him take his first steps in the stretch between eight and 12 months was just a wild experience and it's something I'll always remember. And then all. The.

[00:12:31] Dr. Nina Alfieri: That's great. I think my favorite would probably be time at the table eating. I just love watching my kids at this age explore food and enjoy and toss food. I mean, there were episodes of hummus flying across the kitchen into my mom's hair at one point. My favorite though was that my firstborn really liked to dip, so she like loved to have ranch or something to dip her food in, and she just learned how to do it as a baby and it would just crack me up. Cute. My second born does that too. so lots of fun.

[00:12:58] Dr. Rob Sanchez: The second borns, they kind of can follow in their footsteps, but also totally do their own thing. And that might be something a lot of our parents like to relate to as well. It really illustrates how, you know, these are general pockets where you see these developments, but every child kind of does it at their own rate . What we wanna talk about is just what are those big key points that you're looking for? And also when to be concerned and talk about it with your pediatrician.

[00:13:18] Dr. Nina Alfieri: Absolutely. And I think, you know, development is such a tricky topic because it really goes in leapfrogs. Like some kids are really focusing on one skill and they might learn how to walk a little bit later because their language was really kind of being pushed forward. And so, like you said, there's an age. There's early therapy and there's lots of great resources for therapies. If you're worried about your child,

[00:13:40] Dr. Rob Sanchez: Oh, absolutely. And then as you get to the end of this first year of life, you get to have our one year visit and I don't know about you Nina, but whenever I have a one year visit, it's the best. And I always congratulate the parents that I'm there. I always say, Hey, congratulations, you did it the first year. A lot of them like to smile and there's probably some size. Or just like, wow, yeah. Can you believe it? It? All that stuff and you don't work. And we are coming up at the end of this episode too. And so, you know, maybe we should congratulate ourselves.

[00:14:09] Dr. Nina Alfieri: Hey, congrats to us. Although this was a pretty fast, uh, run through a time of huge dynamic change. So parents are interested in learning more. Some of my favorite resources are the aaps Healthy children.org website. I also love pathways.org for great developmental material and information. The CDC milestones page is really great. And then um, I really like the Baby 4 1 1 book because it's written by a pediatrician and it answers so many great questions with wonderful evidence-based information. So, in addition, you know, your pediatrician is always here for you. But congrats on the first year episode and congrats to all the parents in their first years of parenting. It's a marathon.

[00:14:51] Dr. Rob Sanchez: Thanks for listening to Kids Wellness Matters.

[00:14:55] Dr. Nina Alfieri: For more information on this episode and all things kids wellness, please visit LurieChildrens. org