Every baby grows and reaches milestones at their own pace. These are simply moments from my baby’s first year, shared from our own journey.
The First Year
Month One
The first month felt slow and a little hard because everything was new. I was worried and confused, but having someone to help us made me feel more relaxed. I was surprised that by day three or four, during tummy time, my baby could lift her head a little, and with gentle support on her feet, she even pushed forward a bit. It made me realize that babies need tiny active moments too, even if it’s just for two to five minutes. Nights were the toughest because feeding was so frequent, and she had some gastric issues, so she woke up many times and sometimes wouldn’t settle, which made me feel sad, though the doctor said it was common. We usually changed her diaper once or twice at night. She didn’t like having her hands inside the swaddle, so we kept them free. Many times after a diaper change, she would fall asleep without the swaddle. Our days followed a simple routine: feeding, her oil massage and bath, then while she slept, I would do my own oil massage and bath, and after her afternoon nap, we did about two hours of diaper-free time. She also had heat boils for a few days. Overall, the days passed, but the nights felt long, and I was learning everything step by step.
Month Two
The second month felt better than the first because I was slowly getting the hang of things, even though the nights were still much the same, with her waking up on and off and sometimes staying awake for long stretches. Around this time, our helper left, so my parents and I were quite busy, but things started moving more smoothly than I had expected. She became more interactive, sucking on her hands (first the right one, then both), making new sounds, looking at faces, and smiling. After a good sleep, she would wake up all smiles and stay active for a while, which was honestly heartwarming. Tummy time improved too; with support for her feet, she pushed herself forward more quickly, so we gradually increased the duration. We used a tummy-time book that she would stare at, even though her vision was still developing. I also felt she was responding more to us. For example, when I asked if she was ready for a bath, she would lift her hands, and it felt so sweet. Her heat boils reduced significantly, but her stool pattern changed, and sometimes she would pass stool only once every three days. Feeding changed as well; she used to take a bottle at night for a while but then started refusing it. Daytime felt more manageable, as she slept during the day and we continued giving her two to three hours of diaper-free time in the afternoon. We also had a doctor’s visit and vaccinations at six weeks. Overall, it felt similar to the first month, just a little easier and much more connected.
Month Three
The third month felt a little better because by then I had a better handle on things. She started sucking on her fist even more, tried turning to one side, and responded to us much more, reacting to our sounds, voices, and actions. Tummy time also increased, and her gastric issues reduced compared to the previous months. Sleep, however, remained much the same, with her waking up frequently throughout the night. The only time I clearly remember her sleeping for a longer stretch was on the day of her naming ceremony, when she slept for around four hours. Otherwise, it was back to frequent wake-ups. Our routine stayed similar, with oil massages and baths twice a day, and we mostly used coconut oil for the massages. I also started feeling better mentally and physically. I began going for walks and slowly returned to my routine. Nothing strenuous, just walking, staying active, and gradually finding my rhythm again.
Month Four
The fourth month was a big one because she rolled over for the first time. She also started recognizing people more, especially me, and she smiled and responded much more, which felt really special. However, this was also the month she fell sick for the first time. Someone who wasn’t well came to visit her, and she caught a cold. For about ten days, she wasn’t her usual self. She wasn’t turning or moving around much, and it honestly broke our hearts to see this normally active baby looking so tired and weak. When her nose was blocked, I used nasal drops and an aspirator to help clear it, which made it easier for her to breathe. Once she recovered, she was back to rolling around, smiling, and reacting as she normally did, and we felt an enormous sense of relief. This month, she also met many family members, including her cousins and great-grandmother, and she responded so sweetly to all of them.
Month Five
The fifth month was honestly the best so far. She was laughing, smiling, and responding so much that it felt like such a happy and wonderful phase for me. This was also the month she started crawling, and she became incredibly playful, smiling at people and reacting to everyone around her. She even learned how to pinch, which was both funny and a little painful at times. Sometimes she would sit and stare at me while I was eating, looking genuinely curious and eager to try everything. I loved seeing that because it felt like a sign that she was slowly getting ready for solids later on. We also did a bit of traveling during this month, and she seemed to enjoy going out, meeting people, and being outdoors. She even visited the beach for the very first time and absolutely loved it. She also said her first word, “Amma,” which completely melted my heart. Overall, it was a truly beautiful and memorable phase.
Month Six
The sixth month was also a really lovely phase, full of fun and playfulness, much like the fifth month. She started gently hitting things at times, and she loved being carried around while I walked through the house with her. Her sleep changed a little too, as she began sleeping on her side. She loved playing with water and thoroughly enjoyed bath time. By this stage, anything she could grab went straight into her mouth, so teethers quickly became her favorite toys. Most of our routines stayed the same, but the big milestone at the end of this month was starting solids. I chose a baby-led weaning approach and had spent a lot of time researching it during my pregnancy. We got a high chair, and I had all the essentials ready, including suction plates and other feeding basics, so it felt like the beginning of a whole new stage in her journey.
Month Seven
The seventh month was when we started solids. On the first day, she tried carrot, and from then on, I wanted her to experience a different food every day. I kept things simple by offering just one food in the morning, around 10 a.m. Over the course of the month, I introduced a variety of vegetables, fruits, millets, as well as egg and fish. In the beginning, she wouldn’t let us put a bib on her because she kept biting it, so we eventually stopped using it. She tried foods like beetroot, potato, probiotic curd, avocado, egg, and fish, although she wasn’t very fond of fish since we didn’t add any seasoning. I also avoided giving her salt until she turned one. After about 20 days, we increased it to two solid meals a day. Apart from starting solids, she also began crawling much faster this month. Whenever she met new people, she would observe them very carefully, taking everything in. And her favorite word was still “Amma.” Sometimes she would repeat it over and over like a little song: “Amma, Amma, Amma.”
Month Eight
The eighth month was when solids started feeling more regular. We continued introducing new foods, and I kept things simple because I wanted her to experience the natural flavors of everything. Most of her meals consisted of vegetables and fruits prepared as they were, and I gradually added more variety, including different dals, millets, moong dal, green gram, and even leafy greens mixed into dal. She tried eggplant this month and loved it so much that I honestly couldn’t believe it. Apart from food, she started responding to “ta-ta” and “bye,” and she also began attempting little words like “no-no” and “mama.” She started saying “vava” (baby) this month as well, and it was the cutest thing. When we showed her her reflection in the mirror and asked, “Who is this?”, she would say “that’s me” in our mother tongue. This was also the month she learned to sit on her own and began trying to stand. She started clapping too, and whenever we sang “clap clap” in our mother tongue, she would happily clap along with us. We traveled a lot to visit relatives, so she met many new people and seemed to enjoy all the attention and interaction. Sleep, however, remained more or less the same, with her continuing to wake up during the night, and I was really hoping she would start sleeping for longer stretches in the months ahead.
Month Nine
The ninth month felt like she suddenly became much faster and stronger. She started getting onto all fours properly, moved around more confidently, and could sit very comfortably on her own. She was also trying to stand, making lots of different sounds, and she started saying “Appa” too. She even began playing little games, like throwing a ball and then crawling after it. Her favorite word around this time was “vava,” and she said it so often and so cutely. This month, we also moved to three meals a day, and her eating routine became more structured. In the mornings, she usually had millet, buckwheat, oats, banana pancakes, upma, or similar foods. Lunch was mostly white rice with dal and vegetables, along with different pulses such as green gram, chickpeas, green peas, and others. At night, she usually had boiled rice with egg, and egg became a consistent part of her diet. Books also became a big part of her day. By now, she had quite a collection, and she loved flipping through the pages on her own. At bedtime, I started reading her a story, Goodnight Moon, and she gradually got used to that routine. Sleep was still not perfect, but our daily routine changed a bit after we moved to a new place. I stopped giving her baths twice a day and switched to just an evening bath. Oil massages also became occasional rather than a daily routine, and every now and then, I would oil her hair before giving her a bath.
Month Ten
The tenth month was a really fun phase because she started doing so many cute little things. She began giving high fives, shaking hands, trying to stand on her own, and saying "na na" while shaking her head from side to side. She loved playing hide-and-seek with a towel, covering her face and then removing it as part of the game. She also became very interested in her toys, especially her small cars, riding them, pushing them around, and turning their wheels. She would sit and spin her spinner toy over and over again. By this month, she had two teeth and started trying to bite my chin and cheek, which was funny but also a little painful. This was also the month she started throwing food, and even though I knew it was normal, it became really tiring because I had to clean up after almost every meal. So, I gradually switched to a mixed approach, combining baby-led weaning with spoon-feeding, to reduce the mess and make mealtimes smoother. Bath time was still her favorite part of the day, and sleep remained more or less the same, with her continuing to wake up on and off throughout the night.
Month Eleven
In the eleventh month, she started taking small steps while holding on to furniture. She also found her own ways to have fun around the house, like pulling clothes off the drying rack and throwing them on the floor, which she enjoyed far too much. By then, her hair had grown enough for me to tie it into two little ponytails. She loved standing by the window and watching the road outside, quietly observing the vehicles passing by. She also learned how to climb onto the sofa and then carefully climb down by herself. Around this time, she started showing more emotions too, such as getting upset when we took away something she really liked. Food continued much the same as before, sleep remained more or less unchanged, and our overall routine stayed similar, just with more words, actions, and personality shining through. She loved moving around the house, playing with her ball, throwing it, and sometimes entertaining herself. We don’t do screen time, but I occasionally play nursery rhymes and we dance together. She responds so sweetly, especially to Johnny Johnny Yes Papa and Wheels on the Bus. During Wheels on the Bus, when the line “the babies on the bus go wah-wah-wah” comes on, she eagerly joins in and says “va-va-va.” I also introduced plain Greek yogurt this month, and she absolutely loved it.
Month Twelve
The twelfth month felt like she was becoming so much more active and aware. With a little support she started walking faster, she could say more words, and she even started saying hi, hello, and bye. We had bought her blocks recently, and she loved them in her own way, I would build something and she would happily dismantle everything in two seconds. For her, she is vava (baby) and in the beginning everyone else was also vava, which was honestly so cute. One thing I always tried from early on was not making her scared of sounds, so even things like the blender or pressure cooker, I would keep her nearby in a safe way and we would make it fun, like a tiny dance, so she got used to the sound and didn’t fear it. Even with sleep, in the daytime I didn’t keep things silent, I kept normal light and regular house sounds so she learned the difference between day and night and didn’t wake up for every small noise. Sleep routine was still mostly the same, food was also similar, and after she completed one year I started adding an evening fruit snack, like blueberries, yogurt, muskmelon, papaya, mango, banana, and avocado.
