What are the main stages in a child's development from birth to age 3?

When you become a parent, you may be faced with many questions. "What should my child be doing at such and such an age? What are the stages in a baby's development? At what age will he be able to walk? Speak? ..."

As we are aware that these questions can be distressing when left unanswered, we felt it important to present the main stages in a child's development from 0 to 3 years of age.  

It might be reassuring to have a list of skills that children know how to do at a particular age. But it can also be a source of anxiety.

After all, every child is different. While one child might walk at 12 months, another might do so at 18 months! And in both cases, there's no abnormality or normality!         

The important thing is that everyone acquires when it's the right time for them.

Every child develops at his or her own pace. And often, when we notice that a child is doing something "late", we can see that he or she is developing other skills in parallel, which this time will be "ahead". 

When your child comes into the world, it does so with a multitude of skills in its backpack!

By screaming and crying, for example, it communicates in its own way, even if it doesn't speak yet! He's also born with a whole host of reflexes (sucking, grasping, etc.) that will disappear as the months go by. 

From the point of view of psychomotor development, toddlers need to suck both for nourishment and pleasure. At around three months, babies can hold their heads upright. 

For the first few months, he is sensitive to contrasts and is attracted by black and white, but also by geometric shapes (including your round face!). He can see well beyond 30 centimetres. It recognizes your voice and is sensitive to high-pitched sounds. He also reacts to smells, including milk and your skin. 

Finally, from an emotional point of view, during the first few months of life, your child has a symbiotic relationship with you. Gradually, his waking hours lengthen, and he communicates through chirps and smiles, for example.

In fact, your baby will be able to smile back at you around the age of two months. Before that, he smiles by reflex.

At 4 months, he can hold his head up.

At around 5 months, he begins to pedal with his legs and can grasp objects with several fingers.

Finally, at around 6 months, he begins to sit up. He also rolls over from tummy to back on his own.

Teething (and the hassle that goes with it!) usually starts at this age.

At around three months, he will be able to see objects placed beyond 2 meters and distinguish colors. 

During this period, your baby increasingly exchanges with you using a wide range of skills, such as vocalizing, miming, laughing... He also becomes aware of the sounds he makes and reproduces them by rolling the syllables. 

For the child, this period is often a time of motor development! At around 7 months, babies can sit up without support. He learns to pass a toy from one hand to the other. He stretches out his arms and begins to say syllables such as: papapa, mamama...

At around 8 months, babies can lift themselves up to a sitting position if they were lying flat on their backs. He begins to crawl. Fear of foreign faces generally appears at this time. This is known as "separation anxiety". This is when he understands that he is distinct from you: that you are different people. He applauds, says goodbye and understands the meaning of the word "no".

By around 9 months, babies are moving around on all fours and standing up, holding on to objects they find. He also begins to associate different types of syllables, such as "daddy" and "mommy".

It's during this period that the child makes great psychomotor progress, as he begins to become aware of the lower part of his body. He begins to move around on all fours or on his bottom. They start to stand with support, then progressively without. He begins to walk with support or if held by the hand. He asks to hold his spoon and drink from a glass on his own. At the same time, he develops his fine motor skills and grasps objects with greater precision.

In terms of language, he repeats more and more syllables and says a few words. 

He also knows how to make himself understood by pointing out what interests him. He knows from your face and the meaning of certain words what is forbidden. He continues to develop his range of interactions by imitating you. 

At the cognitive level, he thinks and tries to reproduce what he has already experienced. 

 It's during this period that children generally learn to walk on their own! He also begins to eat and drink independently. He also develops his motor skills in the broadest sense: he turns the pages of a book, uses pencils, throws a ball, makes a tower of 2/3 cubes...

On top of all this, he's developing his language! At around 12 months, he can say a few words, and by 18 months, he can associate two words.

He continues to interact with you, but is becoming more wary of strangers. He's also increasingly interested in the other children he meets. This is often when the "no" period begins.

The child opposes the adult so that he can assert himself... and grow up!

During this period, the child goes through an intense search for autonomy. He wants to do things on his own. 

From a motor point of view, he runs, climbs and climbs stairs alone, and helps to dress himself. He is learning to eat on his own, in a constant quest for autonomy. 

He learns to combine two words to form a sentence and enriches his vocabulary. 

The older your child gets, the more he wants to discover the world around him. He also knows whether he's a boy or a girl. 

In terms of motor skills, he jumps with both feet, climbs up and down stairs, takes off his shoes, draws and is beginning to acquire sphincter control, an essential step in removing his diapers. He also rides a tricycle. To accompany your child through this important new stage in his development, we recommend our evolutionary draisienne, which will follow him through each new stage!

Maria Montessori explained that all children go through sensitive periods. So she advocated observing children to see what they wanted to develop at a particular time of their lives. She never based her approach on a particular age, inviting adults to observe each child individually.