Are you reading this while hiding in the cupboard, whispering to yourself, ‘It’s just a phase, it’s just a phase…’? Take a deep breath, mama! You’re doing an amazing job! I’m here to help you understand baby leaps and celebrate every milestone with confidence!
“On social media, there are many pages dedicated to children born in a certain month or year. Are you in one too? You can normally search for one of these groups on Facebook. My daughter Skye was born in November 2018, so guess which group I’m in…
The best thing about this group is that we can share our experiences, making me feel less alone, as all our children were born around the same time. The sweetest photos of happy babies with smiling faces keep popping up, and it’s such a joy to see.
Mum Life: You’re Not Alone!
The greatest part of being in a group like this is that whenever you’re feeling unsure about something, you can immediately talk about it with other mums. Nine times out of ten, those mums are dealing with the exact same thing.
When Skye suddenly stops sleeping through the night, became extra clingy, had fussy phases for days, or cried more than usual, I often found myself at wits’ end. In those moments, I felt a little guilty and insecure, so it’s reassuring that I could turn to the other mums, and still.
Most of the time, they said, ‘it’s just a phase, she’s likely going through another developmental leap.’ This usually meant that she was experiencing one of the ‘wonder weeks’ and making progress in her mental development.
source: Nina.care
Developmental Leaps Explained: Recognising the Signs and How to Support Your Baby
When we talk about baby’s development, we often call these phases simply leaps. But when I looked at my daughter Skye, you could easily call these leaps full-on bounds!
In the first year and a half, little ones go through so many developmental leaps, learning a lot in phases. When you’re in the middle of one of these phases, it can really put your patience to the test.
Why Do Leaps Produce Tears? A Look at Baby’s Emotional Growth Spurts…
Babies suddenly become moody and tearful, which can make these periods a real challenge for parents and caregivers. From the outside, it might have seemed that my baby Skye was crying for no reason?! She’s just finished her bottle, so she’s not hungry… She’s had a good sleep, so she’s not tired… so why is she still crying?
A good way to test if your baby is perhaps going through a significant developmental leap (also known as a mental development jump) is to look out for these three things. 1. If your baby is more lethargic than usual along with 2. More sensitive than usual and 3. Crying a lot.
So, without further ado, let’s have a look at the first eight leaps which occur in babies first year…
How Leap 1 Transforms Your Baby’s Awareness and Personality
Leap one occurs very early, at just five weeks old, and lasts about one week.
As a new mother, this leap can make you feel insecure; it certainly did for me. Suddenly, Skye was crying more than usual, and I couldn’t help but wonder if I had done something wrong?
During this first leap, the focus is on basic sensory development. Your baby’s brain begins to adjust to life outside the womb. Their senses—such as vision, hearing, and touch—start to sharpen.
High-Contrast Play: Enhancing Baby Experiences During Leap 1
Babies become more aware of light, basic patterns, and movements, showing increased responsiveness to stimuli, like tracking a black and white toy. A nice activity to engage your baby with is by moving a high-contrast toy from left to right, your baby may follow it with their eyes. Pay attention to cues, if she closes her eyes and turns away, she probably needs a break.
After about five days into the first leap, I noticed Skye had changed. She seemed more alert, reacting to movements, and the vulnerability of having a brand-new baby had suddenly faded. It also became clear that we had a little one with a strong personality!
Leap 2: Exploring Patterns and New Abilities at 8 Weeks
Just as Leap one ends, leap two begins (lasting for about two weeks), bringing exciting changes to your baby’s development. During this leap, your baby starts discovering new abilities, like recognising their hands and wanting to explore more actively. Skye for example, quickly got bored of just lying around in her playpen, she wanted to see, explore, and connect more socially.
Now that babies are awake for slightly longer periods, they also need more variety.
Simple Ideas to Stimulate Your Baby’s Mental Development
You could take your baby on an ‘adventure’ around the house, pointing out objects and naming them aloud. In a calm, cheerful voice, say, ‘Skye, do you see the dog? Yes! That’s your dog! His name is Fred! Hi Fred!’
You might feel a bit silly during this activity, but your little one will start to recognise your voice while becoming fascinated by everything they see. This helps their mental development and makes these fussy phases more enjoyable for both of you.
The Leap of Patterns
Leap two, also known as the “Leap of Patterns”, marks the beginning of recognising patterns and noticing differences between objects, further enhancing mental development. This is when I bought Skye brightly coloured bracelets and socks that scrunch, rattle or make other fun sounds. These helped her explore her hands and feet, stimulating her motor skills.
It’s also a perfect time for tummy time! Your baby can now turn their head or even hold it up to look around, eager to see more of the world. You’ll also start to hear that delightful baby babble as they experiment with their voice, a wonderful step in their early communication.
source: Nina.care
Exploring Leap 3: From Baby Babble to Rolling Over
Leap three arrived when Skye was around twelve weeks old (lasting for around one week). And wow, what a difference! The vulnerability of the newborn stage was well and truly gone and she was suddenly so much more engaged with the world.
She’d entered the “World of Smooth Transitions”, finally seeing the fluid movements around her rather than the jerky, separate ones from before. Skye loved watching me (or Fred) move around the room, she would follow me everywhere I went with her eyes!
Developmental Changes at Your Baby’s Age
This leap also brought a burst of physical development. Suddenly, Skye was rolling over, arching her back during nappy changes, and grasping anything she could get her hands on (including my hair, ouch!).
Unfortunately, there were no more calm diaper changes for us either! She’d throw her little bottom in the air, making every change a challenge. Luckily, I knew that this was all part of her improved motor skills, and it was incredible to watch her grow.
And the social interaction! Skye had become such a chatterbox. We’d have long ‘conversations’ full of baby babble and cooing, I couldn’t get enough of her adorable expressions. She was no longer content laying down with the same toys in her play pen, my little explorer wanted to sit up (with a little help) and see it all.
This was such a special time, watching Skye become more aware, active, and connected. Leap three really made our days a lot more fun, full of new skills and endless discoveries.
Leap 4: From Giggles to Boundaries, How Baby is Growing at 19 Weeks
Leap four arrived when Skye was about four and a half months old (lasting between one to three weeks). Suddenly, she was making all kinds of exciting connections. This leap, known as the “World of Events”, meaning Skye was starting to understand cause and effect. When she shook her rattle, it made a noise. Her mental development was really taking off!
Skye also became much more vocal, she loved to talk more, babbling excitedly whenever we played together. She was fascinated by music too, and whenever I sang ‘When you’re happy and you know it clap your hands’ she’d clap along and even try to dance. It was so adorable when she’d wiggle along to the beat!
She also started to laugh out loud, those giggles were the best sound ever!
It was incredible seeing her personality shine through. Her motor skills advanced as well, around this time she began making her first crawling movements, though she wasn’t quite there yet. Every baby is different, but it was amazing to watch her try!
With all this excitement, Skye’s daily routine shifted. She took fewer naps, usually only two to three naps a day. She also started to understand that if she cried, I would come. This meant I had to begin setting gentle boundaries. Even though she didn’t quite understand ‘no’ yet, she was learning what limits were. If you are in a similar transition with sleep and would like to know more, read our blog bedtime by age.
Leap four was all about exploring cause and effect, boosting her motor skills, and becoming more connected socially. It was challenging but rewarding to see Skye grow in so many ways.
source: Nina.care
The World of Relationships: Baby’s Journey Through Leap 5
Halfway through the first year already? Where did the time go?!
By six months, Skye was already standing, while some babies her age were just learning to roll over. If your baby isn’t there yet, don’t worry, every baby develops at their own pace and that’s perfectly okay. Skye also developed her fine motor skills and discovered how to take her socks off. When we would go for a walk outside in the warm spring sun, she especially loved to do this… I lost more than a few pairs!
Why Leap 5 Means You’ll (Probably) Never Pee Alone Again
Leap five, known as the “World of Relationships”, brought some separation anxiety for Skye. She’d fuss whenever I walked into the kitchen, was glued to my leg and thanks to her new crawling skills, my privacy disappeared – she would even follow me to the toilet!
Playing the game peek-a-boo helped reassure Skye that when I left, I’d always come back. Another helpful game was when I stepped away into the hallway I would call, ‘Skyeeeee!’ and she would shout back, ‘Mamaaaaa!’. Then she was content to play until I returned.
Aunty Leah’s Gift: Why I Deserve a Long Massage…
After this growth spurt (which took about four weeks), Skye seemed much calmer. With her new freedom to move and explore, she found joy in simple activities like throwing a coaster or flipping it over to see what would happen.
This leap was all about making connections: hit something – and it makes a noise, press a button – and it plays music. Aunty Leah thought it’d be fun to gift the noisiest toy possible! Skye loves it, but I think Aunty Leah owes me some earplugs and a long massage after surviving this leap!
Leap 6: Growth in Categorisation, Language and Seeking Comfort
Leap six arrived at around 37 weeks (lasting around four weeks).
Skye suddenly seemed so much more curious about everything. This leap, known as the “World of Categories”. meant that she was beginning to categorise her world, understanding that while our dog Fred (a Chiwawa) look different to a Labrador, they’re all still both dogs. It was incredible to see her mental development as she made sense of similarities and differences.
With this new awareness, separation anxiety also increased. Skye became extra clingy, especially around unfamiliar people – needing me close by for comfort. Peek-a-boo became our best friend again to help her feel secure when I had to step away.
Little Conversations, Big Skills and Endless Stacking
Skye’s language development picked up too. She began associating certain words with specific objects and even followed simple instructions like “wave bye-bye.” It felt like she was starting to understand our little conversations!
She also loved activities that involved grouping and stacking. I often found her trying to put her toys into containers and then taking them out again. Play is the work of a child; her fine motor skills were improving, and she was reinforcing her understanding of how things fit together. Watching Skye explore her world during this leap was truly fascinating!
Exploring Leap 7: From Problem-Solving to First Steps
At eleven months, Skye entered Leap seven (taking 3 to 7 weeks), known as the “World of Sequences”. She had always been so cheerful, sleeping well and eating everything. To everyone around us, she seemed like the perfect baby… until the leap began.
Suddenly, Skye would wake up at night, thirsty for water. We started leaving a small drink bottle in her bed. She’d wake up, take a drink and then fall asleep again. Sleep for everyone! = Problem solved!
During the day, Skye’s naps changed too. Eventually, baby’s sleep settled into just one nap from 12 to 2 PM. My little girl was really becoming a big girl, and her independence showed in everything she did.
Dancing Days, Piggy Noises, and Kitchen Clean-Ups
After this leap, Skye loved helping out. If she made a mess, she’d say “yuck” and would scuttle over to the kitchen to get a tea towel to help clean it. She also began imitating animal sounds, especially a pig, which she found hilarious. Most of all, she loved to dance all day.
This leap was all about understanding sequences, like helping me take spoons out of the dishwashing basket and put it in the drawer. Skye seemed to know how things worked around the house, which was really impressive to me!
Goodbye sweet baby-time.
Congratulations! We’ve made it through the first year of parenthood! Skye was now 13 months old and diving into Leap eight, known as the “World of Programs”. During this leap, she began understanding how things fit together in steps. Watching her learn to brush her teeth or going to find her shoes when I asked her if she wanted to go for a walk was amazing. She was learning routines, a big step in her mental development.
Skye became quite the problem solver, experimenting with new activities. I saw her using a spoon to scoop food, determined to feed herself. Her language skills blossomed, she understood instructions better and loved participating in our bedtime routine, knowing exactly what came next.
Night Time Tears and Daytime Determination
This leap also brought some nightmares, and there were nights when she’d wake up crying, needing comfort. It was hard to see her unsettled, but I knew it was part of her growing awareness.
With this understanding came a stronger sense of independence. Skye wanted to do everything herself! From getting dressed to building blocks, she had strong preferences! If things didn’t go her way, she wasn’t shy about showing her frustration either.
Leap eight was all about becoming confident, following routines, striving for better sleep and gaining even more independence. It was a challenging six weeks but so rewarding.
The Joys and Challenges of the First 8 Leaps
After reflecting on Skye’s journey through the first eight developmental leaps, I’m amazed by how much she has grown.
Each Leap Brought Its Ups and Downs.
There were sleepless nights and fussy phases, especially at the start of a leap. But there were also magical moments; her first smiles, first words, and the delightful giggles during peek-a-boo. There’s nothing better than a happy baby exploring the world.
Skye learned to categorise, solve problems, and understand sequences. Each milestone seemed to follow a predictable timeline, making each leap a new chapter in her journey. The last leap made her even more independent, which came with some tantrums as she wanted to do everything herself.
One thing is always true: babies love to learn and explore, and Skye was no exception. Watching her grow from a vulnerable little baby to a curious toddler has been an incredible journey, and I can’t wait for what comes next!
The First Two Years: Understanding the Leaps Ahead
This blog has covered Skye’s journey over her first eight leaps of development, which are just a few of the many developmental milestones she will reach in the first two years. I hope her journey has provided some helpful insights, please keep in mind that there are still a few more leaps ahead.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed or want to learn more, consider reading “The Wonder Weeks,” a bestselling book that explains all the developmental leaps, or download the “Wonder Weeks App“. These resources provide further valuable insights which may help you navigate each leap further. Enjoy!