0-4 Months: Child to Child – Milestones

1. Shows awareness of other children.

In the first months of life, babies' responses to children are not very different from their responses to adults. Their interaction might be social and could include curiosity, wariness, and exploration. Brothers and sisters are often the first people to elicit a laugh from their baby sibling. Other children's voices are often an invitation for babies to wiggle and kick and even reach out toward them. For example:

Developing as expected, they might:

• look in the direction of a nearby child, often with neutral expressions
• smile and coo when an older child makes faces at them
• gaze intently, unaware of the uncertain grasp an older brother has as he carries them across the room
• laugh out loud for the first time when an older sister makes sneezing noises
• take on a sober expression and look uneasy when another baby starts crying
• startle or cry when an older child crowds onto the caregiver's lap
• begin to fuss when the playroom gets very loud with children shouting and playing
• brighten and wave their arms when a preschooler looks into their crib and says, "Hi, baby"

There are no clear indicators for needing development. Babies respond to children they don't know much the way they respond to unfamiliar adults. Consistency or inconsistency of response is not a clear indication of development at this age.

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Excerpted from:   Designed for family members and care providers, The Ounce Scale tools provide information about the development of infants and young children.     0-4 months     4-8 months   8-12 months 12-18 months Overview   18-24 months 24-30 months 30-36 months 36-42 months User's Guide

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