Things to Look for When Observing an Infant's Development

Physical Development

• Basic infant development begins with your baby's physical growth. On average, your infant's weight will double by five months old. You will notice growth spurts -- periods of more frequent feedings -- when his weight and height increase as well, serving as an indicator that your infant is developing physically.

  Your infant's physical skills will develop dramatically over the course of several months as well. Reflexes are among the earliest signs of physical development in your baby. The Palmar grasp reflex occurs when your infant grips an object placed in his hand. When your infant is standing and you are holding his hands, watch for the stepping or walking reflex -- he will lift his feet in a stepping motion. You will also notice as your infant's muscle development improves -- he will start being able to hold his head up, sit up and roll over.

Vision and Hearing

• Monitor your infant's vision and hearing as well to ensure development is normal. Your infant's vision at birth was blurry; she was only able to see about 10 inches in front of her. Watch as her vision improves -- you will notice your infant will prefer looking at faces over objects and gaze at objects at a distance.

  A sign of infant hearing development is her response to sounds such as your voice or her favorite lullaby. As your infant's hearing develops, she will start acknowledging other sounds, even looking in the direction of a sound, such as a doorbell or musical toy, when she hears it.

Social Development

• Another way to observe your infant's development is to watch as his social skills evolve. You can see your infant's first smile as early as 6 weeks old. By 4 months, your infant will laugh and smile, and he will start recognizing the voices and faces of familiar people. As your infant develops, he also might experience fear of strangers and separation anxiety -- social responses that are entirely normal.

Cognitive Development

• You can observe several cognitive development milestones in your infant. Object permeance -- or your infant's ability to understand that objects exist even when out of sight -- indicates development of memory and goal-oriented thinking. Your infant will also start to show interest in his own body, studying his hands and feet, for example. As he develops even further, your infant will assert his independence, reaching for a toy himself rather than asking you to get it for him.