Goals and Milestones
Your Baby: 6–15 Months
This is such a special season. Your baby is changing almost every day—sitting up, reaching for you, babbling, exploring, crawling and maybe even getting ready for those first steps. And while your baby is experiencing so many firsts, you are too.
So Many Firsts — for Baby and for You
Our goal during these early months is to create a warm, nurturing place where your baby feels safe and loved—and where you feel comfortable, connected and confident in their care.
What You May Begin to Notice
Between 6 and 15 months, there is so much happening. One week your baby may be working hard to sit independently, and before long they may be crawling across the room, pulling themselves up or taking those exciting first steps.
You may also notice more personality emerging—bigger smiles, stronger preferences, favorite songs and toys, excitement when they see someone familiar, and lots of new ways of letting you know exactly what they want!
Every baby develops differently. These milestones aren’t a checklist your baby needs to complete by a certain date. They’re simply a guide to some of the wonderful growth you may see along the way.
Connecting With the People Around Them
One of the most important things your baby is learning right now is that the world is filled with people they can trust.
At Sunshine House, we build these connections slowly and lovingly. We learn your baby’s routines, cues, favorite ways to be comforted and all the little things that help them feel secure.
Your baby may begin to:
Recognize and light up around familiar people
Reach for a trusted adult when they need comfort
Respond to their name
Smile, laugh and engage with others
Enjoy peek-a-boo and other interactive games
Show interest in other babies and children
Wave goodbye, clap and imitate familiar gestures
Express more emotions and preferences
Develop strong attachments to the people who care for them
Finding Their Voice
Long before those first real words arrive, your baby is already communicating with you.
During this stage, babies may:
Babble and experiment with sounds
Turn toward familiar voices
Respond when their name is called
Use sounds, expressions and gestures to communicate
Imitate sounds they hear
Begin understanding familiar words and simple phrases
Wave, point or reach to communicate
Begin saying a few familiar words
Ready to Move & Explore
Once babies discover they can move, there is a whole new world waiting for them!
We give babies plenty of safe floor time and freedom to move, reach and explore—always with a caring adult close by to encourage them.
Your baby may begin to:
Sit independently
Roll, reach and move into different positions
Crawl or find their own creative way of getting around
Pull up to stand
Cruise while holding onto furniture
Stand briefly without help
Take those exciting first steps
Pick up and transfer toys from hand to hands
Stack, drop, fill and explore objects
Learning Through Everything They Do
What happens if I drop this? Where did that toy go? What does this feel like? Will you smile if I smile?
These simple moments are actually important learning experiences. Babies are beginning to understand cause and effect, solve little problems, imitate what they see and become increasingly curious about the world around them.
Growing Together
Because these aren’t just developmental milestones. They’re your baby’s firsts—and we know how much those firsts mean to you.