quick clicks

moms today articles

moms today q&a

message boards

research baby names

prepare a birth plan

content channels

ip channel rss feeds

read birth stories

read parenting stories

recommended books

e-newsletters

safety recalls

ip diaries

ip store

mom of the month

dad of the month

editor's letter

letters to the editor

That First Wonderful Year

Relax and Enjoy Baby's First Year of Life

By Shannon McKelden

Dr. Bud Zukow, a pediatrician in Tarzana, Calif., says parents will delight in many things. "The first smile, even if it means the baby has passed gas, which it usually does," he says. "The first response to your voice, the very first time the baby reaches out to touch your face, the first time he rolls over from his tummy to his back, and then back again. The first time he lifts up to his knees, and then crawls and then stands up holding onto furniture. These are major milestones."

One of the best things about babies is their individuality. "Before you have children you may think that all babies are alike," Pantley says. "Once your own child enters your life you realize that from the first day babies are all incredibly different from one another. Your baby's personality emerges from the start and it is a wonderful experience to learn about this new little person."

Kelli Estes, a mother of two boys from Snohomish, Wash., noticed exactly this. "What delighted me the most about my kids' first years of life was probably how early their personalities start shining through," she says. "By just a couple months old we could see sparks of personality that we hadn't expected, and by 6 months old there was no doubt that this little person was a person unto himself, with his own needs, desires and thoughts."

It's clear to some parents that personalities or characteristics develop even before birth, and it's a lot of fun to see how close we were with our guesses about what kind of little people they will be.

Serena Robar, a mother of three from Maple Valley, Wash., was delighted to find out how distinct her sons' personalities were in that first year, and how close they were to their personalities in utero. "My oldest son bounces all the time," she says. "He likes to jump when he is playing video games or when he is excited. He used to do that in the womb. My youngest son is a squirmer. He can't sit still. He was like that in the womb. Always moving around."

Want to see more?

• Check out our Article Library.
• The First Year: Birth to 3 Months
• Have Baby, Still Exercise: 5 Fitness Solutions
  for the First Year of Life
• You Can Do It! 10 Secrets to Surviving the First Year with Twins
• Talk about it!