Baby Milestones Month by Month: A Grandfather's Story
On the 9th of November 2024, I became a Papa. That's what Elliot will call me — Papa. And watching him grow through his first six months has taught me more about baby development than I ever expected to learn.
I've been tracking every milestone along the way — every first smile, first tooth, first roll, first solid meal — and I wanted to write it all down. Not just as my own memory of an incredible six months, but because if you're a new parent, a grandparent, or anyone wondering what does a baby actually do month by month in their first six months? — this is our story. Real, lived, and full of the kind of detail that the milestone charts don't always capture.
But before we get to the milestones, let me tell you how it all started.
The Easter Surprise
Let's go back to the Thursday before Easter 2024. I was in St Andrews — our second home, the Home of Golf. I love golf and I love whisky, and that evening I had an online whisky tasting starting at 7:30pm. I'd just arrived home, had a quick bite to eat, and settled in for what turned out to be a two-hour tasting session.
During those two hours, my daughter Katy was looking increasingly frustrated. I wasn't sure what her problem was at the time.
When I finally finished and sat down with the family, Katy said she wanted to give me and her mum an early Easter present. Inside the card was a baby scan picture. She was pregnant — with our first grandchild.
We were elated. We didn't know if we were ever going to be grandparents to a human. We were already grandparents to Hamish and Angus, our doggie grandchildren, but this was something else entirely. There were smiles, tears and loads of questions for Katy and Jake, her partner. But mostly we were just excited about what was going to be a completely new chapter in our lives.
The Night Elliot Arrived
Fast forward to the 9th of November. Katy and Jake had been at the hospital for the best part of 48 hours. I was playing in the Annual Night Golf Competition at Hollandbush Golf Club, about to step onto the tee. It was pitch black outside.
A message landed in our family group chat from Jake. Baby Elliot James Swan had arrived at 17:04. Mum and baby were doing well.
The golf was a blur after that — I actually won the competition with my team, which included Katy's sister Keri and her other sister's boyfriend Thomas. I rushed home and cracked open a bottle of fizz with my wife Audrey. Such an emotional night. Jake came to see us later — he'd been asked to leave the hospital — and he looked absolutely drained but had a smile on his face that said everything.
The next day we met Elliot. Less than a day old, with a massive head of hair, and the most content wee baby I'd ever seen. It struck me how small he was. You go through it with your own kids but you forget all that detail. He was perfect. An absolute bundle of joy.
We were at Wishaw General Hospital, and what an absolute credit those people are to the NHS.
Baby Milestones: What to Expect Month by Month
Every baby is different — Elliot will have done some things faster than yours, and slower than others. That's the fascinating thing about tracking a new baby's development. But here's what we noticed, month by month, through his first six months.
Month 1 — Newborn: Communication Through Crying
In the first month, Elliot wasn't doing a great deal — as babies normally don't. But it was brilliant to watch Katy and Jake finding their feet as first-time parents.
The main thing a newborn does is cry to communicate. I find it genuinely amazing that something so simple — just crying — tells the people around them exactly what they need, whether that's a feed, a nappy change, or a wee cuddle. It's incredibly effective when you think about it.
Eyesight is very limited at this stage. Newborns can only focus on things around 20–30cm away — roughly the distance of a face during feeding. We used black and white flash cards with Elliot from the very early days to help stimulate his visual development, and they worked really well. The high contrast between the black and white patterns is exactly what a newborn's eyes can pick up on.
He was content. Really content. That was the word everyone kept using about Elliot.
Key milestone to watch for: Turning head toward sounds. Reacting to your voice.
Month 2 — First Smiles and Tracking Objects
Month 2 for Elliot was December, so he was well and truly spoiled at Christmas!
The big development this month was the first smile. And I don't mean the one they do in their sleep — I mean a real, proper smile that tells you they know you're there. There's nothing quite like it. It hits you right in the chest.
He was also starting to track moving objects with his eyes — following a face or a toy as it moved across his field of vision. I'm sure the flash cards had helped lay the groundwork for this. His neck strength was building too, and he could support his own head for short periods.
He'd also grown very attached to his Benni Bear comforter. That soft familiar toy became a real source of comfort and calm for him — something many babies latch onto at this stage.
Key milestone to watch for: First genuine social smile. Eyes following a moving object. Beginning to hold head up briefly.
Month 3 — Holding Things and Finding a Routine
Into January, and Elliot was three months old. A big change this month — he could now hold things in his hands. We tried him with a maraca rattle set and he absolutely loved it. The sound, the movement, the sensation of holding something and making something happen — you could see him working it all out.
His smiles were becoming more frequent, and he was starting to occasionally giggle. There is no better sound in the world.
It was also around this point that he started to show signs of sleeping through the night. If you're a sleep-deprived new parent reading this — hang in there. Three months is often when things start to shift.
Key milestone to watch for: Grasping and holding objects. Social smiling and early laughter. Longer stretches of sleep at night.
Month 4 — Rolling Over and Finding His Voice
February, and Elliot turned four months old. He was getting big — well, bigger than he'd started, anyway.
The most impressive thing this month was watching how quickly everything was developing at once. His voice was really starting to be heard — the wah, wah, wahs and the bubbles he was blowing were becoming a constant soundtrack. He was cooing, making sounds in response to us talking to him, starting to have little conversations in his own language.
And then — he rolled over. That first roll is a moment. One minute they're on their back, and then suddenly they're not. He was also starting to reach out for toys rather than just waiting for them to be placed in his hands. That intentional reaching is a big deal developmentally — it means the brain and the hands are starting to coordinate properly.
Key milestone to watch for: Rolling from back to front (or front to back). Vocalising and "talking back." Intentionally reaching for objects.
Month 5 — On the Move, First Teeth, and Mimicking
By month five, Elliot was getting himself around by rolling both ways. It became his primary method of transport — roll to the left, roll to the right, get to whatever toy or object had caught his eye. You stop being able to leave him unattended on the mat at this point!
He also showed the first signs of teething — the first tooth appeared on the bottom, followed quickly by a second right next to it. We used teethers to help soothe his gums, and they made a real difference. If you haven't stocked up on teethers before month four or five, do it early — teething can arrive faster than you expect.
The other thing that had us all in stitches was the mimicking. He'd started shaking his head whenever Katy or Jake did it. You shake your head, he shakes his. It was hilarious and incredible in equal measure — he was watching, processing, and copying. That's huge cognitive development happening right in front of you.
And then, almost unbelievably, he was pulling himself up to standing against the sofa and pushing up into the crawl position. At five months. Katy and Jake's lives were about to get a lot more interesting.
Key milestone to watch for: Rolling both ways and using it to move. First teeth appearing. Copying facial expressions and movements. Pushing up on arms during tummy time.
Month 6 — Sitting Up, Weaning, and a Sense of Independence
Month six, and what a month it was. Elliot was sitting up unsupported — properly, confidently, looking around the room like he owned the place. He had a real sense of independence about him now, keeping himself occupied with toys while sitting up, passing objects from one hand to the other, recognising his own name when you called it.
And of course — it was weaning time.
Starting solids is one of those milestones that feels enormous. Suddenly you're not just feeding a baby, you're introducing them to the world of food. We used the For the Baby Bamboo Feeding Products and Silicone Feeding Products with Elliot, and they were brilliant — safe, practical, easy to clean, and they actually stayed where they were supposed to on the highchair tray, which anyone who has started weaning will know is not something to be taken for granted.
Key milestone to watch for: Sitting unsupported. Passing objects between hands. Responding to their own name. Showing interest in food and readiness to wean.
A Note on Milestones — and Not Worrying Too Much
All babies are different. Some will hit these milestones earlier than Elliot did, some later. The milestone guides are just that — guides. They're not a test, and they're not a competition. What matters is that your baby is developing, engaging with the world around them, and — most importantly — happy.
If you ever have genuine concerns about your baby's development, your health visitor is the right person to speak to. They've seen it all, and they're there to help.
Looking Back — and Forward
This six months has been the most extraordinary thing to witness. Watching Elliot grow from this tiny, helpless soul who could do nothing but cry and sleep, into a wee boy who sits up, passes his toys, recognises his name, eats real food and shakes his head to make you laugh — it's been absolutely amazing.
Being Papa to Elliot is something I'm going to treasure for the rest of my life. And I can't wait to see what the next six months bring.
If you're looking for toys, teethers and feeding products to support your baby's development month by month, browse our full range at For the Baby — all carefully chosen by our team for safety, quality and developmental benefit. Free UK delivery on orders over £25.