Your baby will grow and develop so quickly, at times doing new things every week, making it hard to keep up recording these wonderful moments! The full set of Wee Charm milestone ribbons is a great solution for busy moms to identify and commemorate key first moments.

With lots of mommy input, the comprehensive set of Wee Charms include 30 developmental and experiential first moments. The list below is a guideline of when to expect the developmental milestones and tips to encourage success. All babies grow and develop differently so if your baby doesn’t achieve them in this time frame don’t panic!

Developmental Milestones

1) Babble (1-3 months)

• Talk and read to your new baby as often as possible. By hearing all the sounds we make in everyday language he is learning the importance of verbal communication.

2) Grasp Toy (1-3 months)

• Dangling lightweight, colourful toys in front of your baby is a good way to encourage him to reach for things and put those little fingers to work.

3) Smile (1-3 months)

• Baby loves to hear your voice and you can encourage smiling by using dramatic baby talk, changing the speed and pitch of your voice and making exaggerated, silly faces at him.

• Your baby's first laugh will likely be a surprise for him and then will quickly transform into something fun. Hearing his own squeals and giggles and seeing others react to this will help baby to develop a robust belly laugh.

5) Roll Over (3-6 months)

• Typically babies can kick themselves over from tummy to back first but will need to develop stronger neck and arm muscles to flip from back to tummy.

6) Sit Up (4-7 months)

• Babies need to have strong muscles in the neck, shoulders, stomach, back and hips before sitting up on their own. To help development, gently pull him up by his arms to a sitting position when he's lying on his back. Stay close during this learning process... there will be lots of tipping over!

7) Solid Food (5-7 months)

• Oh the faces you'll see at this milestone! Be sure to have a camera handy around the highchair as you introduce new flavours and textures. Before beginning this new adventure be sure to consult your health care provider and seek out fun, nutritional recipes.

8) Tooth (5-7 months)

• Some babies get their first tooth at 3 months, others around 12, so don't worry if it hasn't happened yet for your wee one. Symptoms vary widely and can also start weeks before any tooth appears. To learn more, read our blog post "Caring for Baby's First Tooth".

9) Clap Hands (6-9 months)

• The motion of bringing his two hands together is a big accomplishment and shows growth in cognitive, vision and motor skills. Parents can encourage this development by celebrating the little things baby does by singing and clapping.

10) Climb Stairs (6-9 months)

• The skill of climbing happens incrementally and usually starts with babies crawling over objects. Once he can crawl, as young as 6 months old, he may try to crawl up stairs so ensure you have all the necessary safety equipment in place!

11) Crawl (6-8 months)

• Give your baby lots of tummy time to help with the gross motor development needed for crawling. If he chooses to get around with a 'bum shuffle' instead, this won't impede his achieving the other milestones that come next.

12) "Dada" (6-8 months)

• This is a contentious one... did he say "mama" or "dada" first? It's a common belief that babies naturally say "dada" before "mama" but it all depends on what sound your baby is more enchanted with. Also, at this young age he likely doesn't even know what he's saying anyway (so take comfort moms).

13) "Mama" (6-8 months)

• As with "dada", your baby will start to string syllables together that sound like "mamamama". As he approaches 9 months and beyond he'll get better at saying the actual words. To encourage your baby, identify each other as "mama" or "dada" when talking to him. For example, "See what Mama has! Mama has your favourite squeaky bunny."

14) Full Sleep (6-9 months)

• We consider a full sleep to be an 8+ hour stretch but you can celebrate this milestone ribbon for whatever length of uninterrupted sleep you want! Not many shall dare dream to argue with a sleep deprived mom. To help, ensure your baby's room is as conducive to sleep as possible and establish a relaxing bedtime routine. To learn more, read our blog post "Let's Bring in Spring with a Full Night's Sleep".

15)  Peek-a-Boo (6-9 months)

• This popular baby game serves in helping him to differentiate himself from his mommy (or the primary caregiver) and to better understand object permanence. 

16) Sippy Cup (6-8 months)

• A benefit of introducing a sippy cup early is that weaning him from a bottle will be easier. It's also a great way to introduce water to your baby. Try using a cup with a spout and two handles to start.

17) Stand with Help (6-9 months)

• As your baby's strength and balance improves he'll probably start trying to pull himself up to stand while holding on to furniture. Lowering back down effectively will come a bit later so be sure the area around him is clear and watch that he's making progress learning how to fall safely.

18) Finger Food (8-9 months)

• Your baby will love picking up bite-size and easy-to-eat pieces of food on his own. You'll likely get some signal that he's ready for this when he starts grabbing the spoon out of your hand or staring longingly at your food and trying to snatch it from your plate.

19) Walk with Help (8-9 months)

• As your baby starts to pull himself up and improve his balance, help him take a few steps holding your hands. This will boost his confidence and build strength. Warning—many hours of your day will now be spent bent over your shuffling baby. Get those back muscles ready!

20) Wave (8-12 months)

• It's so sweet when your baby waves hello or goodbye to you for the first time. You can encourage this skill by holding his hand and waving it for him while saying goodbye to someone special. For example, when your partner is leaving the house for work wave your baby's hand and tell him "wave bye-bye to Dada."

21) Stand without Help (9-12 months)

• Typically your baby will start cruising (moving around upright while holding on to furniture) and then progress to letting go of his support. He will be so proud of himself when he stands on his own! With arms out front and feet wide for balance, he'll be motivated to practice the next crucial skill - bending down for toys!

22) Walk without Help (9-12 months)

• This is a pivotal moment for baby and parents! All the work leading up to these first steps require a lot of praise and encouragement so that he has the confidence to try it on his own. Be his biggest cheerleader. 

23) Stack Blocks (10-12 months)

• This skill will usually begin with your baby banging two blocks together to make noise and by destroying any architectural wonder you make for him. Babies will spend more time exploring objects and focusing on complex tasks when a parent is playing with them.

24) Word (12 months)

• It is important to note that babies hit language milestones at a wide range of ages (so don't stress about it), and it can sometimes be hard to tell if what they blurted or shrieked out was a bona fide first word. The best thing parents can do to encourage speech is to talk, talk and talk to your baby.

Experiential Milestones 

These Wee Charms are special first experiences that parents agree are momentous and worth cherishing. There is no growth or development required so therefore an age guideline is unnecessary. It simply depends on when you think it's a good time (or when Mother Nature thinks it's a good time, in the case of snow). 

25) Haircut

• Some babies are born with luscious locks while others are bald till 2 years old. If possible, keep a lock of baby's hair from his first haircut.

26) Overnight Away

• Your first night away with baby is a big deal, even if it's just to grandma and grandpa's house. And yes, a 10 lbs baby will likely be accompanied by 200 lbs of gear!

27) Playgroup

• Babies typically start enjoying being around other babies between 1-3 months. As he gets more comfortable being held by friends and family, consider joining a playgroup.

28) Snow

• Be prepared for any type of reaction when your baby touches snow for the first time. To learn more about outdoor gear if you live in a snowy climate, read our blog post "Gear to get Baby Outside in the Snow".

29) Swim

• Similar to first snow, baby may smile or cry during his first swim, but infant swimming is wonderful bonding time and a great way to get your baby comfortable in the water. If using a public swimming pool it is recommended to wait until he has received his first set of immunizations.

30) Vacation

• Just because you now have a new baby doesn't mean you can't travel the world! Babies are extremely portable, they basically just eat and sleep, and they board the plane for free. Just be sure to talk to your pediatrician before embarking on your vacation.