Baby's Brain Development: The Remarkable First Year

Introduction

Your baby's brain at birth weighs about 400 grams—roughly a quarter of its adult size. By their first birthday, it will have grown to about 1000 grams, nearly tripling in size. But weight is just the beginning of the story. Brain volume and connectivity increase even more dramatically than weight—it's not about having a "big brain," but about building the intricate network of connections that enable learning, thinking, and development.

During your baby's first year, their brain undergoes the most dramatic development of their entire life. Neural connections form at a staggering rate of up to 1 million per second. Entire brain regions activate and specialize. The foundation for every skill they'll ever learn—walking, talking, thinking, forming relationships—is being built right now.

As a Pediatric Neurology Nurse Practitioner, I spend my days working with children's developing brains. I see firsthand the remarkable plasticity and potential of the infant brain, and I also understand what can go wrong when development is disrupted. This dual perspective—the wonder of typical development and the importance of early identification of concerns—shapes how I think about infant brain health.

Understanding your baby's brain development isn't just fascinating neuroscience (though it absolutely is that). It's practical knowledge that helps you:

• Understand why milestones happen when they do
• Recognize what supports healthy brain development
• Know when to be concerned vs. when to relax
• Appreciate the remarkable work happening inside your baby's head

Let's explore what's happening in your baby's brain during this extraordinary first year.

How Your Baby's Brain Develops: The Fundamentals

Neurons: The Brain's Building Blocks

Your baby is born with approximately 100 billion neurons—roughly the same number they'll have as an adult. This might surprise you, since the brain grows so much in the first year. Here's the key: It's not about the number of neurons; it's about the connections between them.

Each neuron is like a tiny computer that receives, processes, and transmits information. Neurons communicate through connections called synapses. At birth, each neuron has about 2,500 synapses. By age 3, this explodes to about 15,000 synapses per neuron.

Important nuance: These synapse counts vary widely by cortical region—sensory areas develop connections earlier, while frontal regions continue synapse formation for years. Different brain areas follow different timelines.

This process—forming connections between neurons—is called synaptogenesis, and it's the real story of brain development.

Gray Matter and White Matter

Gray matter consists of neuron cell bodies—the processing centers. This is where thinking happens.

White matter consists of axons (neuron "wires") covered in myelin, a fatty insulation that speeds up signal transmission. Myelination begins prenatally (especially for sensory and motor pathways) but accelerates markedly during the first year and continues throughout childhood and into young adulthood.

In the first year, both gray matter and white matter are developing rapidly:

• Gray matter expands as neurons grow and branch
• White matter increases as connections myelinate and become more efficient

Bottom-Up and Inside-Out Development

The brain develops in a predictable pattern:

Bottom-up: Lower, more primitive brain regions develop before higher, more sophisticated ones. The brainstem (controlling breathing, heart rate) is well-developed at birth. The cortex (higher thinking) continues developing for decades.

Inside-out: Deeper brain structures develop before outer cortical layers.

Back-to-front: Sensory and motor areas in the back of the brain develop before frontal regions responsible for planning and decision-making.

This sequential development explains why babies master physical skills before complex reasoning, and why emotional regulation takes years to develop.

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The Architecture: Building Brain Structure

Let's look at the major brain regions and how they develop in the first year.

The Brainstem: Life Support System

What it does: Controls essential functions like breathing, heart rate, sleep-wake cycles, and basic reflexes

Development: Largely functional at birth (thankfully—babies need to breathe!), continues refining throughout the first year

What you see: Your newborn's automatic breathing, regular heartbeat, sleep cycles, and primitive reflexes (rooting, sucking, Moro reflex)

Important note: While the brainstem circuitry for sleep-wake regulation is functional at birth, newborn sleep-wake cycles are immature and fragmented—brief sleep periods with frequent waking are neurologically normal, not abnormal

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The Cerebellum: Coordination Center

What it does: Coordinates movement, balance, and motor learning

Development: Grows dramatically in the first year—triples in size by age 1. This growth parallels motor milestone achievement.

What you see: Progressive motor control: head control → trunk control → sitting → crawling → standing → walking. Each motor milestone reflects cerebellar maturation.

Clinical Insight: In infants with cerebellar dysfunction, I look for abnormalities in muscle tone, persistence of primitive reflexes, impaired coordination during emerging motor tasks, and delayed postural control. A baby with cerebellar concerns may have difficulty with smooth visual tracking, trouble sitting without support, or exaggerated tremulous movements. I assess for head lag beyond expected ages, truncal instability, asymmetric movements, and abnormal eye movements. Early recognition is important because cerebellar disorders may also affect speech, balance, and motor learning.

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The Limbic System: Emotion and Memory

Key structures: Amygdala (emotion processing), hippocampus (memory formation)

What it does: Processes emotions, forms memories, regulates stress responses

Development:

• The amygdala is relatively mature at birth (babies can definitely feel emotions!)
• The hippocampus develops rapidly in the first year, enabling memory formation
• Connections with cortical regions continue developing for years

What you see:

• Early months: Basic emotions (distress, contentment)
• 6-12 months: Social emotions emerge (stranger anxiety, separation anxiety—timing varies widely)
• 9-12 months: Memory improves (object permanence, recognizing absent caregivers)

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The Cerebral Cortex: The Thinking Brain

What it does: Higher-order processing—thinking, learning, language, voluntary movement, sensory processing

Different regions specialize:

• Occipital lobe: Vision
• Temporal lobe: Hearing, language comprehension
• Parietal lobe: Touch, spatial awareness
• Frontal lobe: Movement, planning, decision-making

Development: Synaptic density increases at different rates in different regions:

• Visual cortex: Rapid maturation around 4-8 months (vision develops rapidly)
• Auditory cortex: Peaks around 9 months (language processing)
• Frontal cortex: Synaptic density begins increasing around 8–12 months, but peaks between 3–5 years and continues reorganizing into adolescence

What you see: As each region matures, corresponding abilities emerge—vision sharpens, language comprehension develops, intentional actions increase.

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Neural Connections: Wiring the Brain

The real action in infant brain development is synaptogenesis—the formation of connections between neurons.

The Explosion of Connections

From birth to age 3, your baby's brain undergoes explosive synaptogenesis. Neural connections form at up to 1 million per second. By age 2-3, a toddler has about twice as many synapses as an adult.

Wait—twice as many? Why do we lose half our synapses?

Use It or Lose It: Synaptic Pruning

Not all connections are useful. The brain initially overproduces synapses, then prunes away connections that aren't being used. This process, called synaptic pruning, is region-specific—it begins in late infancy in some cortical regions (especially sensory areas) but truly accelerates in late toddlerhood and early childhood, particularly in the prefrontal cortex. Pruning continues through adolescence.

Think of it like sculpting: Start with a large block of marble (excess synapses), then chip away what you don't need to reveal the sculpture (efficient, specialized neural networks).

Pruning isn't bad—it's essential. It makes the brain more efficient by eliminating weak or unnecessary connections and strengthening important ones.

What influences which connections stay and which go? Experience. The connections your baby uses frequently—based on their experiences and environment—are strengthened. Unused connections are pruned away.

This is why early experiences matter so much. They literally shape brain architecture.

Myelination: Speeding Up Connections

As connections form and strengthen, many are coated in myelin—a fatty substance that insulates axons and speeds up signal transmission. Unmyelinated neurons transmit signals at about 2 meters/second. Myelinated neurons can transmit at 100 meters/second—a 50-fold increase.

In the first year:

• Sensory pathways myelinate early (babies need to see, hear, feel)
• Motor pathways myelinate progressively (supporting motor milestone progression)
• Higher cortical pathways continue myelinating for years

What you see: As pathways myelinate, corresponding functions become faster and more efficient. Vision sharpens. Movements become more coordinated. Processing speeds up.

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Brain Development Month by Month

Let's walk through typical brain development milestones in the first year.

Birth to 1 Month: The Fourth Trimester

Brain focus: Basic survival—eating, sleeping, temperature regulation, sensory input processing

What's developing:

• Brainstem refining life-support functions
• Sensory pathways beginning to organize
• Early synaptic formation in visual and auditory cortex
• Beginning myelination of sensory and motor pathways

What you see:

• Primitive reflexes (rooting, sucking, Moro, grasp)
• Beginning focus on faces—newborns show an innate preference for faces from birth (face recognition pathways activating)
• Startle responses to loud sounds
• Rapid state changes (asleep → awake → crying)

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2-3 Months: Social Awakening

Brain focus: Visual development, early social processing

What's developing:

• Visual cortex rapidly maturing
• Social processing networks coming online
• Early language pathways activating (responding to speech sounds)

What you see:

• Social smiles (typically 6-12 weeks, with most babies smiling by 8 weeks)
• Tracking moving objects with eyes
• Beginning to coo and vocalize
• More sustained attention and alertness

Brain milestone: The social smile represents activation of complex neural networks connecting vision, emotion, and motor control—a remarkable achievement!

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4-6 Months: Reaching Out

Brain focus: Motor planning, visual-motor integration, cause and effect

What's developing:

• Motor cortex and cerebellum rapidly developing
• Visual-motor pathways connecting
• Object recognition improving
• Memory circuits strengthening

What you see:

• Reaching for and grasping objects
• Rolling over
• Sustained focus on objects and people
• Laughing and varied emotional expressions
• Beginning sounds of babbling

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7-9 Months: Understanding the World

Brain focus: Object permanence, spatial awareness, receptive language

What's developing:

• Hippocampus maturing (memory improving)
• Temporal lobe language areas activating
• Parietal lobe spatial processing developing
• Frontal lobe beginning early executive function

What you see:

• Object permanence emerges (understanding things exist when hidden)
• Sitting independently, beginning to crawl
• Stranger anxiety and separation anxiety (sophisticated social cognition!)
• Understanding of simple words and their own name
• Intentional actions (means-end behavior)

Clinical Insight: I assess object permanence by observing whether an infant will search for a partially hidden toy or look to the location where an object disappeared. A lack of emerging object permanence by around 9–10 months—especially when paired with limited joint attention or social reciprocity—may signal early cognitive or social-communication concerns. This is one of several clues we use to evaluate global developmental progress.

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10-12 Months: Communication and Mobility

Brain focus: Expressive language, complex motor planning, social referencing

What's developing:

• Broca's area (speech production) activating
• Motor cortex and cerebellum supporting standing and walking
• Frontal lobe supporting intentional communication
• Social brain networks maturing

What you see:

• First words emerging
• Pulling to stand, cruising, possibly first steps
• Pointing and gesturing to communicate
• Imitating actions
• Social referencing (checking caregiver's reaction to new situations)

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Critical and Sensitive Periods

Not all times are equal for learning. The brain has periods of heightened plasticity for specific skills.

Critical Periods

Critical periods are windows when the brain MUST receive certain input to develop normally. Miss the window, and the skill may never fully develop.

Example: Vision If a baby has a condition blocking vision in one eye (like a congenital cataract) during the first year and it's not corrected, that eye may never develop normal vision, even if the cataract is later removed. The visual cortex has a critical period for development.

Fortunately: True critical periods are rare. Most development involves sensitive periods instead.

Sensitive Periods

Sensitive periods are times when the brain is especially primed to learn certain skills. Learning is easier and more complete during these windows, but learning can still happen later.

Examples:

• Language: Birth through age 5 is a sensitive period, with peak sensitivity in the first 3 years. Children exposed to language during this time learn it effortlessly. Adults can learn new languages, but it's harder.
• Social-emotional attachment: First 2 years are especially important for forming secure attachments.
• Motor skills: First year is optimal for fundamental motor pattern development.

What this means for parents:

• Early experiences matter, but it's not all-or-nothing
• Missed opportunities can often be made up
• However, earlier is generally easier for the brain
• Chronic neglect during sensitive periods can have lasting impacts

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What Supports Healthy Brain Development

The good news: The most important things for brain development are simple and free.

Responsive Caregiving

What it is: Noticing your baby's signals and responding sensitively

Why it matters: Responsive interactions activate and strengthen neural pathways for:

• Language (hearing words in context)
• Social cognition (understanding social cause-and-effect)
• Emotional regulation (learning that needs will be met)
• Attachment (building secure relationships)

Brain impact: Responsive caregiving literally shapes brain architecture, particularly in regions involved in stress regulation and social processing.

Language Exposure

What it is: Talking to, reading to, and singing with your baby

Why it matters:

• Activates and strengthens language pathways
• Builds phonological awareness (sound patterns of language)
• Creates neural templates for words and grammar
• The richness, responsiveness, and back-and-forth nature of language exposure matter more than the raw number of words spoken around a child

Brain impact: Language-rich, interactive environments create denser neural networks in temporal and frontal language regions.

Practical tip: Narrate your day. "Now I'm changing your diaper. Let's put on a clean diaper. There we go!" Simple, ongoing language exposure matters more than "educational" programs.

Safe Exploration and Movement

What it is: Opportunities for baby to move freely, explore safely, practice emerging skills

Why it matters:

• Motor practice strengthens motor pathways and cerebellum
• Exploration builds spatial awareness (parietal lobe)
• Cause-and-effect discovery develops reasoning (frontal lobe)
• Sensory input from varied experiences supports sensory processing

Brain impact: Movement and exploration create and strengthen connections throughout the brain, not just motor regions.

Practical tip: Minimize container time (swings, bouncers). Maximize floor time for free movement.

Nutrition

What it is: Adequate calories, protein, essential fatty acids, iron, and other nutrients

Why it matters:

• Brain tissue is metabolically expensive—requires lots of energy
• Myelin production requires fat (brains are about 60% fat)
• Neurotransmitter production requires amino acids and micronutrients
• Iron deficiency impairs brain development

Brain impact: Malnutrition during the first year can cause lasting developmental delays.

Practical tip: Breastmilk or formula provides complete nutrition for the first 6 months. After 6 months, iron-rich complementary foods become essential—full-term infants' iron stores from birth begin depleting around this age, and exclusively breastfed infants are particularly at risk for iron deficiency.

Sleep

What it is: Adequate sleep quantity and quality

Why it matters:

• Sleep supports neural organization, learning, and early memory processes
• Synaptic pruning occurs during sleep
• Growth hormone (including brain growth) peaks during sleep
• Sleep deprivation impairs learning and emotional regulation

Brain impact: Chronic sleep disruption can impair cognitive development and emotional regulation.

Expected sleep: Newborns: 14-17 hours/day. By 12 months: 12-16 hours/day (including naps).

Serve and Return Interactions

What it is: Back-and-forth exchanges—baby coos, you respond; baby points, you name the object

Why it matters: These interactions are like tennis for the brain—the volley back and forth activates and strengthens neural circuits.

Brain impact: Serve-and-return interactions build neural architecture for communication, social skills, and self-regulation.

Clinical Insight: When I evaluate children who've had limited serve-and-return interaction, I often see delays in language, reduced joint attention, limited social reciprocity, and difficulty with emotional regulation. Without consistent back-and-forth exchanges, the neural circuits responsible for communication and social engagement don't get the activation they need. Babies may vocalize less, show fewer gestures, or struggle with shared attention. Over time, this can mimic broader developmental disorders—even when deprivation is the root cause. Early, enriched interaction can significantly improve outcomes.

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What Can Harm Brain Development

Understanding risks helps parents protect their baby's developing brain.

Chronic Stress and Toxic Stress

What it is:

• Chronic stress: Ongoing activation of stress response systems
• Toxic stress: Severe, chronic adversity without supportive relationships to buffer it

Examples: Chronic neglect, abuse, extreme poverty without protective factors

Brain impact:

• Elevated cortisol (stress hormone) can damage hippocampus (memory)
• Impairs prefrontal cortex development (executive function)
• Alters amygdala development (emotional processing)
• Can have lifelong impacts on stress reactivity and mental health

Important distinction: Normal stress (brief separations, doctor visits, etc.) is not harmful. Responsive caregiving buffers stress and helps babies learn to cope.

Malnutrition

What it is: Inadequate calories, protein, or essential nutrients

Brain impact:

• Impairs myelination
• Reduces synaptic density
• Can cause lasting cognitive deficits
• Iron deficiency specifically impairs neurotransmitter function

Most vulnerable periods: Pregnancy through age 3

Substance Exposure

What it is: Prenatal exposure to alcohol, drugs, or toxins; postnatal exposure to environmental toxins

Brain impact:

• Alcohol: Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders can cause permanent brain damage
• Lead: Impairs cognitive development even at low levels—lead exposure effects are dose-dependent but have no known safe threshold
• Other toxins: Variable effects depending on substance and timing

Prevention: Avoid alcohol during pregnancy; test home for lead if built before 1978; avoid secondhand smoke.

Lack of Stimulation

What it is: Severe deprivation of social interaction, language exposure, or sensory input

Brain impact:

• Reduced synaptic density
• Impaired language development
• Social and emotional delays
• The younger the child and the more severe the deprivation, the greater the impact

Important: Typical parenting provides adequate stimulation. You don't need expensive toys or programs. Normal interaction and play are sufficient.

Neglect

What it is: Failure to meet basic physical and emotional needs

Brain impact: Profound—can affect every aspect of development. Neglect in the first years can have lifelong consequences.

Protective factors: Even in high-risk environments, one stable, responsive relationship can significantly buffer negative impacts.

Screen Time

What it is: Exposure to TV, tablets, phones, computers

Brain impact in first year:

• Displaces serve-and-return interactions
• Doesn't build neural connections the way real interaction does
• May interfere with sleep
• Associated with language delays

AAP recommendation: No screen time before 18 months (except video chatting)

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Red Flags in Brain Development

Most variations in development are normal, but some signs warrant evaluation:

Concerning Signs at Any Age:

• Loss of previously acquired skills (regression)
• Persistent very low muscle tone (floppiness)
• Persistent very high muscle tone (stiffness)
• No response to sounds or voices
• No social engagement or eye contact
• Significant asymmetry (using only one side of body)

By 3 Months:

• Can't support head at all during tummy time
• Doesn't respond to loud sounds
• Doesn't track faces or objects with eyes
• No social smile

By 6 Months:

• Very stiff or very floppy
• No babbling sounds
• Doesn't reach for objects
• Little interest in surroundings

By 9 Months:

• Can't sit without support
• No response to name
• No back-and-forth sounds (babbling)

By 12 Months:

• No crawling or alternative mobility
• No single words or word approximations
• No gestures (pointing, waving)
• Doesn't respond to simple requests

If you notice any of these, contact your pediatrician. Early evaluation and intervention support the brain's remarkable plasticity.

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The Power of Plasticity

Here's the most hopeful message about infant brain development: The brain is remarkably plastic—capable of remarkable adaptation and recovery.

• Infants who receive early intervention for delays often catch up
• The brain can sometimes reroute functions if one area is damaged
• Enriched environments can partially compensate for early adversity
• It's never too late to support healthy development, though earlier is easier

This plasticity is why early identification of developmental concerns matters so much. The earlier we intervene, the more we can harness the brain's natural adaptability.

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Key Takeaways

• ✓ Your baby's brain development in the first year is the most dramatic of their life—neural connections form at up to 1 million per second

• ✓ It's about connections, not just neurons—synaptogenesis (forming connections) is the key process

• ✓ Development follows predictable patterns—bottom-up, inside-out, back-to-front

• ✓ Different brain regions mature at different rates—this explains the sequence of milestone emergence

• ✓ Experience shapes brain architecture—the connections used are strengthened; unused ones are pruned

• ✓ Simple interactions matter most—responsive caregiving, language exposure, and safe exploration support healthy brain development better than expensive products

• ✓ Sensitive periods make early experiences especially impactful—but it's not all-or-nothing; the brain remains plastic

• ✓ Protection from toxic stress is crucial—chronic adversity without buffering relationships can harm developing brains

• ✓ Early identification of concerns leverages plasticity—the earlier intervention starts, the better the outcomes

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Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Can I do anything to make my baby's brain develop faster or better?

A: You can't (and shouldn't try to) accelerate the brain's developmental timeline—it follows a biological blueprint. But you can support optimal development through responsive interaction, language-rich environment, adequate nutrition and sleep, and safe opportunities for exploration. These simple practices support brain development better than any "educational" product.

Q: Are there specific activities or toys that boost brain development?

A: Your baby doesn't need expensive toys or programs. Simple toys (blocks, balls, stacking cups), household objects (wooden spoons, plastic containers), and interactive games (peek-a-boo, pat-a-cake) are just as effective as marketed "brain development" toys. What matters most is interaction with you—talking, playing, reading together.

Q: Is it true babies are born with all their brain cells?

A: Mostly true. Babies are born with 85–100 billion neurons—roughly what adults have. However, some neurogenesis (formation of new neurons) continues in specific brain regions. The real action isn't making new neurons, it's connecting existing ones—forming the trillions of synapses that wire the brain.

Q: My baby was premature. How does that affect brain development?

A: Premature babies' brains are going through development that would have occurred in the womb. They often need extra support and monitoring. Brain development continues, but timing may be different. Use corrected age (subtracting weeks premature from chronological age) when assessing milestones until age 2-3. Work closely with your pediatrician and specialists for monitoring.

Q: Can early brain damage be reversed?

A: This depends on the type and extent of damage, and the age when it occurred. The infant brain has remarkable plasticity—sometimes other regions can partially compensate for damaged areas. Early intervention therapies can help the brain maximize its adaptive potential. While we can't "reverse" structural damage, we can often help the brain develop compensatory pathways. The earlier intervention starts, the better.

Q: Does listening to Mozart or classical music boost baby brain development?

A: The "Mozart effect" has been largely debunked. While music exposure is fine and can be enjoyable, there's no evidence that classical music specifically enhances brain development. What does matter: talking to your baby, singing to them, reading together—these interactive, language-rich experiences genuinely support brain development.

Q: How much does genetics vs. environment matter for brain development?

A: Both are crucial and interact constantly. Genetics provides the blueprint, but environment shapes how that blueprint is expressed. Think of it this way: genes load the gun, environment pulls the trigger. A child might have genetic potential for strong language skills, but without language exposure, those pathways won't develop. Conversely, enriched environment can't completely overcome genetic limitations, but it can help a child reach their personal potential.

Q: Can screen time before age 2 cause lasting brain damage?

A: "Damage" is too strong—it's not like exposure causes structural brain damage. However, screen time before 2 has downsides: it displaces interactive experiences that actually build neural connections, it doesn't teach language as effectively as human interaction, and it may interfere with sleep and attention. The AAP recommends no screen time (except video chatting) before 18 months because the brain learns best from real-world interactions during this period.

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Ready to Implement?

Now that you understand the neuroscience behind infant brain development, put this knowledge into action.

Follow the step-by-step protocol: Supporting Your Baby's Brain Development: First-Year Protocol

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Related Resources

Quick Help:

• 🚨 Delayed milestones: When to worry
• 🚨 Not making eye contact
• 🚨 Hypotonia (floppy baby) signs

How-To Guides:

• 🎯 Tracking developmental milestones
• 🎯 Encouraging motor development
• 🎯 Supporting speech development

Further Reading:

• 📚 Understanding developmental milestones: A neurology NP's guide
• 📚 Gross motor development: Complete first-year guide
• 📚 Speech and language development: What's normal, what's not

By Age:

• 📅 Newborn (0-3 months)
• 📅 3-6 months
• 📅 6-9 months
• 📅 9-12 months

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References & Citations

1. Gilmore, J.H., et al. (2018). "Imaging structural and functional brain development in early childhood." Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 19, 123-137.

2. National Scientific Council on the Developing Child. (2020). "The Science of Early Childhood Development." Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University.

3. Stiles, J., & Jernigan, T.L. (2010). "The Basics of Brain Development." Neuropsychology Review, 20(4), 327-348.

4. Knudsen, E.I. (2004). "Sensitive Periods in the Development of the Brain and Behavior." Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 16(8), 1412-1425.

5. Shonkoff, J.P., & Phillips, D.A. (Eds.). (2000). "From Neurons to Neighborhoods: The Science of Early Childhood Development." National Academy Press.

6. Gao, W., et al. (2015). "Functional Connectivity of the Infant Human Brain: Plastic and Modifiable." The Neuroscientist, 23(2), 169-184.

7. Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University. (2016). "From Best Practices to Breakthrough Impacts: A Science-Based Approach to Building a More Promising Future for Young Children and Families."

8. American Academy of Pediatrics Council on Communications and Media. (2016). "Media and Young Minds." Pediatrics, 138(5).

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About the Author

Alisha Blevins, MSN, CPNP-PC, Pediatric Neurology NP, is a board-certified Pediatric Nurse Practitioner specializing in pediatric neurology with over 8 years of clinical experience. After spending 2 years in developmental pediatrics, she has dedicated the past 6+ years to evaluating and treating children with neurological and developmental concerns.

[PERSONAL TOUCH: Add why you're passionate about helping parents understand brain development, what you find most remarkable about infant neurology, or what inspired this article. ~50 words]

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Medical Review: Alisha Blevins, MSN, CPNP-AC, Pediatric Neurology NP Published: [Date] Last Updated: [Date]

Medical Disclaimer: This article is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your pediatrician or other qualified health provider with questions about your child's health and development.

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