How your baby's brain develops

The human brain has a few main parts:

Brain stem and cerebellum: These connect the brain to the body. They control functions your body does automatically, for example:

• breathing
• heart rate
• blood pressure
• balance
• reflexes

Limbic system: This part sits above the brain stem. It helps control:

• emotions (how you feel)
• hunger and thirst
• memory and learning
• your daily body rhythm (like sleep and wake times)

Cerebrum and cerebral cortex: This is the largest part of the brain and helps you:

• think
• plan
• understand the world around you

It also has 2 sides (left and right) and is divided into 4 areas. These include:

• occipital lobe — helps you see
• temporal lobe — helps with hearing, language and social understanding
• frontal lobe — helps with thinking, planning and controlling behaviour
• parietal lobe — helps you feel things like touch, pain, heat and cold

Your baby's brain has been developing since they were in the uterus. This is also known as in-utero or fetal brain development. 

In the first trimester of pregnancy, nerve connections are formed that enable your baby to move around in the uterus. In the second trimester, more nerve connections are made. In the third trimester, the cerebral cortex becomes more active, preparing your baby for future learning experiences.

By the time your baby is born, they can hear (they will know your voice) and see a little. Their brain will continue to grow and develop for many years.

The experiences and relationships your baby has in their early years help shape the adult they will become. Loving relationships and engaging experiences are important for your baby's development. They give your baby opportunities to communicate, move and learn about the world.

Play is the main way your baby learns and develops. It helps them solve problems, experiment and explore.

Other factors that can influence your baby’s healthy brain development include:

• their general health
• the food your baby eats
• their genes
• their relationship with you and other carers
• how active your baby is
• the experiences your baby has

While babies develop skills at different times, development usually follows the same order in most children. For example, children usually learn to walk before they can run.

Your baby's brain develops through use — when they interact, observe and try new things.

You can support your baby's development by creating a safe, interesting environment with different types of activities that encourage play. Through play, your baby learns skills such as talking, listening, moving, thinking, solving problems and socialising.

You can play and spend time with your baby by:

• singing together
• reading books
• talking about what you're doing and seeing
• playing games such as peekaboo (Opens in new tab)
• giving lots of cuddles (Opens in new tab)

Create a warm, loving environment to help your baby feel safe and cared for. This supports brain development. Everyday moments, such as bath time and feeding, are great opportunities for you to get to know your baby and build your relationship.

These everyday moments help your baby's brain form new connections. This helps prepare your baby for the next stage of development.

There are other things your baby needs:

• Healthy food to help them grow. Early nutrition for your baby is breast milk (or formula). Once your baby is ready for solid foods, iron-rich foods and a balanced diet of fresh vegetables, fruit, grains, dairy and proteins (such as meat, chicken and eggs) are important.
• Movement and activity to develop motor skills. This helps your baby explore their world, which supports learning and thinking.
• Loving relationships and interactions with others. These help build your baby's communication skills and understanding of the world around them.
• Sleep, which is important for development. Babies sleep in different ways and at different times, but it’s important to help your baby get enough quality sleep.

Milestones (Opens in new tab) are skills your baby learns as they grow. They can be grouped into 6 categories:

1. Gross motor skills — the control and coordination of large muscles, for example, walking, lifting, throwing and sitting.
2. Fine motor skills — the control and coordination of small muscles, for example, holding or picking up items.
3. Vision — how your baby sees and tracks objects. 
4. Hearing — how your baby responds to sounds, recognises voices and develops listening skills.
5. Speech and language — how your baby communicates, including making sounds, understanding words and learning to talk.
6. Social and emotional development — learning to understand and control their emotions and interact with others.

You can find more information about each milestone and when to expect them in your baby's infant health record (child health record book). This book records important information about your baby from birth. You can also speak to your child and family health nurse.

See your doctor or child and family health nurse if:

• your baby isn't meeting the milestones listed in their child health record book
• you are worried about your baby's vision, hearing, communication, behaviour, movement or growth

To learn more about your baby's brain development throughout childhood, visit the Starting Blocks (Opens in new tab) website.

Find out how My Health Record (Opens in new tab) can help you store and access your child’s health information.

The Queensland Government's Early Childhood Education and Care (Opens in new tab) has information on brain development, including your role and important milestones.

Information for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples

Baby Coming You Ready (Opens in new tab) — a culturally safe support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander parents to be and new parents.

Languages other than English

Parent Line (Opens in new tab) is a free telephone counselling and support service for parents and carers. They offer parenting support for parents in other languages and from culturally diverse backgrounds.