Your Baby’s Brain Doubles in Size in the First Year: Why It Matters

Within the very first year of life, your baby’s brain will double in size and form more than a million new neural connections every second. It’s one of the most important periods for neurological growth and development they’ll ever experience.

During routine checkups, pediatric visits often focus on whether your little one is meeting milestones within broad timeframes. While these milestones are valuable, they don’t always address another essential question: how well is your baby’s nervous system functioning?

If you’ve noticed challenges with feeding, sleeping, or development—or if you simply want to support your child’s neurological foundation from the very beginning, this is for you.

The Revolutionary Science Behind Your Baby's Developing Brain

According to the Harvard Center on the Developing Child, the first year of life is when neuroplasticity—the brain’s ability to adapt and form new connections—is at its peak. During this extraordinary time, your baby’s brain is creating millions of synapses, building the foundation that will shape their growth and development for years to come. And yet, many parents who bring up concerns about feeding, sleep, or development are reassured these are “normal variations” or told to simply “wait and see.”

While reassurance can sometimes be helpful, this approach may overlook the unique opportunity of the first year, when the brain is most adaptable and gentle support can make a meaningful difference. A baby may technically “pass” a developmental screening while still compensating with tension patterns, asymmetrical movement, or skipped stages — subtle signs that the nervous system could use additional support.

The Hidden Neurological Significance of Every Early Milestone

Every early milestone tells a story about how your baby’s nervous system is developing. Here are a few of the most important ones:

Breastfeeding: More Than Feeding

Your baby’s ability to breastfeed involves incredible coordination: multiple cranial nerves, spinal alignment, and the precise timing between the nervous system and muscle function. Challenges such as a shallow latch, frequent popping off, or tiring easily at the breast aren’t just “feeding quirks.” They may be gentle indicators that your baby’s nervous system could benefit from extra support.

Head Control: Building a Strong Foundation

By 8–12 weeks, head control begins to emerge as neck muscles strengthen and spinal alignment develops. If a baby consistently turns their head to one side or struggles with tummy time, it may suggest underlying tension patterns. Rather than waiting to see if it improves, noticing these signs early helps parents better understand their child’s neurological development.Many people think hormones are the main factor in a healthy pregnancy. But it’s important to take a step back and recognize what actually coordinates every system in the body: the nervous system.

Crawling: A Key Neurological Milestone

Crawling, which typically appears between 7–10 months, is one of the most neurologically significant milestones. This cross-pattern movement helps integrate the left and right brain hemispheres, laying the groundwork for later skills like walking, balance, coordination, and even reading. When crawling is skipped or occurs asymmetrically, it can be a helpful clue about how the nervous system is organizing and adapting.

Let's dive deeper into what your baby's early milestones are really telling you about their neurological development:

Understanding "The Perfect Storm" That Can Disrupt Development

Sometimes multiple stressors build up and place added strain on your baby’s developing nervous system. When this happens, babies may adapt in ways that carry forward long after the original stress has passed. Understanding this concept can be reassuring for parents who have ever felt their concerns were dismissed or minimized.

Prenatal Stressors

Stress during pregnancy can influence fetal brain development, as a mother’s stress response also affects her growing baby. Research continues to uncover how these experiences shape early neurological development.

Birth Interventions

Interventions such as induction, forceps, vacuum delivery, or C-sections, while often important or necessary, may also place added stress on a baby’s head, neck, and spine. Positioning during delivery can contribute to these patterns as well.

Environmental Stressors After Birth

After birth, ongoing challenges like disrupted sleep, overstimulation, feeding difficulties, or early antibiotic use can add further stress. For some babies, this may shift the nervous system into a more “fight or flight” state, making it harder for them to fully settle and regulate.

This is never about blame or guilt, it’s about recognizing the many factors your baby’s nervous system has already experienced, and knowing there are ways to support them moving forward.The HPA vs. HPG Axis: Why Balance Matters

When the nervous system is under prolonged stress, it can affect the way the body regulates hormones. This may show up as irregular cycles, fertility challenges, or uncomfortable menstrual symptoms. Two important systems play a role here:

How Conventional Medicine Misses the Neurological Foundation

At routine checkups, a pediatrician may look for milestones like rolling over by six months. What’s less commonly assessed, however, is whether those movements are symmetrical, coordinated, and supported by strong neurological foundations.

This is where a neurologically focused perspective can add value. Instead of only checking “if” a milestone happens, we also look at how it happens — watching for subtle signs of tension, imbalances in the nervous system, or skipped steps that may not appear on standard tests.

These underlying patterns don’t always show up on traditional screenings, but they can influence how well a baby eats, sleeps, develops, and self-regulates over time.

A Different Approach: Neurologically-Focused Care

At ChiroHouse, we take a neurologically focused approach to infant development. Rather than waiting for problems to appear, our care is designed to support the nervous system from the very beginning, when neuroplasticity is at its peak and the brain is most adaptable.

One of the tools we use is advanced INSiGHT Scanning technology. These gentle, non-invasive scans measure things like heart rate variability, muscle tone, and temperature patterns. Together, they provide a clear picture of how your baby’s nervous system is adapting, whether it shows the balanced, symmetrical patterns we expect to see, or signs that extra support may be beneficial.

Trust Your Parental Instincts

If you’ve felt in your gut that something isn’t quite right with feeding, sleep, or development, those instincts matter. You know your baby best, and you don’t have to wait and wonder. We’re here to listen, answer questions, and help guide you. Reach out to us today to schedule a consultation. And if you’re outside of Ottawa, the PX Docs directory can help you find a neurologically focused office near you.