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Developmental milestones for babies and children 0-3 month milestones 4-6 month milestones 7-9 month milestones 10-12 month milestones 13-18 month milestones 19-24 months milestones 2-3 year milestones Missing Milestones Resources for reaching milestones
Developmental milestones for babies and children
What are development milestones?
Milestones are behavioral or physical checkpoints in children's development as they grow. All of our developmental milestones are validated by results from the American Academy of Pediatrics.
These are the core competencies that infants and young children should achieve. Week by week and month by month you can check your baby's growth and development by following your baby's milestones.
Want these milestones in a handheld guide?
Order the Milestone Guide for your baby's first year
How are the milestones organized?
We have broken down our developmental milestones into the core areas of child development:
- Motor Milestones: When will the baby sit up on its own? When does the baby start crawling? Motor milestones track baby's gross motor skills (in the core and upper body) and fine motor skills (in the hands and feet).
- Sensory Milestones: When will the baby be able to track objects visually? When does the baby have a regular sleep pattern? Sensory milestones track the development of baby's 7 senses.
- Communication Milestones: When will baby say his first words? When do toddlers start answering questions? These language milestones are the building blocks for baby's communication and social skills.
- Feeding Milestones: When is the baby ready for finger food? How long should the baby breastfeed? These milestones help track when babies begin new stages of feeding.
Remember, all babies are different!Milestones mark the month when most babies begin a specific behavior or skill based on the baby's age, but the exact timing varies. If you have concerns, request an appointment with a healthcare provider.
Early detection allows for early correction or support.I have witnessed the impact this has on child development hundreds of times throughout my pediatric career. My favorite time is looking back with parents when their children are older and reflecting on the importance of early intervention. We are both grateful.
-Lori Walsh, MD, FAAP
be sure toprepare for prematurity.If your child is missing milestones, be sure to talk to your doctor.
0-3 month milestones
Motor Milestones
- While lying on your stomach, push your arms up
- When lying on your stomach, raise your head and hold it up
- Can move fists from closed to open
- Can put hands to mouth
- Moves legs and arms off the surface when aroused
Sensory Milestones
- While lying on his back, he tries to reach for a toy held across his chest
- While lying on its back, it visually tracks a moving toy from side to side
- While lying on your back, keep your head centered to observe faces or toys
- Can soothe with rocking, touching and gentle sounds
- Enjoy varied movements
Communication Milestones
- Calms down or smiles in response to sounds or voices
- Turns head toward sound or voice
- Shows interest in faces
- Make eye contact
- Cries differently for different needs (e.g. hungry vs. tired)
- Coosand smiles
feed milestones
- Locks onto a nipple or bottle
- The tongue moves back and forth to suckle
- drinks 2 oz. to 6 ounces. Fluid per feeding, 6 times per day
- Sucks and swallows well during feeding
See videos of 0-3 month milestones
4-6 month milestones
Motor Milestones
- Supports himself with his hands when sitting
- Back to belly and belly to back rolls
- When standing with support, take all the weight with your legs
- Grabs nearby toys on his stomach
- While lying on your back, reach both hands to play with your feet
- Lying on your back, a toy transfers from one hand to the other
Sensory Milestones
- Uses both hands to explore toys
- Generally happy when not hungry or tired
- Brings hands and objects to mouth
- Can soothe with rocking, touching and gentle sounds
- Doesn't get upset by everyday noises
- Enjoy varied movements
Communication Milestones
- Responds to sudden noises or noises
- Listens and responds when spoken to
- Begins to use consonants when babbling, e.g. "da da da"
- Makes different kinds of sounds to express feelings
- Notices toys that make noise
- Uses chatter to get attention
feed milestones
- Shows interest in food
- Opens mouth when spoon approaches
- Moves pureed food from front to back
- Starts eating grains and pureed foods – Smooth, pureed foods (one ingredient only), like carrots, sweet potatoes, squash, apples, pears
See videos of 4-6 month milestones
7-9 month milestones
Motor Milestones
- Sits without support
- Sits and grabs toys without falling
- Moves from stomach or back to sitting
- Begins to move with alternating leg and arm movement, e.g. crawl, crawl
- Raise your head and push through your elbows during tummy time
- Rotates head to visually track objects while seated
- Shows more control when rolling and sitting
- Picks up small objects with thumbs and fingers
- In simple play imitates others
Sensory Milestones
- Enjoy a variety of movements - hopping up and down, rocking back and forth
- Explore and examine an object using both hands and mouth
- Turns several pages of a thick (cardboard) book at once
- Experimenting with the force required to pick up various objects
- Focuses on objects both near and far
- Examines shapes, sizes, and textures of toys and their surroundings
- Observes the environment from various positions - lying on your back or stomach, sitting, crawling and standing with support
Communication Milestones
- Uses a greater variety of sounds and syllable combinations when babbling
- Looks at familiar objects and people as they are named
- Recognizes the sound of her name
- Participates in two-way communication
- Follows some routine commands when paired with gestures
- Shows recognition of commonly used words
- Simple gestures, e.g. shaking your head for "no"
- Mimics sounds
feed milestones
- In a high chair, holding and drinking from a bottle
- Begins to eat thicker pureed and mashed table foods
- Loves chew toys that can massage sore and swollen gums while teething
- Stays full longer after eating
- Begins to search and grab objects, e.g. B. to Essen, which is nearby
- Shows a strong reaction to new smells and tastes
See videos of 7-9 month milestones
10-12 month milestones
Motor Milestones
- Pulls to stand and rides along furniture
- Stands alone and takes several independent steps
- Moves in and out of different positions to explore the environment and get the toy you want
- Maintains balance when throwing objects while seated
- Clap your hands
- Releases objects into a large-mouthed container
- Uses thumb and forefinger to pick up tiny objects
Sensory Milestones
- Likes listening to songs
- Explore toys with fingers and mouth
- Crawls toward or away from objects baby sees in the distance
Communication Milestones
- Uses "Mama" or "Dada" sensibly
- Responds to simple instructions, e.g. "Come here"
- Produces long chains of gibberish (jargoning) in social communication
- Say a word or two
- Mimics speech sounds
- When babbling, there are sounds and rhythms of language
- Be careful where you look and point
- Responds to "no"
- Begins to communicate desires and needs with hand gestures, e.g. reached to be picked up
feed milestones
- Finger feeds itself
- Eat more variety
- Start using an open cup
- Ready to taste soft boiled vegetables, soft fruits and finger foods (sliced banana, boiled noodles)
- Might be ready to start self-feeding with paraphernalia
- Enjoy a greater variety of smells and tastes
See videos of 10-12 month milestones
13-18 month milestones
Motor Milestones
- Walks independently
- Squats to pick up a toy
- Stacks two objects
Sensory Milestones
- Helps to put on and take off
- Has a regular sleep schedule
- Eats an increasing variety of foods
Communication Milestones
Up to 15 months:
- Can use 5-10 words
- Combines sounds and gestures
- Mimics simple words and actions
- Follow simple instructions consistently
- Shows interest in pictures
- Can identify 1-2 body parts when named
- Understands 50 words
At 18 months:
- Responds to questions
- Words overheard repeatedly in conversation
- Continues to produce speech-like chatter
- Points to known objects and people in pictures
- Understands "in" and "on"
- Responds to yes/no questions with a shake of the head/nod
feed milestones
- Increases the variety of coarsely chopped table foods
- Holds and drinks from a cup
See videos of 13-18 month milestones
19-24 months milestones
Motor Milestones
- Begins to jump with both feet off the ground
- When walking, they can drag toys behind them
- Runs
- Stands on tiptoe
- Climbs on low furniture
- Kicks big ball
- Walks up and down stairs with assistance
Sensory Milestones
- Flips toggles on and off
- Uses crayons, pencils, or markers to make marks on paper
- Assorted shapes and colors
- Stack 5 or more small blocks or toys on top of each other
- Takes toys apart and puts them back together
Communication Milestones
At 21 months:
- Uses at least 50 words
- Constantly imitates new words
- Names objects and images
- Understands simple pronouns (I, you, my)
- Identifies 3-5 body parts when named
- Understands new words quickly
Up to 24 months:
- Starts using 2 word phrases
- Uses simple pronouns (I, you, my)
- Understands action words
- Uses gestures and words during role play
- Follows 2-step related instructions e.g. "Take your coat and bring it to me"
- Likes to hear stories
See videos of 19-24 month milestones
2-3 year milestones
Communication Milestones
Von30 Fun:
- Consistently use sentences of 2-3 words
- Uses "in" and "on"
- At least 50% of the language is understood by the caregiver
- Follows two-step, unrelated instructions, e.g. B. "Give me the ball and get your coat"
- Understands basic nouns and pronouns
- Understands "mine" and "yours"
Up to 36 months:
- Ask "what" and "where" questions
- Uses plural forms, e.g. "Dogs"
- Most language is understood by the caregiver
- Easy understanding of concepts like color, space, time
- Understands "why" questions
- Understands most simple sentences
Missing Milestones
What to do if your child isn't hitting their key developmental milestones
If your child is missing a developmental milestone, request an appointment with a healthcare provider to ask how you can get your baby on track!
Keep in mind that every baby is different and milestones usually occur within a general age range.
Baby's early years are some of the most important years for their development, which is why early detection and intervention are so important.
As a general pediatrician, I often refer parents to the Pathways.org website for freeVideosAndbrochuresAntummy timeand the stages of child development.
These resources allow parents to track their babies' developmental progress and quickly raise their concerns with me so we can provide resources in a timely and efficient manner.
-Karen R. Judy, MD FAAP
Resources for reaching milestones
Browse our site for additional resources to maximize your child's motor, sensory, nutritional and communication development!
- topic pages: Covering a variety of health topics for your baby's developmental milestones.
- Videos: Includes milestone videos and parenting guide videos showing baby's development in action!
- blog entries: Detailed and healthcare provider-approved articles that provide essential health information to help identify the signs of a delay and when to request a healthcare provider appointment.
- Milestone guide for baby's first year: This helpful guide is a handheld milestone checklist for toddlers. Track your baby's developmental milestones with this organized, color-coded, and compact guide. The ultimate resource center for baby development!
- The baby play calendar: If baby loves to play then check out these fun games for infants and toddlers! Baby games make caring for your baby engaging and interactive, helping with everything from language development to hand-eye coordination.
FAQs
How do you assess developmental milestones? ›
Your child will get a brief test, or you will complete a questionnaire about your child. The tools used for developmental and behavioral screening are formal questionnaires or checklists based on research that ask questions about a child's development, including language, movement, thinking, behavior, and emotions.
How do you remember developmental milestones in Nclex? ›- 3 Months = Head. The trick to remember gross motor development for the 1st year of life is to go from head to toe in increments of 3 months. ...
- 6 Months = Trunk. ...
- 9 Months = Knees. ...
- 12 Months = Feet. ...
- 18 Months = Run. ...
- 2 Years = Jump. ...
- 3 Years = Tricycle. ...
- 4 Years = Hop On 1 Foot.
This developmental milestones chart is. designed specifically for Children Services staff. It includes normal expectations of developmental milestones for children birth through adolescence, and information about the possible effects of maltreatment.
What is the importance of tracking developmental milestones? ›The most important reason for monitoring each child's development is to determine whether a child's development is on track. Looking for developmental milestones is important to understanding each child's development and behavior. Milestones can help explain a child's behavior.
How do you monitor a child's development? ›Observations play a vital part in monitoring children's development and can be used in a variety of ways. Learning Journeys are kept for each child and contain that child's biggest achievements; these are personal to the child and provide an accurate reading of children's development.
How do you measure child development? ›The approximate ages of which steps in development occur are charted in developmental scales. Generally, development is measured in the following areas: fine motor, gross motor, cognitive, self-help, social emotional, and expressive and receptive language.
What do you need to memorize for nursing? ›As a nurse, you're required to know anatomy and physiology, biology, pharmacology, and other areas of science. You also need to maintain your knowledge of modern medicine and are expected to attend continuing education classes.
How do I answer Sata on Nclex-RN? ›SATA (“select all that apply”, or “multiple response”) nursing questions require you to select all answer choices that apply from among five or six answer options. You must get all options correct (even if you miss one, it is considered wrong; there's no partial credit).
What are developmental milestones CDC? ›Skills such as taking a first step, smiling for the first time, and waving “bye-bye,” are called developmental milestones. From birth to 5 years, your child should reach milestones in how he or she plays, learns, speaks, acts and moves. Parents and caregivers can use CDC's “Learn the Signs.
What are the five developmental milestones? ›Milestones usually are categorized into five major areas: physical growth, cognitive development, emotional and social development, language development, and sensory and motor development.
What are red flags in child development? ›
Can't support head (by 3 months) Doesn't babble or try to imitate sounds (by 4 months) Doesn't bring objects to mouth (by 4 months) Doesn't push down with legs when feet are on firm surface (by 4 months)
What is a developmental map? ›The Development Map is a collaborative tool which supports positive relationships between the child, the family and the setting/school; through good communication, sharing the child's learning, progress and building authentic partnerships.
What are developmental milestones and how should we use them? ›View. Skills such as taking a first step, smiling for the first time, and waving “bye bye” are called developmental milestones. Children reach milestones in how they play, learn, speak, act, and move. Click on the age of your child to see the milestones: 2 months.
What is a developmental screening tool? ›Developmental screening
These are delays that may interfere with expected growth, learning, and development and may warrant further diagnosis, assessment, and evaluation. Developmental screening instruments include the domains of: cognition. fine and gross motor skills. speech and language.
-Children age 42 to 47 months are classified as developmentally on-track if they have achieved at least 13 milestones; -Children age 48 to 59 months are classified as developmentally on-track if they have achieved at least 15 milestones.
What are the methods of assessing development? ›Methods of child assessment can be informal (conducting natural observations, collecting data and children's work for portfolios, using educator and teacher ratings) and formal (using assessment tools such as questionnaires and standardized testing).
What are some developmental assessments? ›- Ages and Stages Questionnaire. This test is designed for children between the ages of 1 month and 5 1/2 years. ...
- Parents' Evaluation of Developmental Status (PEDS). ...
- Child Development Inventories (CDI). ...
- Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (M-CHAT).
Observation is referred to in several places in the revised Early Years Foundation Stage. Put simply observation is the practice of looking at and listening to children to find out how they are developing, what they like doing and what they are learning through their play and the experiences on offer.