It's been a while that i was not able to update this blog. Now i will be updating it regularly.
I am also planning to add a section about child health, diet and milestone.
0-3 Month Milestones
Motor Milestones
- While lying on tummy, pushes up on arms
- While lying on tummy, lifts and holds head up
- Able to move fists from closed to open
- Able to bring hands to mouth
- Moves legs and arms off of surface when excited
Sensory Milestones
- While lying on back, attempts to reach for a toy held above their chest
- While lying on back, visually tracks a moving toy from side to side
- While lying on back, keeps head centered to watch faces or toys
- Able to calm with rocking, touching, and gentle sounds
- Enjoys a variety of movements
Communication Milestones
- Quiets or smiles in response to sound or voice
- Turns head towards sound or voice
- Shows interest in faces
- Makes eye contact
- Cries differently for different needs (e.g. hungry vs. tired)
- Coos and smiles
Feeding Milestones
- Latches onto nipple or bottle
- Tongue moves forward and back to suck
- Drinks 2 oz. to 6 oz. of liquid per feeding, 6 times per day
- Sucks and swallows well during feeding
4-6 Month Milestones
Motor Milestones
- Uses hands to support self while sitting
- Rolls from back to tummy and tummy to back
- While standing with support, accepts entire weight with legs
- Reaches for nearby toys while on tummy
- While lying on back, reaches both hands to play with feet
- While lying on back, transfers a toy 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
- Able to calm with rocking, touching, and gentle sounds
- Is not upset by everyday sounds
- Enjoys a variety of movements
Communication Milestones
- Reacts to sudden noises or sounds
- Listens and responds when spoken to
- Begins to use consonant sounds in babbling, e.g. “da, da, da”
- Makes different kinds of sounds to express feelings
- Notices toys that make sounds
- Uses babbling to get attention
Feeding Milestones
- Shows interest in food
- Opens mouth as spoon approaches
- Moves pureed food from front of mouth to back
- Begins to eat cereals and pureed foods – Smooth, pureed food (single ingredient only), like carrots, sweet potato, squash, apples, pears
7-9 Month Milestones
Motor Milestones
- Sits without support
- Sits and reaches for toys without falling
- Moves from tummy or back into sitting
- Starts to move with alternate leg and arm movement e.g. creeping, crawling
- Picks up head and pushes through elbows during Tummy Time
- Turns head to visually track objects while sitting
- Shows more control while rolling and sitting
- Picks up small objects with thumbs and fingers
- In simple play imitates others
Sensory Milestones
- Enjoys a variety of movements – bouncing up and down, rocking back and forth
- Explores and examines an object using both hands and mouth
- Turns several pages of a chunky (board) book at once
- Experiments with the amount of force needed to pick up different objects
- Focuses on objects near and far
- Investigates shapes, sizes, and textures of toys and surroundings
- Observes environment from a variety of positions – while lying on back or tummy, sitting, crawling, and standing with assistance
Communication Milestones
- Uses increased variety of sounds and syllable combinations in babbling
- Looks at familiar objects and people when named
- Recognizes sound of their 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 head for “no”
- Imitates sounds
Feeding Milestones
- In a highchair, holds and drinks from a bottle
- Begins to eat thicker pureed and mashed table foods
- Enjoys chew toys that can massage sore and swollen gums during teething
- Stays full longer after eating
- Starts to look and reach for objects, such as, food that is nearby
- Shows strong reaction to new smells and tastes
10-12 Month Milestones
Motor Milestones
- Pulls to stand and cruises along furniture
- Stands alone and takes several independent steps
- Moves in and out of various positions to explore environment and get desired toys
- Maintains balance in sitting when throwing objects
- Claps hands
- Releases objects into a container with a large opening
- Uses thumb and pointer finger to pick up tiny objects
Sensory Milestones
- Enjoys listening to songs
- Explores toys with fingers and mouth
- Crawls to or away from objects baby sees in the distance
Communication Milestones
- Meaningfully uses “mama” or “dada”
- Responds to simple directions, e.g. “Come here”
- Produces long strings of gibberish (jargoning) in social communication
- Says one or two words
- Imitates speech sounds
- Babbling has sounds and rhythms of speech
- Pays attention to where you are looking and pointing
- Responds to “no”
- Begins using hand movements to communicate wants and needs, e.g. reaches to be picked up
Feeding Milestones
- Finger feeds self
- Eating an increasing variety of food
- Begins to use an open cup
- Ready to try soft-cooked vegetables, soft fruits, and finger foods (banana slices, cooked pasta)
- Might be ready to start self feeding with utensils
- Enjoys a greater variety of smells and tastes
13-18 Month Milestones
Motor Milestones
- Walks independently
- Squats to pick up a toy
- Stacks two objects
Sensory Milestones
- Helps with getting dressed/undressed
- Has a regular sleep schedule
- Eats an increasing variety of foods
Communication Milestones
By 15 months:
- May use 5-10 words
- Combines sounds and gestures
- Imitates simple words and actions
- Consistently follows simple directions
- Shows interest in pictures
- Can identify 1-2 body parts when named
- Understands 50 words
By 18 months:
- Responds to questions
- Repeats words overheard in conversation
- Continues to produce speech-like babbling
- Points at familiar objects and people in pictures
- Understands “in” and “on”
- Responds to yes/no questions with head shake/nod
Feeding Milestones
- Increases variety of coarsely chopped table foods
- Holds and drinks from a cup
19-24 Month Milestones
Communication Milestones
By 21 Months:
- Uses at least 50 words
- Consistently imitates new words
- Names objects and pictures
- Understands simple pronouns (me, you, my)
- Identifies 3-5 body parts when named
- Understands new words quickly
By 24 months:
- Begins to use 2 word phrases
- Uses simple pronouns (me, you, my)
- Understands action words
- Uses gestures and words during pretend play
- Follows 2-step related directions e.g. “Pick up your coat and bring it to me”
- Enjoys listening to stories
2-3 Year Milestones
Communication Milestones
By 30 Months:
- Consistently uses 2-3 word phrases
- Uses “in” and “on”
- At least 50% of speech is understood by caregiver
- Follows 2-step unrelated directions, e.g. “give me the ball and go get your coat”
- Understands basic nouns and pronouns
- Understands “mine” and “yours”
By 36 months:
- Asks “what” and “where” questions
- Uses plurals, e.g. “dogs”
- Most speech is understood by caregiver
- Simple understanding of concepts including color, space, time
- Understands “why” questions
- Understands most simple sentences
Missing Milestones
What to do if your child is not reaching their key developmental milestones
If your child is missing a developmental milestone, request an appointment with a healthcare provider to ask them about how you can get your baby on track!
Remember every baby is different, and milestones typically 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 early intervention are so critical.
