We parents are an impatient lot – as soon as we realize we’re pregnant, we can’t wait to meet our baby. Once the baby arrives, we’re in a hurry to hear they say ‘Mama’, to smile, to walk and so on!
Yet, it’s a good thing that we’re a tad obsessed about these things, because developmental milestones of infants are important and need to be tracked. Milestones are the developmental achievements a child gains as he reaches a specific age. Milestones are broadly classified into these four categories:
Physical development – These relate to motor skills & movement like rolling over, sitting, standing, walking
Cognitive development – These relate to brain-related tasks like learning and problem-solving
Language development – This relates to communication like responding to speech and making sounds
Emotional development – This relates to emotional regulation and social skills
It is estimated that a child’s brain develops the most during the first 1,000 days of life, which is before 3 years of age. 80% of brain development is complete by this time, after which it slows down. This is why this period is the most crucial in terms of a child’s growth and development.
That said, it is important to remember that no two babies will grow and develop at the same pace. Every baby has his or her own schedule for achieving these milestones, and we can only put forth a broad age range during which these milestones are achieved. Some babies may also skip a few steps like rolling or crawling, or do things in a different order.
There are many factors that affect the rate at which a child achieves their milestones, genetics being one of them. Another important consideration is prematurity – a baby born before 37 weeks of gestation will have an entirely different milestone schedule for preemies, which will be based on her original due date and not on the actual date of birth.
The main reason we follow our baby’s milestones is to identify any delays and to make sure our babies are on the right track. As mentioned earlier, please remember that these are only guidelines, and not to be stressed about.
Your Baby’s Development: Understanding Developmental Milestones of Infants
1-2 Months
Physical Development Milestones
Moves head side to side
Moves arms and legs when lying on back
Brings hands near face
Holds hands in tight fists, opens occasionally
Holds head up a little when resting on tummy
Grasps on to parent’s finger
Cognitive Milestones
Turns head toward light sources
Shows preference for high contrast or black-and-white images
Stares at faces or objects 8 to 12 inches away from the face
Follows a moving toy or object with the eyes
Turns head towards sounds
Gets fussy when bored
Emotional Milestones
Prefers human faces over other objects or images
Turns head to look at parents
Recognizes parents’ faces and voices
Looks closer at recognizable faces
Appears happy when talked to
Calms down on picking up
Can self-soothe by sucking the thumb or bringing hand to mouth
Begins to smile at people
Language Milestones
Makes cooing and gurgling sounds
Responds when talked to
3-4 Months
Physical Development Milestones
Holds head steady without support
Kicks legs vigorously when lying on back
Raises head and chest when lying on tummy
Does mini push-ups, supporting on forearms
Opens and shuts hands
Grabs toys and shakes them
Swipes at hanging objects
Pushes down with legs when feet are on a firm surface
Cognitive Milestones
Opens mouth on seeing breast or bottle
Observes hands and brings to the mouth
Recognizes family members from a distance
Tries to grab toys with one hand
Displays emotions of being happy or sad
Responds well to affection
Language Milestones
Makes cooing sounds when being talked to
Babbles to respond to speech
Smiles and laughs
Identifies parent’s voice
Has different cries to communicate different needs
Emotional Milestones
Smiles on recognizing parents’ voices
Observes people’s faces
Enjoys playing and cries when it stops
Imitates facial expressions
Makes movements to get attention
5-6 Months
Physical Development Milestones
Rolls over from tummy to back and vice versa
Pushes up entire upper body with straight arms when on tummy
Uses hands to support the body while sitting
Rocks to and fro when in a seated position
Supports body weight entirely on legs when feet are on a firm surface
Shows signs of readiness for solid foods
Cognitive Milestones
Starts exploring objects by putting in the mouth
Reaches out to grab objects of interest
Turns head toward new sounds
Amuses himself by playing with hands and feet
Distinguishes between bright colors
Rejects food by closing mouth
Language Milestones
Makes squealing sounds with vowels
Blows bubbles or ‘raspberries’, sticking the tongue out
Responds to being spoken to by making sounds
Imitates certain sounds
Uses sounds to show positive and negative feelings
Emotional Milestones
Distinguishes between familiar people and strangers
Laughs when happy
Enjoys looking in the mirror
Likes playing with familiar people
Responds to emotions in other people
7-8 Months
Physical Development Milestones
Sits without support
Passes objects from one hand to the other
Can see all colors and objects at a distance
Starts to crawl to move forward
Cognitive Milestones
Explores objects with both the hands and the mouth
Makes an effort to grab objects that are out of reach
Language Milestones
Understands and responds to her name
Changes tone of voice to show different emotions
Starts babbling a sequence of consonants like ‘baba’, ‘dada’ or ‘mama’
Calls both parents by a combination of sounds
Emotional Milestones
Understands change in emotion by tone of voice
Enjoys playing peek-a-boo
Babbles and make sounds at mirror images
9-10 Months
Physical Development Milestones
Can move into a sitting position independently
Crawls fairly well
Can pull self up to stand, holding onto something
Lowers body slowly with support
Can pick things up with the pincer grasp, i.e. with the thumb and index finger
Uses fingers to move food in raking motions
Cognitive Milestones
Bangs two objects together
Looks for hidden objects
Drops things and watches them as they fall
Smoothly transfers objects from one hand to the other multiple times
Language Milestones
Combines consonants to make sounds like ‘mamamama’ or ‘babababa’
Has different sounds for each parent
Responds when own name is called
Understands the meaning of ‘no’
Imitates sounds and gestures
Points to distant objects with fingers
Emotional Milestones
Lifts arms to be carried
Shows fear around strangers
Clings to familiar people
Has favorites among toys
Enjoys playing games like peek-a-boo
Gets upset when a parent leaves the room
11-12 Months
Physical Development Milestones
Cruises, or walks while holding onto furniture
Stands without support for a few seconds
Takes a step or two independently
Lowers into a sitting position easily
Drinks from a cup without a lid
Cognitive Milestones
Puts things into containers and empties them
Finds hidden objects
Identifies objects when named
Plays with objects in multiple ways like banging, shaking or throwing
Uses everyday objects like cups, hair brushes correctly
Understands simple instructions
Language Milestones
Has specific names for each parent
Says ‘oh-oh’ and other exclamations
Shakes head to say ‘no’
Waves ‘bye-bye’
Babbles in different tones that sounds like words
Tries to say words
Repeats sounds to catch attention
Emotional Milestones
Plays games like pat-a-cake
Brings a book to hear a story
Shows fear in certain situations
Helps with getting dressed by putting forth an arm or leg
15 Months
Physical Development Milestones
Takes a few steps independently
Uses fingers for self-feeding
Squats to pick up something from the floor and stands up
Cognitive Milestones
Can stack at least two objects
Enjoys breaking stacks or upending piles
Scribbles on paper using crayons
Language Milestones
Has specific sounds for objects like ball or dog
Understands instructions through gestures, like giving something when holding out a hand
Points to things if needed
Looks at objects or people when named
Emotional Milestones
Claps when happy or excited
Hugs dolls or stuffed animals
Shows affection to people through hugs and kisses
Imitates other children, especially siblings
18 Months
Physical Development Milestones
Walks at a medium pace without support
Climbs on and off a chair independently
Can climb stairs one step at a time
Pulls toys while walking
Tries to kick a ball
Attempts to use a spoon
Cognitive Milestones
Identifies some body parts
Plays with toys like pushing cars, stacking blocks
Engages in pretend play like feeding a doll
Imitates adults, like sweeping or dusting
Language Milestones
Says at least three words besides ‘mama’ and ‘dada’
Points to objects and may make sounds to indicate they are needed
Makes sounds while playing with a book
Emotional Milestones
Plays independently, but checks to ensure someone is near
Is still fearful of strangers and clings to family members
Puts out hands to be washed
Enjoys handing things to people
Points to show something interesting
Looks more interested in images in books
Starts throwing tantrums
24 Months
Physical Development Milestones
Runs fairly steadily
Kicks and throws a ball overhead
Carries many toys while walking
Walks up and down stairs with support
Eats with a spoon
Cognitive Milestones
Plays with multiple toys at one time
Uses one hand while holding something in the other
Uses buttons, switches and knobs on toys and doors
Builds a tower of four blocks
Sorts objects by color
Draws lines and circles with crayons
Searches for hidden objects under multiple layers
Can anticipate what’s coming next in familiar books
Shows a preference for a dominant side
Language Milestones
Has a vocabulary of several words
Puts two words together like ‘more soup’
Repeats words heard frequently
Points to objects in a book when asked
Identifies at least two body parts
Uses gestures like nodding or flying kisses
Emotional Milestones
Understands emotions in other people
Looks at a parent’s face in a new situation
Likes doing things independently
Copies other children and adults
Enjoys playing with children
Follows two-step instructions easily
What Parents can do to encourage Babies
Talk and sing to your baby in your language of choice
Respond to baby when he makes sounds, encouraging him to understand conversation
Read to baby every day, even if they’re too little to understand the words
Point out objects in real life or in books and name them
Show baby simple gestures like waving, clapping, shaking and blowing a kiss
Play simple games like peek-a-boo and pat-a-cake
Childproof your home so your baby has a safe environment to learn and explore
Provide simple, age-appropriate toys like blocks, stacking rings, containers or a doll
Place toys around the baby so she can reach out for them
Encourage self-feeding by giving her another spoon to experiment
Take baby outdoors and talk about what you see
Encourage independence by letting them choose their clothes or packing their bag
When should you see the doctor?
An easy way to track developmental milestones of infants is by using an app like the CDC’s Milestone Tracker App. While every child will reach their milestones on their own time, you can check if there are any signs of delay. Here are a few things to watch out for at every age.
By 2 months:
Does not respond to loud sounds
Doesn’t follow people or objects with eyes
Cannot bring hands to the mouth
Doesn’t smile at people
Cannot hold the head up while on tummy
By 4 months:
Can’t hold head steady
Has trouble moving one or both eyes in a different direction
Doesn’t making cooing or gurgling sounds
Can’t push down on legs when feet are placed on a firm surface
Doesn’t bring things to the mouth
By 6 months:
Does not roll over in any direction
Makes no effort to reach out for nearby objects
Doesn’t laugh or make any vowel sounds
Seems either very stiff or very floppy
Shows no affection for parents or family members
By 9 Months:
Cannot sit without support
Doesn’t babble
Cannot recognize familiar faces
Doesn’t respond to own name
Doesn’t look at anything that is pointed to
Cannot transfer objects from one hand to the other
Has trouble with games involving back-and-forth play
By 1 year:
Does not crawl
Cannot stand without support
Doesn’t say simple words like ‘mama’ or ‘dada’
Does not wave, clap or shake the head
Doesn’t search for hidden objects
Does not point to objects
Loses existing skills
By 18 months:
Can’t walk
Says fewer than six words
Doesn’t try to imitate others
Does not seem to notice a parent leaving the room
Loses existing skills
By 2 years:
Cannot put two words together
Doesn’t walk in a steady manner
Cannot use everyday objects like a cup or brush
Does not imitate actions or words
Cannot follow basic instructions
Loses existing skills
If you notice any of these signs at the specified age, it’s best to go to your child’s doctor right away. The good news is that the earlier a developmental delay is diagnosed, the faster you can act and help your child deal with the problem.
Leave a Reply