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Babies develop at their own pace, so it's impossible to tell exactly when your child will learn a given skill. The developmental milestones listed below will give you a general idea of the changes you can expect, but don't be alarmed if your own baby's development takes a slightly different course.
By the end of 3 months
Social and Emotional
- Begins to develop a social smile Enjoys playing with other people and may cry when playing stops
- Becomes more expressive and communicates more with face and body
- Imitates some movements and facial expressions
Movement
- Raises head and chest when lying on stomach
- Supports upper body with arms when lying on stomach
- Stretches legs out and kicks when lying on stomach or back
- Opens and shuts hands
- Pushes down on legs when feet are placed on a firm surface
- Brings hand to mouth
- Takes swipes at dangling objects with hands
- Grasps and shakes hand toys
Vision
- Watches faces intently
- Follows moving objects
- Recognizes familiar objects and people at a distance
- Starts using hands and eyes in coordination
- Hearing and Speech
- Smiles at the sound of your voice
- Begins to babble
- Begins to imitate some sounds
- Turns head toward direction of sound
Developmental Health Watch
- Alert your child's doctor or nurse if your child displays any of the following signs of possible developmental delay for this age range.
- Does not seem to respond to loud noises
- Does not notice hands by 2 months
- Does not follow moving objects with eyes by 2 to 3 months
- Does not grasp and hold objects by 3 months
- Does not smile at people by 3 months
- Cannot support head well by 3 months
- Does not reach for and grasp toys by 3 to 4 months
- Does not babble by 3 to 4 months
- Does not bring objects to mouth by 4 months
- Begins babbling, but does not try to imitate any of your sounds by 4 months
- Does not push down with legs when feet are placed on a firm surface by 4 months
- Has trouble moving one or both eyes in all directions
- Crosses eyes most of the time (occasional crossing of the eyes is normal in these first months)
- Does not pay attention to new faces, or seems very frightened by new faces or surroundings
- Experiences a dramatic loss of skills he or she once
By the end of 7 months
Social and Emotional
- Enjoys social play
- Interested in mirror images
- Responds to other people's expressions of emotion and appears joyful often
Cognitive
- Finds partially hidden object
- Explores with hands and mouth
- Struggles to get objects that are out of reach
Language
- Responds to own name
- Begins to respond to "no"
- Can tell emotions by tone of voice
- Responds to sound by making sounds
- Uses voice to express joy and displeasure
- Babbles chains of sounds
Movement
- Rolls both ways (front to back, back to front)
- Sits with, and then without, support on hands
- Supports whole weight on legs
- Reaches with one hand
- Transfers object from hand to hand
- Uses hand to rake objects
Vision
- Develops full color vision
- Distance vision matures
- Ability to track moving objects improves
Developmental Health Watch
- Alert your child's doctor or nurse if your child displays any of the following signs of possible developmental delay for this age range.
- Seems very stiff, with tight muscles
- Seems very floppy, like a rag doll
- Head still flops back when body is pulled to a sitting position
- Reaches with one hand only
- Refuses to cuddle
- Shows no affection for the person who cares for him or her
- Doesn't seem to enjoy being around people
- One or both eyes consistently turn in or out
- Persistent tearing, eye drainage, or sensitivity to light
- Does not respond to sounds around him or her
- Has difficulty getting objects to mouth
- Does not turn head to locate sounds by 4 months
- Does not roll over in either direction (front to back or back to front) by 5 months
- Seems impossible to comfort at night after 5 months
- Does not smile on his or her own by 5 months
- Cannot sit with help by 6 months
- Does not laugh or make squealing sounds by 6 months
- Does not actively reach for objects by 6 to 7 months
- Does not follow objects with both eyes at near (1 foot) and far (6 feet) ranges by 7 months
- Does not bear weight on legs by 7 months
- Does not try to attract attention through actions by 7 months
- Does not babble by 8 months
- Shows no interest in games of peek-a-boo by 8 months
- Experiences a dramatic loss of skills he or she once had
By the end of age 1
Social and Emotional
- Uses pincer grasp
- Bangs two objects together
- Puts objects into container
- Takes objects out of container
- Lets objects go voluntarily
- Pokes with index finger
- Tries to imitate scribbling
Developmental Health Watch
- Alert your child's doctor or nurse if your child displays any of the following signs of possible
developmental delay for this age range.
- Does not crawl
- Drags one side of body while crawling (for over one month)
Cannot stand when supported
- Does not search for objects that are hidden while he or she watches
- Says no single words ("mama" or "dada")
- Does not learn to use gestures, such as waving or shaking head
- Does not point to objects or pictures
- Experiences a dramatic loss of skills he or she once had
By the end of age 2
Children develop at their own pace, so it's impossible to tell exactly when yours will learn a given skill. The developmental milestones below will give you a general idea of the changes you can expect as your child gets older, but don't be alarmed if your child takes a slightly different course.
Social
- Imitates behavior of others, especially adults and older children
- More aware of herself as separate from others
- More excited about company of other children
Emotional
- Demonstrates increasing independence
- Begins to show defiant behavior
- Separation anxiety increases toward midyear then fades
Cognitive
- Finds objects even when hidden under two or three covers
- Begins to sort by shapes and colors
- Begins make-believe play
Language
- Points to object or picture when it's named for him Recognizes names of familiar people, objects,
- and body parts
- Says several single words (by 15 to 18 months)
- Uses simple phrases (by 18 to 24 months)
- Uses 2- to 4-word sentences
- Follows simple instructions
- Repeats words overheard in conversation
Movement
- Walks alone
- Pulls toys behind her while walking
- Carries large toy or several toys while walking
- Begins to run
- Stands on tiptoe
- Kicks a ball
- Climbs onto and down from furniture unassisted
- Walks up and down stairs holding on to support
Fine Motor Skills
- Scribbles on his or her own
- Turns over container to pour out contents
- Builds tower of four blocks or more
- Might use one hand more often than the other
Developmental Health Watch
- Alert your child's doctor or nurse if your child displays any of the following signs of possible
- developmental delay for this age range.
- Cannot walk by 18 months Fails to develop a mature heel-toe walking pattern after several months
- of walking, or walks only on his toes
- Does not speak at least 15 words Does not use two-word sentences by age 2
- By 15 months, does not seem to know the function of common household objects (brush, telephone, bell, fork, spoon)
- Does not imitate actions or words by the end of this period
- Does not follow simple instructions by age 2
- Cannot push a wheeled toy by age 2
- Experiences a dramatic loss of skills he or she once had
By the end of age 4
Social
- Interested in new experiences
- Cooperates with other children
- Plays "Mom" or "Dad"
- Increasingly inventive in fantasy play
- Dresses and undresses
- Negotiates solutions to conflicts
- More independent
Emotional
- Imagines that many unfamiliar images may be "monsters"
- Views self as a whole person involving body, mind, and feelings
- Often cannot tell the difference between fantasy and reality
- Cognitive
- Correctly names some colors Understands the concept of counting and may know a few numbers
- Tries to solve problems from a single point of view
- Begins to have a clearer sense of time
- Follows three-part commands
- Recalls parts of a story
- Understands the concepts of "same" and "different"
- Engages in fantasy play
Language
- Has mastered some basic rules of grammar
- Speaks in sentences of five to six words
- Speaks clearly enough for strangers to understand
- Tells stories
Movement
- Hops and stands on one foot up to five seconds
- Goes upstairs and downstairs without support
- Kicks ball forward
- Throws ball overhand
- Catches bounced ball most of the time
- Moves forward and backward with agility
Fine Motor Skills
- Copies square shapes
- Draws a person with two to four body parts
- Uses scissors
- Draws circles and squares
- Begins to copy some capital letters
Developmental Health Watch
- Alert your child's doctor or nurse if your child displays any of the following signs of possible
developmental delay for this age range.
- Cannot throw a ball overhand
- Cannot jump in place
- Cannot ride a tricycle
- Cannot grasp a crayon between thumb and fingers
- Has difficulty scribbling
- Cannot stack four blocks
- Still clings or cries whenever parents leave
- Shows no interest in interactive games
- Ignores other children
- Doesn't respond to people outside the family
- Doesn't engage in fantasy play
- Resists dressing, sleeping, using the toilet
- Lashes out without any self-control when angry or upset
- Cannot copy a circle
- Doesn't use sentences of more than three words
- Doesn't use "me" and "you" correctly
- Experiences a dramatic loss of skills he or she once
By the end of age 5
Social
- Wants to please friends
- Wants to be like her friends
- More likely to agree to rules
- Likes to sing, dance, and act
- Shows more independence and may even visit a next-door neighbor by herself
Emotional Milestones
- Aware of gender
- Able to distinguish fantasy from reality
- Sometimes demanding, sometimes eagerly cooperative
Cognitive Milestones
- Can count 10 or more objects
- Correctly names at least four colors
- Better understands the concept of time
- Knows about things used every day in the home (money, food, appliances)
Language
- Recalls part of a story
- Speaks sentences of more than five words
- Uses future tense
- Tells longer stories
- Says name and address
Movement
- Stands on one foot for 10 seconds or longer
- Hops, somersaults
- Swings, climbs
- May be able to skip
- Fine Motor Skills
- Copies triangle and other shapes
- Draws person with body
Prints some letters
- Dresses and undresses without help
- Uses fork, spoon, and (sometimes) a table knife
- Usually cares for own toilet needs
Developmental Health Watch
- Alert your child's doctor or nurse if your child displays any of the following signs of possible developmental delay for this age range.
- Acts extremely fearful or timid
- Acts extremely aggressively
- Is unable to separate from parents without major protest Is easily distracted and unable to
- concentrate on any single activity for more than five minutes
- Shows little interest in playing with other children Refuses to respond to people in general, or
- responds only superficially
- Rarely uses fantasy or imitation in play
- Seems unhappy or sad much of the time
- Doesn't engage in a variety of activities
- Avoids or seems aloof with other children and adults
- Doesn't express a wide range of emotions
- Has trouble eating, sleeping, or using the toilet
- Can't tell the difference between fantasy and reality
- Seems unusually passive
- Cannot understand two-part commands using prepositions ("Put the doll on the bed, and get the ball under the couch.")
- Can't correctly give her first and last name
- Doesn't use plurals or past tense properly when speaking
- Doesn't talk about her daily activities and experiences
- Cannot build a tower of six to eight blocks
- Seems uncomfortable holding a crayon
- Has trouble taking off clothing
- Cannot brush her teeth efficiently
- Cannot wash and dry her hands
- Experiences a dramatic loss of skills he or she once
Reprinted from the National Center on Birth Defects and Learning Disabilities website.
From CARING FOR YOUR BABY AND YOUNG CHILD: BIRTH TO AGE 5 by Steven Shelov,
Robert E. Hannermann, © 1991, 1993, 1998, 2004 by the American Academy of Pediatrics.
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