🔘 Developmental Milestones

DEVELOPMENTAL MILESTONE

 

 👉🏻Introduction

Skills such as taking a first step, smiling for the first time, and waving “bye-bye” are called developmental milestones. Developmental milestones are things most children can do by a certain age. Children reach milestones in how they play, learn, speak, behave, and move (like crawling, walking, or jumping).

In the first year, babies learn to focus their vision, reach out, explore, and learn about the things that are around them. Cognitive, or brain development means the learning process of memory, language, thinking, and reasoning. Learning language is more than making sounds (“babble”), or saying “ma-ma” and “da-da”. Listening, understanding, and knowing the names of people and things are all a part of language development. During this stage, babies also are developing bonds of love and trust with their parents and others as part of social and emotional development. The way parents cuddle, hold, and play with their baby will set the basis for how they will interact with them and others.

👉🏻 Positive Parenting Tips

Following are some things you, as a parent, can do to help your baby during this time:

-Talk to your baby. She will find your voice calming.

- Answer when your baby makes sounds by repeating the sounds and adding words. This will help him learn to use language.

- Read to your baby. This will help her develop and understand language and sounds.

Sing to your baby and play music. This will help your baby develop a love for music and will help his brain development.

- Praise your baby and give her lots of loving attention.

- Spend time cuddling and holding your baby. This will help him feel cared for and secure.

Play with your baby when she’s alert and relaxed. Watch your baby closely for signs of being tired or fussy so that she can take a break from playing.

- Distract your baby with toys and move him to safe areas when he starts moving and touching things that he shouldn’t touch.

- Take care of yourself physically, mentally, and emotionally. Parenting can be hard work! It is easier to enjoy your new baby and be a positive, loving parent when you are feeling good yourself.

👉🏻 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.

 👉🏻 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.