Did you know that the new skills or “growth spurts” your child goes through are called Developmental Milestones? Did you know there is a right age range for each of these as well?
Understanding the kinds of skills your child should be developing at each age can help you identify if there are any areas your child may need a little extra help in and can give you the knowledge and resources you needed to help your child continue to grow.
With that said, every child develops at their own pace. So if a child is “slightly behind” according to common standards, that doesn’t necessarily mean that your child has a problem. It could just mean he or she is a late bloomer.
But being aware of these developmental milestones and when they should be occurring can help you determine if the delay of that skill is minor or is taking a lot longer than it should.
The CDC has published a very comprehensive list of Age-Appropriate Developmental Milestones for children ages newborn to five years old.
Developmental Milestones Parents Should Look For In The First Year
2-Month Milestones:
- Your baby should be looking at and focusing on your face
- Your baby should hold her head up when on her tummy
- Your baby should seem happy to see you when you walk up to her
- Your baby should be able to open his hands briefly
- Your baby can make sounds other than crying, like cooing
- Your baby should be reacting to loud sounds
- Your baby will watch you as you move about the room
- Your baby should be able to focus on a toy for several seconds
- Your baby can smile when you talk to or smile at him
- Your baby should calm down when spoken to or picked up
- Your baby should move both her arms legs
4-Month Milestones:
- Your baby should be able to hold a toy when you put it in his hand or use her arms to swing at hanging toys
- Your baby can chuckle or giggle when you try to make her laugh
- Your baby should look at you, move, or make sounds to get or keep your attention
- Your baby should be able to make cooing sounds
- Your baby should be able to smile on his own to get your attention
- Your baby should look at her hands with interest
- Your baby should turn her head toward the sound of your voice
- If your baby is hungry, her should open his mouth when he sees the breast or bottle
- Your baby should be able to hold his head steady without support when you are holding him
- Your baby should make conversational sounds back when you talk to him
- Your baby should bring her hands to her mouth
- Your baby should start pushing himself up onto his elbows and forearms during tummy time
6-Month Milestones:
- Your baby should now be able to recognize familiar people
- Your baby should put things in her mouth to explore them
- Your baby’s giggles or chuckles should have turned into laughs now
- Your baby should now have the ability to blow “raspberries” with their tongue
- Your baby should be making squealing noises
- Your baby should close her lips to show she doesn’t want any more food
- Your baby should enjoy looking at himself in a mirror
- Your baby should be reaching to grab a toy he wants at this age
- Your baby should take turns making different sounds with you
- Your baby should begin rolling over
- Your baby should be pushing up with straight arms when on his tummy and should be leaning on his hands to support himself when sitting
9-Month Milestones:
- Your baby should be looking for objects when they are dropped out of sight
- Your baby should start moving things from one hand to the other
- Your baby should look at you when you call her name
- It is normal for your baby to react when you leave, i.e. looking for you, reaching for you, or crying
- It is normal for your baby to be shy, clingy, or fearful around strangers
- Your baby should smile or laugh when you play peek-a-boo
- Your baby should be making a lot of different babble sounds
- Your baby should lift his arms to be picked up
- Your baby should be showing emotional facial expressions, like happiness, sadness, anger, and surprise
- It is normal for your baby should be banging things together
- Your baby should be able to get to a sitting position by herself
- Your baby should use his fingers to pull food toward himself
- Your baby should now be able to sit without support
1-Year Milestones:
- Your baby should be calling a parent “mama” or “dada” or another special name by this age
- By age 1, your baby should be playing games with you, like pat-a-cake
- Your baby should be waving “bye-bye” to people
- Your baby should be putting objects in other containers
- Your baby should understand the word “no” and responds with a brief pause or stopping an activity
- Your baby should be looking for things he sees you hide, like a toy behind a pillow
- Your baby can drink from a cup without a lid with your assistance
- Your baby should be pulling up to stand, “cruise” (walking while holding onto furniture, and begin attempting to take steps on their own
- Your baby’s fine motor skills should be at the level where they can pick up small items between her thumb and pointer finger