Patient Education: Developmental Milestones

Part of the joy of being a parent is watching your child develop. Although every child develops differently, the following are guidelines you can use to track your child’s progress, adapted from "Caring for Your Baby and Young Child, Birth to Age 5" by Steven Shelov, M.D., American Academy of Pediatrics.

By the End of the First Year

MOVEMENT MILESTONES

• Gets to sitting position without assistance
• Crawls forward on belly
• Assumes hand and knees position
• Creeps on hands and knees
• Gets from sitting to crawling or prone (lying on stomach) position
• Pulls self up to stand
• Walks holding on to furniture
• Stands momentarily without support
• May walk two or three steps without support

HAND AND FINGER SKILL MILESTONES

• Uses pincer grasp
• Bangs two cubes together
• Puts objects into container
• Takes objects out of container
• Lets objects go voluntarily
• Pokes with index finger
• Tries to imitate scribbling

LANGUAGE MILESTONES

• Pays increasing attention to speech
• Responds to simple verbal requests
• Responds to "no"
• Uses simple gestures, such shaking head for "no"
• Babbles with inflection
• Says "dada" and "mama"
• Uses exclamations, such as "Oh-oh!"
• Tries to imitate words

COGNITIVE MILESTONES

• Explores objects in many different ways (shaking, banging, throwing, dropping)
• Finds hidden objects easily
• Imitates gestures
• Begins to use objects correctly (drinking from cup, brushing hair)

SOCIAL/ EMOTIONAL MILESTONES

• Shy or anxious with strangers
• Cries when regular caregiver leaves
• Enjoys imitating people
• Shows specific preferences for certain people and toys
• Prefers regular care giver over all others
• Repeats sounds or gestures for attention
• Finger-feeds himself
• Extends arm or leg to help when dressing

DEVELOPMENTAL HEALTH WATCH
Each baby develops in his or her own particular manner, therefore it is impossible to tell exactly when or how a child will perfect a given skill. However if a baby displays any of the following signs he or she should be referred to their pediatrician.

• Does not crawl
• Cannot stand when supported
• Does not search for objects that are hidden while he watches
• Says no single words ("mama" or "dada")
• Does not learn to use gestures, such as waving or shaking head
• Does not point to pictures or objects

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