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Find out what skills most children can do by a certain age, from 2 months to 5 years. Download free checklists, app, or watch videos to learn the signs and tips for early development.
- Learn the Signs Home
Track your child’s developmental milestones. Healthcare...
- Milestones
Developmental milestones are things most children (75% or...
- Digital Online Checklist
Skills such as taking a first step, smiling for the first...
- If You’re Concerned
Talk to Your Child’s Doctor. As a parent, you know your...
- Free Materials
Act Early.” has FREE research-based, parent-friendly...
- Families
This children’s book teaches parents developmental...
- Learn the Signs Home
- Baby Milestones and Child Milestones to Track Development
- 0-3 Month Milestones
- 4-6 Month Milestones
- 7-9 Month Milestones
- 10-12 Month Milestones
- 13-18 Month Milestones
- 19-24 Month Milestones
- 2-3 Year Milestones
- Missing Milestones
- Resources to Meet Milestones
What are developmental milestones?
Milestones are behavioral or physical checkpoints in children’s development as they grow. All of our developmental milestones are validated by American Academy of Pediatrics findings. Baby milestones and child milestones are core skills infants and toddlers should be reaching.
How are the developmental baby milestones organized?
We have divided our developmental milestones into the core parts of child development: 1. Motormilestones 2. Sensorymilestones 3. Communicationmilestones 4. Feedingmilestones
Why are baby milestones and child milestones in age ranges?
Baby milestones and child milestones are in age ranges (such as 0-3 months or 2-3 years) because all babies are different! Milestones mark the months most babies start a certain behavior or ability based on baby’s age, but exact timing will vary.
Motor Milestones
1. While lying on tummy, pushes up on arms 2. While lying on tummy, lifts and holds head up 3. Able to move fists from closed to open 4. Able to bring hands to mouth 5. Moves legs and arms off of surface when excited
Sensory Milestones
1. While lying on back, attempts to reach for a toy held above their chest 2. While lying on back, visually tracks a moving toy from side to side 3. While lying on back, keeps head centered to watch faces or toys 4. Able to calm with rocking, touching, and gentle sounds 5. Enjoys a variety of movements
Communication Milestones
1. Quiets or smiles in response to sound or voice 2. Turns head towards sound or voice 3. Shows interest in faces 4. Makes eye contact 5. Cries differently for different needs (e.g. hungry vs. tired) 6. Coos and smiles
Motor Milestones
1. Uses hands to support self while sitting 2. Rolls from back to tummy and tummy to back 3. While standing with support, accepts entire weight with legs 4. Reaches for nearby toys while on tummy 5. While lying on back, reaches both hands to play with feet 6. While lying on back, transfers a toy from one hand to the other
Sensory Milestones
1. Uses both hands to explore toys 2. Generally happy when not hungry or tired 3. Brings hands and objects to mouth 4. Able to calm with rocking, touching, and gentle sounds 5. Is not upset by everyday sounds 6. Enjoys a variety of movements
Communication Milestones
1. Reacts to sudden noises or sounds 2. Listens and responds when spoken to 3. Begins to use consonant sounds in babbling, e.g. “da, da, da” 4. Makes different kinds of sounds to express feelings 5. Notices toys that make sounds 6. Uses babbling to get attention
Motor Milestones
1. Sits without support 2. Sits and reaches for toys without falling 3. Moves from tummy or back into sitting 4. Starts to move with alternate leg and arm movement e.g. creeping, crawling 5. Picks up head and pushes through elbows during Tummy Time 6. Turns head to visually track objects while sitting 7. Shows more control while rolling and sitting 8. Picks up small objects with thumbs and fingers 9. In simple play imitates others
Sensory Milestones
1. Enjoys a variety of movements – bouncing up and down, rocking back and forth 2. Explores and examines an object using both hands and mouth 3. Turns several pages of a chunky (board) book at once 4. Experiments with the amount of force needed to pick up different objects 5. Focuses on objects near and far 6. Investigates shapes, sizes, and textures of toys and surroundings 7. Observes environment from a variety of positions – while lying on back or tummy, sitting, crawling, and standing wit...
Communication Milestones
1. Uses increased variety of sounds and syllable combinations in babbling 2. Looks at familiar objects and people when named 3. Recognizes sound of their name 4. Participates in two-way communication 5. Follows some routine commands when paired with gestures 6. Shows recognition of commonly used words 7. Simple gestures, e.g. shaking head for “no” 8. Imitates sounds
Motor Milestones
1. Pulls to stand and cruises along furniture 2. Stands alone and takes several independent steps 3. Moves in and out of various positions to explore environment and get desired toys 4. Maintains balance in sitting when throwing objects 5. Claps hands 6. Releases objects into a container with a large opening 7. Uses thumb and pointer finger to pick up tiny objects
Sensory Milestones
1. Enjoys listening to songs 2. Explores toys with fingers and mouth 3. Crawls to or away from objects baby sees in the distance
Communication Milestones
1. Meaningfully uses “mama” or “dada” 2. Responds to simple directions, e.g. “Come here” 3. Produces long strings of gibberish (jargoning) in social communication 4. Says one or two words 5. Imitates speech sounds 6. Babbling has sounds and rhythms of speech 7. Pays attention to where you are looking and pointing 8. Responds to “no” 9. Begins using hand movements to communicate wants and needs, e.g. reaches to be picked up
Motor Milestones
1. Walks independently 2. Squats to pick up a toy 3. Stacks two objects
Sensory Milestones
1. Helps with getting dressed/undressed 2. Has a regular sleep schedule 3. Eats an increasing variety of foods
Communication Milestones
By 15 months: 1. May use 5-10 words 2. Combines sounds and gestures 3. Imitates simple words and actions 4. Consistently follows simple directions 5. Shows interest in pictures 6. Can identify 1-2 body parts when named 7. Understands 50 words By 18 months: 1. Responds to questions 2. Repeats words overheard in conversation 3. Continues to produce speech-like babbling 4. Points at familiar objects and people in pictures 5. Understands “in” and “on” 6. Responds to yes/no questions with head sha...
Motor Milestones
1. Starts to jumps with both feet leaving the ground 2. When walking, able to pull toys behind them 3. Runs 4. Stands on tiptoes 5. Climbs on low furniture 6. Kicks large ball 7. Goes up and down stairs with support
Sensory Milestones
1. Flips switches on and off 2. Uses crayons, pens, or markers to make marks on paper 3. Sorts shapes and colors 4. Stacks 5 or more small blocks or toys on top of each other 5. Takes toys apart and puts them back together
Communication Milestones
By 21 Months: 1. Uses at least 50 words 2. Consistently imitates new words 3. Names objects and pictures 4. Understands simple pronouns (me, you, my) 5. Identifies 3-5 body parts when named 6. Understands new words quickly By 24 months: 1. Begins to use 2 word phrases 2. Uses simple pronouns (me, you, my) 3. Understands action words 4. Uses gestures and words during pretend play 5. Follows 2-step related directions e.g. “Pick up your coat and bring it to me” 6. Enjoys listening to stories See...
Communication Milestones
By 30 months: 1. Consistently uses 2-3 word phrases 2. Uses “in” and “on” 3. At least 50% of speech is understood by caregiver 4. Follows 2-step unrelated directions, e.g. “give me the ball and go get your coat” 5. Understands basic nouns and pronouns 6. Understands “mine” and “yours” By 36 months: 1. Asks “what” and “where” questions 2. Uses plurals, e.g. “dogs” 3. Most speech is understood by caregiver 4. Simple understanding of concepts including color, space, time 5. Understands “why” que...
What to do if your child is not reaching their key developmental milestones
If your child is missing a developmental milestone, request an appointment with a healthcare provider to ask them about how you can get your baby on track! Remember every baby is different, and milestones typically occur within a general age range. Baby’s early years are some of the most important years for their development, which is why early detection and early intervention are so critical.
Browse our website for additional resources to maximize your child’s motor, sensory, feeding, and communication development! 1. Topics pages: Covering a wide variety of health topics for your baby’s developmental milestones. 2. Videos: Including milestone videos and Parents’ Guide videos, which shows baby’s development in action! 3. Blog posts: In-...
- Milestones at 1 Month. Movement Milestones. Makes jerky, quivering arm thrusts. Brings hands within range of eyes and mouth. Moves head from side to side while lying on stomach.
- Milestones at 3 Months. Movement Milestones. 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.
- Milestones at 7 Months. Movement Milestones. Rolls both ways (front to back, back to front) Sits with, and then without, support of her hands. Supports her whole weight on her legs.
- Milestones at 1 Year. Movement Milestones. Gets to sitting position without assistance. Crawls forward on belly by pulling with arms and pushing with legs. Assumes hands-and-knees position.
This booklet provides developmental milestones for children from birth to age 5, with tips for parents and caregivers. It also explains how to act early if you have concerns about your child's development.
- 5MB
- 24
Jun 1, 2021 · Learn about the typical developmental milestones for children from birth to 18 years old and how to measure them. Find out what to do if you notice signs of developmental delays and what treatment options are available.
Mar 25, 2022 · Learn about the common developmental milestones that children reach from birth to 18 months, such as smiling, rolling over, walking, and talking. Find out the normal range of ages for each milestone and when to seek help for delays.
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