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(+ A Busy Mom’s 1-Page Cheat Sheet: My Motor Milestone Chart)
It’s hard to believe that just a few short years ago, our little ones were complete strangers. Babies are such a mystery – they come into the world with so much potential, and over time, they slowly start to unfold before our eyes. There are so many amazing things to witness during child development; it’s no wonder it’s often referred to as one of the most magical experiences in life.
While each child develops differently, there are certain milestones that all children should reach by a certain age. These milestones provide an important developmental framework that allows us to gauge whether a child is developing normally or if there might be cause for concern.
In the blog we will explore some of the key developmental milestones for children, as well as signs that something might be wrong.
What are Developmental Milestones?
Developmental milestones are behaviours or physical skills that emerge at a certain age range. There are different developmental milestones for different areas of a child’s development. They provide us with a general idea of the skills that children should be developing and help us to identify any potential delays.
Developmental Milestones can be grouped into 4 main categories:
- Physical
- Emotional & Social
- Language & Communication
- Cognitive
It’s important to remember that every child is unique and will develop at their own pace. Just because your child hasn’t reached a milestone by the age range specified, doesn’t necessarily mean there is cause for concern. If you have any concerns about your child’s development, it’s always best to seek professional advice from a qualified health professional such as a GP, Paediatric Physiotherapist, or Paediatrician.
Key Developmental Milestones: Your Guide
We will list out some of the key developmental milestones below, however, it’s important to keep in mind that these are only a guide.
0-2 Months
Emotional Milestones
- Baby smiles back when smiled at or spoken to
- Looks at caregiver’s face
- Baby calms down when picked up or upon hearing caregiver’s voice
Cognitive Milestones
- Tracks caregiver’s movement with eyes
- Looks at toy for a few seconds
- Startled to loud sounds
Language Milestones
- Smiles when happy
- Cries to communicate needs
Physical Milestones
- Developing head control
- Holds head up on tummy / in supported sitting
- Turns head from side-to-side and pushes through forearms on tummy
- When held in standing, puts weight through feet
3-5 Months
Emotional Milestones
- May smile to get your attention
- Makes noises when spoken to
- Turns head to look at sound origin
- Generally happy
Cognitive Milestones
- Plays with own hands
Language Milestones
- “Coos”
- Makes different sounds to indicate different needs
Physical Milestones
- Improved head control
- While lying on back, brings feet and hands to mouth
- When on back, swings at toys using arms
- Uses hands to stay balanced in sitting
- Holds onto toys in hand when given, transfers toy between hands
- Rolls tummy to back
6-7 Months
Emotional Milestones
- Responds to emotions and tone of voice of others
- Enjoys looking at reflection in mirror
- Distinguishes familiar faces from strangers
Cognitive Milestones
- Reaches for toys
- Explores objects with mouth
Language Milestones
- Laughs and giggles
- Babbles
Physical Milestones
- Pushes through hands and pivots on tummy
- Starts to sit with little help / hand support
- Reaches for toys
- In side sitting, comfortably plays with toys
- In unsupported sitting, plays with hand-held toy
- From a seated position, shift weight from bottom to bottom and breaks fall with open hand
- Rolls in both directions
- Bounces in standing
8-9 Months
Emotional Milestones
- Cries when primary caregiver is not within visual field
- May be fearful around strangers / unfamiliar environments
- Can show different expressions to express feelings e.g. angry, surprised
- Smiles when playing peek-a-boo
Cognitive Milestones
- Starts to recognise own name when called
- Imitates others movements
- Makes sounds by knocking 2 objects together
- Searches for toys that have been dropped
Language Milestones
- Imitates sounds
- Makes longer sounds
Physical Milestones
- Emerging pincer grip; picks up smaller objects with thumbs and fingers
- Transitions sitting to tummy and tummy to sitting
- In unsupported sitting, visually tracks objects and reaches for toys without falling
- Gets in and out of sitting position
- Transitions from sitting to tummy
- Pulls to stand, and stands whilst holding on
- Emerging cruising; whilst holding on, takes few steps
- Creeping / Crawling emerges
10-12 Months
Emotional Milestones
- Plays simple games with you
Cognitive Milestones
- Crawls towards toys
- Releases toys into container
- Actively searches for something they see you hide
Language Milestones
- Uses gestures to communicate own needs
- Looks to where you are pointing
- Continues to babble with speech intonation
- Uses 1-2 word vocabulary
- Understands simple words and phrases e.g. “no”, “come here”
- Calls “mama” or “dada”
Physical Milestones
- Can crawl over parents legs
- Pulls to stand, leading with one leg followed by the other
- Independent standing for ~5 seconds
- In standing while holding on, can pick up objects from ground
- Cruising
- Takes few independent steps
12-18 Months
Emotional Milestones
- Shows affection e.g. hugs, kisses
- Plays further away from you comfortably whilst primary carer is still in vicinity
Cognitive Milestones
- Helps during dressing time
- Feeds / drinks by themselves
Language Milestones
- Uses ~10 words
- Understands ~50 words
- Can identify 1-2 body parts
- Points to show their wants
- Follows simple instructions
Physical Milestones
- Grasp onto pencil with fist (Palmar grasp)
- Rolls ball in sitting
- Climbs on/off furniture without assistance
- Crawls up/down stairs
- Plays in tall knees unsupported
- Stands from floor unsupported
- Independent standing for ~10 seconds
- In standing, can pick up objects from ground unsupported
- Walks independently for moderate distances ~300m and seldom falls
- Walks backwards whilst pulling toy
19-24 Months
Emotional Milestones
- Notices other’s emotions
Cognitive Milestones
- Completes tasks requiring 2 hands simultaneously
- Uses a spoon during mealtimes
Language Milestones
- Uses ~50 words in 2-word phrases
- Uses gestures e.g. wave, nod, point
- Points to answer “Where is?” questions
- Understands action words e.g. “sit down”
- Can identify 3-5 body parts
- Imitates new words and understands them quickly
- Names objects
- Understands simple pronouns e.g. me, you
Physical Milestones
- Kicks a ball
- Stands up on tippy toes
- Running emerges
- Climbs up stairs independently whilst holding on
3 Years
Physical Milestones
- Uses both hands to open jar
- Uses a fork during mealtimes
- Can complete threading tasks e.g. beads on a string
- Dresses/Undresses some clothing independently
- Runs well
- Walks up/down stairs independently with alternate feet
- Jumps with both feet
- Hopping emerges
- Pedals tricycle
4 Years
Physical Milestones
- Can undo buttons
- Grasps onto pencil with fingers and thumb (Tripod grasp)
- Hops and skips
- Single-leg balance for few a seconds
- Jumps over small obstacles
- Changes direction when running without losing balance
- Catches a ball
5 Years
Physical Milestones
- Can redo buttons
- Single-leg balance for ~10 seconds
Conclusion
Knowing developmental milestones is important because it helps you to understand if your child is on track, or if they might need some help. If you are ever concerned about your child’s development, don’t hesitate to reach out to our paediatric physiotherapists for a developmental assessment.
Early intervention is essential to support your child’s development.
Don’t hesitate- book in for your FREE 1-HOUR PHYSIOTHERAPY SESSION NOW.
If you enjoyed this blog post, check out another one we wrote: 5 Reasons Why You Love Mobile Paediatric Physiotherapy Service
You’re in for a treat with our free resource “A Busy Mom’s 1-Page Cheat Sheet: My Motor Milestone Chart”. Download here.