Timeline of Child Milestones: Development Stages
Every child grows at her own pace. However, it is important to note that a child achieves certain milestones till a particular age. During development child needs your upmost attention and love. Following is a general guide that babies are expected to achieve at different ages:
The First Month
In one month duration the child is expected to do the following:
- Recognizes your smell and voice
- Starts to uncurl from fetal position
- May try to lift his head when on his tummy
- Sticks out his tongue in response to you doing it
The Second Month
The child is expected to:
- Lift his head for few seconds
- Make smoother movements
- Loses some new born reflexes
- Can see things further away
- Smiles for the first time
- Shows excitement when he knows you are near
The Third Month
The child is expected to:
- Starts noticing his hands
- Can now open and close his hands and play with his own fingers
- Shows more interest in people around him
- Clasps toys in his hands
- Reaches out to things and try to grab it
- May hold his head for few seconds without any support
The Fourth Month
The child is expected to:
- He now starts using hands to explore his own face and things that attract him
- Make sounds
- Can now recognizes different people close to him and reacts differently to different voices
- Head control become steady now
The Fifth Month
- Child now grabs his toe and put it in his mouth
- Starts rolling from front to back
- Puts everything that he holds into mouth
- Raises his arms to signify you to pick him up
- Child now concentrates for short periods
- Turns his head when he is done eating
The Sixth Month
- Enjoys sitting with the help of support
- Starts chuckling
- Holds his head steady now
- Child can blow bubbles
- The child becomes smart enough to know that he will get your attention by making different noises and banging objects
Six to Eight Months
Baby is growing faster now. You can see him learning new things every few days. However, major milestones include:
- Develops understanding of language
- Can now sit without support
- Baby becomes anxious around strangers
- Can speak few words like mama, dada and so
- Baby recognizes his own name too
- Starts feeding food to himself
Ninth Month
By nine months, baby has started crawling. You can hardly find him sitting in one place. They can now pull themselves in standing position with the help of support. He can also:
- Copy sounds that he hears
- Understands many words
- Can now point objects as well as pick them
12 Months
A year has passed on and your baby has learnt many things till now. The baby can now stand without support and may take few steps too. Some babies start walking too. They try to seek your attention by making different noises and tries to make you understand what they want. They may also:
- They try to follow simple directions
- Drink from cup
- Learn throwing and banging objects
18 Months
The baby up to now must have learnt to walk properly. He might be running too. The baby may be using a spoon to feed himself. He may also:
- Started scribbling
- May point objects and pictures
- Blow kisses
- May point few body parts when you name them
2 Years
The second year is more about helping your toddler become self sufficient individual. The child needs your encouragement to help him explore his capabilities and surroundings. The physical changes are many. Your child may have learnt to speak three four sentences. He may also:
- Squat, run and kick
- Starts expressing his own emotions and feelings
- Get completely absorbed in playing games
- Throw ball
- Develops the sense of what is real and what is not
3 Years
The child becomes more aware of surrounding and people around him. The language skill of the child develops tremendously. He becomes more interested in your activities. The child may also:
- Walk upstairs using alternative feet
- Turn pages of book one at a time
- Happily spend time away from you
- Shows interest in other children
- Play imaginative games
- becomes more sociable
4 Years
Your toddler has come a long way now. He can now tell stories and even use basic grammar. He loves playing outdoor now. He may also:
- draw squares and circles
- dress themselves
- do counting
- name colors
- copy letters
To watch your child grow and learn is one of the most satisfying aspect of being a parent. The child may not follow the exact mentioned timeline but still can be in range of normal. However in case of any concerns it is better to consult your pediatrician.
Most Searching Terms:
- Psychological Developmental Stages of Children
- Kids Developmental Milestones
- 2024