The Toddler and Baby Development Stages section gives information on the usual age developmental milestones are reached in the first five years of life.
A baby develops from a helpless being at birth and over the first five years he will gain independence in mobility, speech and language and he will develop his own personality.
Although every child is different, there is a pattern of developmental progress that they all will follow within a fairly narrow time frame.
There are 4 main areas of toddler and baby development stages:
• motor development - this is about body posture and large movements of the limbs and the developmental road to walking
• fine motor development and vision - this is about manipulative skills leading eventually to being able to do complicated manual tasks
• speech and language development and hearing - this is about language development, which is a key human characteristic. To read more about normal speech and language development, click here
• personal and social development - this is about the development of self and interactions with others
Do all children reach milestones at the same time?
No. Every child is an individual and, as such, your child will reach milestones at his pace. Try not to compare your child with other children.
Don't be concerned if a baby of 13 months is walking while your 13 month old is not or if a 2 year old is using sentences when your 2 year old is not.
On the pages that give milestone progress for each age band, there is a section on when to be concerned. Unless your child is demonstrating these characteristics, there is no need to worry.
What does it mean if a baby is not developing normally?
If a baby is not developing normally, it may be an indication that something is wrong. If a child is not reaching motor milestones, there may be something wrong with his neuromuscular system. For example, he could have cerebral palsy.
A problem with speech and language development may indicate a problem with hearing or may be a manifestation of a communication disorder like autistic spectrum disorder.
In either case, the earlier the developmental problem is picked up the better so appropriate intervention can begin. Of course, sometimes babies are just slow to develop without there being a major problem.
How will I know if my baby is not developing normally?
Mothers (and fathers) are very good at picking up some developmental problems and most countries have some type of well child checks where development is tested. You can also check the pages below for the milestones to expect at different ages.
See your doctor is you are concerned that your toddler or baby development stages are not appropriate, and, in particular, if you are concerned your baby does not see or hear.
Babies also exhibit primitive reflexes which are present from birth or shortly after and last weeks or months. If primitive reflexes persist, it can be an indication that there is a problem with the brain.
What can I do to help my baby's development?
The most important thing you can do as a parent for your baby is to provide a loving environment with adequate food and warmth for your baby.
Studies have shown that babies who have tummy time while they are awake reach motor milestones earlier than babies who do not have tummy time. So, make sure your baby has supervised tummy time while he is awake. Remember that the safest sleeping position is on his back.
Baby Developmental Milestones: Birth to 6 months
The following page gives the usual age at which different baby developmental milestones are reached during the first 6 months of life.
You will notice that the areas of development are divided into 4 main areas - motor, fine motor, language and social. These are the areas that health professionals use when assessing development. Some areas are more important at different ages - in the first six months, there is a lot of motor and fine motor development occurring. Speech comes later.
6 weeks of age baby milestones
Motor Development
At 6 weeks of age, if your child has reached normal developmental milestones, he will:
• lift his head up momentarily when is held tummy down (prone)
• put his head to one side if he is lying on his tummy (prone)
• have head lag when he is pulled from lying to sitting - so you need to support his head
• shows primitive reflexes like stepping and placing
Fine Motor and Vision Development
At 6 weeks of age, your baby will:
• fix and follow on your face
• turn his head and eyes to a light source
Speech, Language and Hearing Development
At 6 weeks, your child, if he is developing normally, will:
• respond to a bell or other similar noise
• stop whimpering (but not full blown crying) to the sound of a soothing voice
• coo responsively to your voice
Personal / Social Development
At 6 weeks, your infant will:
• suck well
• be starting to smile
• regard faces
3 months baby developmental milestones
Motor Development
At 3 months, your infant will:
• push up on his elbows when lying on his tummy (prone)
• still have some head lag when pulled up from lying to sitting but will have more head control
• take weight on bent knees when held in the standing position
• mostly have open hands
Fine Motor / Vision Development
At 3 months, your infant will:
• follow a face from side to side (so through 180 degrees)
• hold a rattle for a short time - will often bash chin with the rattle
• open and close his hands
• be very interested in his hands (hand regard)
• blink defensively
Speech and Language Development
At 3 months, your infant will:
• be vocalizing
• turn to sound especially familiar sounds like the sound of a spoon on the inside of a cup
• quieten to your voice
Personal / Social Development
At 3 months, your infant will be:
• smiling a lot
• enjoying bath time and other familiar routines
4 months baby developmental milestones
Motor Development
At 4 months, your infant will:
• no longer have head lag when pulled to sit from lying - so he now has head control
Fine Motor / Vision Development
At 4 months, your child, if he has normal baby developmental milestones, will be:
• playing with his fingers
5 month baby developmental milestones
Motor Development
At 5 months, if your child has reached normal baby developmental milestone, he will be able to:
• put his feet in his mouth while lying on the floor
Fine Motor / Vision Development
At 5 months, your infant will:
• reach for objects
• have a palmar grasp - so rakes objects with his hands and picks them up in his palm
6 month baby developmental milestones
Motor Development
At 6 months, if your child has reached normal baby developmental milestones, he will be able to:
• push up on extended elbows when lying prone (on his tummy)
• lift his head up when lying on his back
• anticipate being pulled to sit from lying by bracing his shoulders
• roll over - initially from front to back but then both ways
• take weight on his legs when he is held standing up
• sit unsupported for short periods in a tripod position - back slightly bent forward and arms forward with hands near feet
Fine Motor / Vision Development
At 6 months, your infant will:
• be extremely interested in his surroundings
• transfer objects from one hand to the other
• hold 2 cubes
• use both hands freely
• not be interested in objects that fall out of sight - no object permanence yet
Speech and Language Development
At 6 months, your child, if he is following normal baby developmental milestones, will be able to:
• babble using vowel sounds, eg. "goo", "ga"
• imitate sounds
• laugh out loud
Personal / Social Development
At 6 months, your infant will:
• take everything to his mouth
• put his hands to a feeding bottle
• still be friendly with strangers but will be becoming shy
When to be concerned
If your child has not reached the following baby developmental milestones or is demonstrating the following signs, see your doctor:
• not responsive to sound at 6 weeks of age
• has a permanent fist and not opening his hands at 6 weeks of age
• not fixing or following at 3 months of age
• not smiling at 3 months of age
• not sitting with support by 6 months of age
• not babbling by 6 months of age
• has a persistent squint at 6 months of age
TO Be Continue...
Infant Milestones: 12 months to 24 months
Toddler Milestones: 2 years to 3 years
Child Developmental Milestone Progress: 3 years to 4 years
Useful Resource from:http://www.baby-medical-questions-and-answers.com/toddler-behavior.html
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