0-3 Month Milestones-

Motor Milestones
  • While lying on tummy, pushes up on arms
  • While lying on tummy, lifts and holds head up
  • Able to move fists from closed to open
  • Able to bring hands to mouth
  • Moves legs and arms off of surface when excited
Sensory Milestones
  • While lying on back, attempts to reach for a toy held above their chest
  • While lying on back, visually tracks a moving toy from side to side
  • While lying on back, keeps head centered to watch faces or toys
  • Able to calm with rocking, touching, and gentle sounds
  • Enjoys a variety of movements
Communication Milestones
  • Quiets or smiles in response to sound or voice
  • Turns head towards sound or voice
  • Shows interest in faces
  • Makes eye contact
  • Cries differently for different needs
  • Coos and smiles
Feeding Milestones
  • Latches onto nipple or bottle
  • Tongue moves forward and back to suck
  • Drinks 2 oz. to 6 oz. of liquid per feeding, 6 times per day
  • Sucks and swallows well during feeding

7-9 Month Milestones

Motor Milestones
  • Sits without support
  • Sits and reaches for toys without falling
  • Moves from tummy or back into sitting
  • Starts to move with alternate leg and arm movement e.g. creeping, crawling
  • Picks up head and pushes through elbows during Tummy Time
  • Turns head to visually track objects while sitting
  • Shows more control while rolling and sitting
  • Picks up small objects with thumbs and fingers
  • In simple play imitates others
Sensory Milestones
  • Enjoys a variety of movements – bouncing up and down, rocking back and forth
  • Explores and examines an object using both hands and mouth
  • Turns several pages of a chunky (board) book at once
  • Experiments with the amount of force needed to pick up different objects
  • Focuses on objects near and far
  • Investigates shapes, sizes, and textures of toys and surroundings
  • Observes environment from a variety of positions – while lying on back or tummy, sitting, crawling, and standing with assistance
  • Communication Milestones
  • Uses increased variety of sounds and syllable combinations in babbling
  • Looks at familiar objects and people when named
  • Recognizes sound of their name
  • Participates in two-way communication
  • Follows some routine commands when paired with gestures
  • Shows recognition of commonly used words
  • Simple gestures, e.g. shaking head for “no”
  • Imitates sounds
Feeding Milestones
  • In a highchair, holds and drinks from a bottle
  • Begins to eat thicker pureed and mashed table foods
  • Enjoys chew toys that can massage sore and swollen gums during teething
  • Stays full longer after eating
  • Starts to look and reach for objects, such as, food that is nearby
  • Shows strong reaction to new smells and tastes

13-18 Month Milestones

Motor Milestones
  • Walks independently
  • Squats to pick up a toy
  • Stacks two objects
  • Sensory Milestones
  • Helps with getting dressed/undressed
  • Has a regular sleep schedule
  • Eats an increasing variety of foods
  • Communication Milestones
By 15 months:
  • May use 5-10 words
  • Combines sounds and gestures
  • Imitates simple words and actions
  • Consistently follows simple directions
  • Shows interest in pictures
  • Can identify 1-2 body parts when named
  • Understands 50 words
By 18 months:
  • Responds to questions
  • Repeats words overheard in conversation
  • Continues to produce speech-like babbling
  • Points at familiar objects and people in pictures
  • Understands “in” and “on”
  • Responds to yes/no questions with head shake/nod
Feeding Milestones
  • Increases variety of coarsely chopped table foods
  • Holds and drinks from a cup

4-6 Month Milestones

Motor Milestones
  • Uses hands to support self while sitting
  • Rolls from back to tummy and tummy to back
  • While standing with support, accepts entire weight with legs
  • Reaches for nearby toys while on tummy
  • While lying on back, reaches both hands to play with feet
  • While lying on back, transfers a toy from one hand to the other
Sensory Milestones
  • Uses both hands to explore toys
  • Generally happy when not hungry or tired
  • Brings hands and objects to mouth
  • Able to calm with rocking, touching, and gentle sounds
  • Is not upset by everyday sounds
  • Enjoys a variety of movements
Communication Milestones
  • Reacts to sudden noises or sounds
  • Listens and responds when spoken to
  • Begins to use consonant sounds in babbling, e.g. “da, da, da”
  • Makes different kinds of sounds to express feelings
  • Notices toys that make sounds
  • Uses babbling to get attention
Feeding Milestones
  • Shows interest in food
  • Opens mouth as spoon approaches
  • Moves pureed food from front of mouth to back
  • Begins to eat cereals and pureed foods – Smooth, pureed food (single ingredient only), like carrots, sweet potato, squash, apples, pears

10-12 Month Milestones

Motor Milestones
  • Pulls to stand and cruises along furniture
  • Stands alone and takes several independent steps
  • Moves in and out of various positions to explore environment and get desired toys
  • Maintains balance in sitting when throwing objects
  • Claps hands
  • Releases objects into a container with a large opening
  • Uses thumb and pointer finger to pick up tiny objects
  • Sensory Milestones
  • Enjoys listening to songs
  • Explores toys with fingers and mouth
  • Crawls to or away from objects baby sees in the distance
  • Communication Milestones
  • Meaningfully uses “mama” or “dada”
  • Responds to simple directions, e.g. “Come here”
  • Produces long strings of gibberish (jargoning) in social communication
  • Says one or two words
  • Imitates speech sounds
  • Babbling has sounds and rhythms of speech
  • Pays attention to where you are looking and pointing
  • Responds to “no”
  • Begins using hand movements to communicate wants and needs, e.g. reaches to be picked up
  • Feeding Milestones
  • Finger feeds self
  • Eats an increasing variety of food
  • Begins to use an open cup
  • Ready to try soft-cooked vegetables, soft fruits, and finger foods (banana slices, cooked pasta)
  • Might be ready to start self feeding with utensils
  • Enjoys a greater variety of smells and tastes

19 – 24 Month Milestones

Communication Milestones
By 21 Months:
  • Uses at least 50 words
  • Consistently imitates new words
  • Names objects and pictures
  • Understands simple pronouns (me, you, my)
  • Identifies 3-5 body parts when named
  • Understands new words quickly
By 24 months:
  • Begins to use 2 word phrases
  • Uses simple pronouns (me, you, my)
  • Understands action words
  • Uses gestures and words during pretend play
  • Follows 2-step related directions e.g. “Pick up your coat and bring it to me”
  • Enjoys listening to stories

2 – 3 Year Milestones

Communication Milestones
By 30 months:
  • Consistently uses 2-3 word phrases
  • Uses “in” and “on”
  • At least 50% of speech is understood by caregiver
  • Follows 2-step unrelated directions, e.g. “give me the ball and go get your coat”
  • Understands basic nouns and pronouns
  • Understands “mine” and “yours”
By 36 months:
  • Asks “what” and “where” questions
  • Uses plurals, e.g. “dogs”
  • Most speech is understood by caregiver
  • Simple understanding of concepts including color, space, time
  • Understands “why” questions
  • Understands most simple sentences