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Developmental Milestones
As your baby begins to show interest in you and in what's around her or him, you will begin to expect your baby to do things like rolling over, sitting up, and crawling. Show your happiness as she or he learns new movements, but be patient and understanding as your baby develops at her or his own pace (i.e., correct your baby's age). Also remember that your baby's personality and her or his health can affect progress.
The following pages show how premature infants usually develop according to their corrected age (adjusted age). Use this as a general guide to follow your child's progress. Some children may skip some of these stages, which may or may not affect later learning ability. It is important to contact your family doctor, pediatrician or developmental specialist if you notice areas in which your child is delayed.
Don't Forget!
To prevent "flat head" and reduce the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), always place your baby on her or his:
- Tummy to play
- Back to sleep
Age: 1 Month Corrected Age
Age: 3 Months Corrected Age
Age: 6 Months Corrected Age
Age: 9 Months Corrected Age
Age: 12 Months Corrected Age
Age: 18 Months Corrected Age
Age: 24 Months Corrected Age
Age: 1 Month Corrected Age
| Gross Motor: | Lifts head for a few seconds when lying on stomach |
| Fine Motor: | Hands make fists with opening and closing; brings hands to mouth; stares at objects and lights |
| Cognitive: | Begins to react to stimulation (light, sound, touch) |
| Communication: | Cries to make needs known; listens and calms down to your voice; makes eye contact |
| Social: | Looks at face; enjoys being talked to and held |
Age: 3 Months Corrected Age
| Gross Motor: | Fairly good head control on tummy and in supported position; lifts head and chest when lying on stomach; uses both arms and both legs in play |
|
| Fine Motor: | Holds on to a rattle; follows slow-moving objects with eyes; brings hands together on the chest | |
| Cognitive: | Begins to use body movements on purpose (bats at mobile, bounces in seat); tries to repeat these movements | |
| Communication: | Coos and laughs; has different cries for different needs (hungry, hurt, bored) | |
| Social: | Smiles easily |
Age: 6 Months Corrected Age
Gross Motor: |
Rolls and begins to sit well without support; rests on one arm while lying on side; pulls forward with arms while lying on side; pulls forward with arms while lying on stomach |
| Fine Motor: | Reaches and grasps with both hands; moves toys from hand to hand |
| Cognitive: | Shakes rattle; starts to copy your movements and begins smiling and frowning; more interested in surroundings and in the results of actions |
| Communication: | Babbles, laughs, coos; turns to look at new sounds |
Social: |
Awareness of strangers; smiles at reflection in the mirror |
Warning Signs
Consult your family doctor, pediatrician or a specialist in development if your child shows any of these signs at this age:
- Has difficulty lifting hands and pushing up on arms while lying on stomach
- Cannot stay lying on side to play with toys
- Is not sitting, even with support
- Is not rolling or is rolling by arching neck and back
- Makes no effort to reach or bat at objects
- Does not move head toward a sound or search for objects with eyes
- Grasps an object weakly or holds only for a moment
- Keeps hands fisted and/or keeps her thumb inside fist
- Is not able to get hands to mouth or together
- Continues to have trouble taking a bottle or first solids
- Does not coo or babble
Age: 9 Months Corrected Age
| Gross Motor: | Gets into and out of sitting position on all fours independently; crawls on hands and knees |
| Fine Motor: | Points with index finger |
| Cognitive: | Takes toys in and out of containers |
| Communication: | Begins to use simple baby words ("dada" or "mama") |
| Social: | Worried about strangers; strong attachment to parents |
Age: 12 Months Corrected Age
| Gross Motor: | Walks alone (may take up to 15 months) |
| Fine Motor: | Uses thumb and pointer finger to grasp small finger foods; drops objects into a small container |
| Cognitive: | Begins to use objects for specific functions (comb to comb hair); begins to understand that behaviour will cause a response |
| Communication: | Says at least 2 words in addition to "mama" and "dada"; recognizes own name; imitates familiar words |
| Social: | Shy, but enjoys attention and play; shows affection and cuddles |
Warning Signs
Consult your family doctor, pediatrician or a specialist in development if your child shows any of these signs at this age:
- Is sitting but not able to sit independently
- Is crawling or "bunny hopping" by moving both legs forward at the same time
- Is not easily able to pick up small objects, such as finger foods
- Does not search for a hidden object
- Does not use hard and soft sounds together ("ba", "da")
- Does not look at books for short periods of time. (Keep in mind that if your baby is busy learning to crawl and walk, she or he may not have much interest in sit-down activities. Encourage your baby to spend some time doing "quiet" activities, such as looking at books.)
- Does not respond to simple familiar speech routines, such as pat-a-cake
- Uses one side of body much more often than the other
Age: 18 Months Corrected Age
| Gross Motor: | Walks up steps while holding on to support; "runs" |
| Fine Motor: | Builds tower with 3-4 blocks |
| Cognitive: | Begins thinking ahead; begins to understand the difference between good and bad behaviour |
| Communication: | Points to three basic body parts; follows simple requests; knows and names 2-5 familiar objects; uses 10-20 words, including names; combines 2 words ("all gone" or "bye-bye") |
| Social: | Helps with simple tasks; copies other people's actions |
Warning Signs
Consult your family doctor, pediatrician or a specialist in development if your child shows any of these signs at this age:
- Does not walk, or constantly walks on tip-toe
- Does not copy sounds or make any sounds that mean a word ("doodie" for cookie)
- Cannot build a tower with blocks
- Is more interested in putting toys in mouth during play than playing with them using hands
- Understands less than eight words
Age: 24 Months Corrected Age
| Gross Motor: | Changes feet while going up stairs; kicks ball |
| Fine Motor: | Stacks 6 cubes; turns book pages one at a time |
| Cognitive: | Matches circle, square, triangle; understands the use of many objects |
| Communication: | Puts two words together; understands simple questions; asks for a drink |
| Social: | Washes and dries hands; helps get dressed |
Warning Signs
Consult your family doctor, pediatrician or a specialist in development if your child shows any of these signs at this age:
- Does not put two words together
- Does not identify basic objects or pictures of basic objects
- Plays mostly by copying others and does not begin play
- Has poor balance and control (falls or trips a lot more than other infants of the same age)
- Cannot complete a simple puzzle or shape sorter
- Does not follow simple commands, such as "give me"
- Does not know basic body parts