Any pediatric office you walk into will have a chart of infant milestones for you to check out. Observing you infant reaching each milestone isn’t difficult but frankly sometimes we get so busy with our lives that the obvious isn’t staring at us.
A handout from our pediatrician’s office explains infant milestones consist of five major skill sets: gross motor, fine motor, language, thinking and social interaction skills. According to Marat Zeltsman, DO, of Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital; a developmental delay is when a child does not reach a milestone by the upper range of normal.
My two kids are as different as hot and cold. My baby girl took her first step at 16 months and she was talking in complex sentences around 4 months! Now, my son he was completely the opposite. He held his head up by day 5 and was trying to climb chairs at 7 months while never muttering a word until 24 months. I know what your thinking so let me squash it, yes, they had the same daddy! Again, infant milestones can be different for each individual child.
Knowing when your infant is supposed to hit a milestone just got a whole lot easier. Even though infants can be as different as night and day, they generally develop certain skills by a certain age range. So, how can you tell the difference between a child who is just taking their own sweet time and one who has a true developmental delay?
Using input from the CDC and the American Academy of Pediatrics, WebMD compiled a rough timeline of milestones that I think is really smart. Remember, your infant doesn’t have to exactly match this timeline but still be within the range of normal. Always discuss any concerns with your pediatrician.
Timeline of Childhood Milestones
| 2 Months | Smiles at the sound of your voice |
| 3 Months | Raises head and chest when lying on stomach, Grasps objects, Smiles at other people |
| 4 Months | Babbles, laughs, and tries to imitate sounds |
| 6 Months | Rolls from back to stomach and stomach to back, Moves objects from hand to hand |
| 7 Months | Responds to own name, Finds partially hidden objects |
| 9 Months | Sits without support, Crawls |
| 12 Months | Walks with or without support, Saysat least one word, Enjoys imitating people |
| 18 Months | Walks independently, Drinks from a cup, Says at least 15 words |
| 2 Years | Runs, Speaks in two-word sentences Follows simple instructions, Begins make-believe play |
Federal law mandates free and appropriate interventions for all children with disabilities. To find resources in your state, visit the National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities at www.nichcy.org.
Now that the infant milestones are uncovered for you, don’t panic! If your little one isn’t doing exactly what is on this timeline chart, its ok and be a little patient. The best thing any new parent can do is talk to their child’s doctor regularly. That means not missing any check up appointments.
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