DEVELOPMENTAL MILESTONES FOR BABIES ACCORDING TO AGE

What are developmental milestones?

During the first year of life, babies grow and develop quite fast. Parents are advised to keep an open eye for every milestone their baby achieves and compare it with expected milestone achievement charts according to their baby’s age. This comparison will help parents in spotting if their baby is going ahead or lagging behind. If you are concerned about any developmental delays in your baby you should immediately visit a Child specialist in Lahore for their proper evaluation and diagnosis.

Take a look below to know about all the milestones that your baby will develop in the first few years of their life.

●      Milestones at 1 month:

A month old baby should be able to:

1. Bring hands within range of their mouth and eyes
2. Keep hands in tight fists
3. Make arm thrusts
4. Move their head from side to side when lying on stomach
5. Recognise few sounds
6. Prefer seeing human faces
7. Focus at least 8 inches
8. May turn towards familiar voices
9. Recognise the scent of their mother’s breast milk
10. Prefer soft sensations and dislike rough handling

●      Milestones at 3 months:

A 3 month old baby should be able to:

1. Raise their head along with chest when lying on stomach
2. Support upper body while lying on stomach
3. Bring their hand to their mouth
4. Catch dangling objects with hands
5. Hold and shake hand toys
6. Begin babbling
7. Turn their head towards the direction of sound
8. Use hands and eyes in coordination
9. Develop a social smile
10. Enjoy playing with people
11. Imitate a few sounds and facial expressions

●      Milestones at 7 months:

A 7 month old baby should be able to:

1. Roll from front to back and back to front
2. Sit with and without support of their hands
3. Support her whole body weight on her legs
4. Transfer toys or objects from one hand to another
5. Recognise and respond to their own name
6. Express displeasure and joy with their voice
7. Explore things with hands and mouth
8. Enjoy playing with parents and other people

●      Milestones at 1 year:

A 1 year old baby should be able to:

1. Crawl forward
2. Sit without assistance
3. Change their position from sitting to crawling
4. Pull themselves up to stand
5. Walk by holding onto furniture
6. Put objects in and out of the container
7. Walk at least a few steps without support
8. Understand and respond to simple verbal requests
9. Say “Mama”
10. Find partially hidden objects
11. Cries when mother or father leaves
12. Repeat sounds and gestures
13. Finger feed themself

●      Milestones at 2 years:

A 2 year old baby should be able to:

1. Walk on their own and run
2. Walk up and down the stairs with support
3. Kick a ball
4. Build tower of blocks
5. Carry a few toys while walking
6. Recognise familiar sounds, words, objects and people
7. Use and understand simple phrases
8. Begin sorting colors and shapes
9. Become enthusiastic when accompanied by other children
10. Imitate adult’s behaviour

●      Milestones at 4 years:

A 4 year old baby should be able to:

1. Catch a bounced ball
2. Hop and stand on one foot for more than 5 seconds
3. Move forward and backward fast
4. Copy shapes
5. Use scissors
6. Have a sense of time
7. Speak clear sentences
8. Recall and tell stories
9. Dress and undress themself
10. Cooperate with other children and people

Every child is different so their developmental patterns are different too. The developmental milestones that we have listed above will give you an idea of when you should expect your child to develop them.

But we suggest that parents shouldn’t be alarmed if their child’s development is taking a slightly different course. However they should still be in touch with Child specialist in Karachi to stay on the safe side.