Is Your Baby On-Track? 8 Important Milestones for Infants and Toddlers

10:01 AM, Sep 27, 2018
9:32 AM, Jan 17, 2019

Having a baby is a tremendous milestone in your life! But what can you expect in theirs? Parents naturally worry about their child’s physical and emotional development. 

Angela Nelmark, Support Services Supervisor at the Family Outreach office in Helena, says child development experts have created developmental milestones for children of all ages. Skills such as smiling, babbling and taking a first step are all milestones. 

“Children develop at different rates, and they may develop faster in one area than another.” says Nelmark, “If you have any concerns about your child’s development and whether they are meeting these milestones, call us for a free screening.” 

Below are the 8 developmental milestones that parents can expect for infants and toddlers up to age 3.

  1. At Two Months

Babies smile and pay attention to faces by the time they reach two months old. Cooing and turning their head toward different sounds, holding their heads up, and pushing up when lying on their tummy are other achievements marked by this age. 

  1. At Four Months

Parents can expect four-month-old babies to exhibit social traits by smiling and playing with people. They babble and produce different cries depending on what they want. They respond to affection, reach for things with one hand and watch faces intently.  Babies will also bring their hand to their mouth, push up to elbows when lying on their stomach, and hold a toy and shake it.

  1. At Six Months

Mobility is the name of the game for six-month-olds babies. At this stage, they can roll over, sit without support, support their weight on their legs and might bounce when standing.  They’re curious about things, which end up in their mouths. They know familiar faces and respond to their own name.

  1. At Nine Months

Has your baby said mama or dada yet? Nine-month-old babies make discernible sounds like this and have favorite toys and people. They can pull themselves up to a sitting or standing position and point at all the things that interest them. They are also crawling, which means an extra layer of baby proofing is in order.

  1. At One Year

By the time your child has reached one year of age, fun games such as peek-a-boo emerge. He or she may respond to spoken requests, waving at people, using a cup, and putting things into containers.  This is when it feels like your baby has grown so much—and not just physically.

  1. At 18 Months

Child development experts look to see if children are walking alone, eating with a spoon and saying a few words at eighteen months. Children at this age know what ordinary objects are for (like phones), pretend to feed dolls and stuffed animals and like to hand things to others. 

  1. At Two Years 

Are you ready to chase your toddler around? Two-year-olds assert their independence by standing, walking on tip toes and even running at this age. They have mastered the art of “no!” and can say short phrases. They can even follow directions—but might not want to! And watch out because they are repeating things they hear.

  1. At 3 Years

Children at 3 years old can run, navigate stairs, and perform simple tasks like turning a door handle, or the pages of a book one at a time. They can also recite their first name and age by now, and dress themselves except for maybe tying shoes. 

Family Outreach is a private, non-profit agency providing education and support services to children and adults with intellectual disabilities, or developmental delays, in the Bozeman, Butte and Helena areas. These services include early intervention, autism insurance services, children’s waiver, supported employment and supported living. 

Families receive services in their homes to provide support and resources that enhance cognitive, language, social emotional and physical development through everyday learning opportunities.

If you have questions about your child’s development, visit familyoutreach.org or call (403) 443-7370.  You can also visit http://www.cdc.gov/milestones for more information on your child’s development.

CONTACT OUR HELENA LOCATION

1212 Helena Ave.
Helena, MT 59601
(406)443-3083

www.familyoutreach.org

Family Resources and Educatioin

Early Intervention

Supporting Adult Living

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