What do we mean by ‘developmental milestones’?
In the first two years of life, infants start to experience the world and the people surrounding them. They begin to communicate and to move around, they learn how they can influence objects or trigger reactions in people… in other words, they develop a tremendous number of new skills!
Some of these skills, like grasping an object, taking the first steps or waving “bye-bye”, serve as developmental checkpoints and are called ‘milestones’. Each milestone is expected to be achieved by a child by a certain age.
Guide to developmental milestones
Below is a table which may help explain what we mean by developmental milestones (please don’t worry if your child is not reaching them as these are guidelines only and each child is different).
Months | Social & self-help | Language | Gross Motor | Fine Motor |
1 months | Looks briefly at faces | Startled reaction to loud noises | Turns head to side when on stomach | Grasps reflexively |
2 months | Smiles socially | Makes short vowel sounds | Lifts head when on stomach | Opens and closes hands |
4 months | Laughs aloud | Turns to voice | Rolls over | Grasps objects |
6 months | Engages with expressive babbling in “conversation” | Babbles | Moves in different directions | Explores objects in both hands, on surfaces, and in mouth |
9 months | Uses basic social gestures (like “bye-bye”) | Says “dadada” and “mamama” unspecifically | Crawls on hands and knees Pulls itself to stand Sits well Transitions between different positions | Throws objects and observes outcome/reaction of caregiver |
12 months | Imitates gestures | Uses first words specifically | Takes first steps holding onto furniture/hand | Uses 2-finger pincer grasp |
15 months | Imitates actions (like writing, cleaning, cooking) | Follows a verbal command | Starts to walk independently | Empties drawers, purses |
18 months | Helps dress and undress self | Identifies body parts | Squats to pick up toy | Scribbles on paper |
24 months | Eats with a spoon | Combines 2-3 words to small phrases | Kicks ball | Turns book pages |
How are childhood milestones monitored?
Your child’s development should be checked regularly by your paediatrician or family doctor. But you as parent should also keep track of the most important milestones – for both monitoring purposes and to celebrate your child’s achievements.
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Parental monitoring of milestones
Parents observe their infant’s growth and learning daily. Make notes of your child’s newly acquired skills and bring these notes to medical check-ups. They will serve as reference and can help to identify peculiarities or concerns early.
Some of the most important milestones are: social smiling, head lifting in prone, grasping an object, use of basic gestures, use of first specific words, crawling on hands and knees, taking their first independent steps and combining two or more words.
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Developmental screening and evaluation
This is carried out by an early childhood professional and should occur regularly (around every few months). A developmental assessment determines if your child reaches the milestones as expected or if any further evaluation is needed.
Regular screenings ensure that children who need support get the support as early as possible.
What should I do if my child does not reach a milestone at the expected age?
If you have any questions or concerns regarding your child’s development, don’t hesitate to reach out to a professional. Every child is unique and every child will develop and grow according to their own unique pattern. But only a professional screening assessment will determine if your child needs support.
As a doctor with extensive paediatric experience, I know that early identification of an issue is best for the ongoing development of a child. Please come in for a developmental screening where we can evaluate your child’s development and can discuss with you ways in which you can help your child to grow and learn.
Dr Nicole Plesko PD (Zurich, Switzerland)
Dr Nicole is a children’s doctor based at Osler Health Star Vista. Dr Nicole trained in Switzerland and has extensive experience in assessing children’s development. Apart from consulting in English, she also speaks German and French.
