What Early Childhood Milestones Are Important to Track BY VICTORIA MIKOTA
20 MAY 2024 | NOLAFAMILY.COM • Moves arms and kicks • Reacts to noises and understands voices • Cries and fusses • Starting to look closely at objects • Begins to smile at people If you want to encourage your baby’s development during this time, experts recommend: • Singing • Talking and smiling at your baby YOUR BABY AT 2 MONTHS At two months, your baby is smiling at faces and taking in their new world. Babies at this age are social and love to interact with their parents. Their neck muscles are growing bigger and stronger, and they can hold their heads up for a longer time. They can identify and understand the tone, emotions, and comfort in your voice. WHAT YOUR BABY IS LEARNING While every baby is different, here are a few common milestones your baby may reach in this age group: • Lifts head when on stomach Every child grows and develops within their own timeframe. As a parent, it can be difficult to remember not to compare your child’s progress to the children of your relatives or friends. One child may begin speaking early on, while another child may take more time. Rolling over, crawling, walking, and talking are all considered milestones. While the metric for measuring your child’s progress seems black and white, it is in no way a predictor of your child’s intelligence, talents, or future successes. Childhood milestones are different for each age range. These milestones develop over time, forming the foundation for growth and continued learning. In this guide, we explore the early childhood milestones, what they mean, and how to track them.
throughout the day while bathing, dressing, feeding, or playing with your baby • Playing new sounds for your baby • Reading books out loud • Looking into a mirror with your baby YOUR BABY AT 4 MONTHS At 4 months, your baby is growing into even more of a social butterfly. Babies at this age love to make sounds like babbling, cooing, and mimicking other sounds they hear. They love to play and copy the movements of others. Also, your baby’s cries will begin to sound different as they learn to use their voice to communicate between tiredness, hunger, discomfort, and frustration. WHAT YOUR BABY IS LEARNING Here are some milestones your baby may reach during this developmental period: • Smiles on their own • Chuckles • Looks at parents, moves, or makes sounds to get attention • Makes sounds like “ooh” and “aah” • Briefly holds a small object • Pushes up on arms while on stomach • Brings both hands to their mouth YOUR BABY AT 6 MONTHS At 6 months, your baby is as social as ever. Your baby will use sounds to express emotion and will begin to recognize familiar faces. They mimic sounds they hear, like, “Ma, Da, Ba, Ah, Oh,” and even “No!” At six months, your baby will soon be on their way to crawling. WHAT YOUR BABY IS LEARNING NOW • Recognizes familiar faces • Sitting
• Turns head toward sounds • Makes sounds to express emotion • Hand coordination • Rolling over • Begins to pass objects from one hand to the other To encourage your baby’s development at this stage, take time to make music part of each day and continue to talk and sing with your baby. Get on the floor and play with your child, point and name pictures, praise your baby, and use big smiles and gestures. YOUR BABY AT 9 MONTHS By 9 months, your baby is getting mobile! Babies at this age are crawling and can begin to pull up to stand. At this age, it’s important to incorporate safety into your daily routines, as your baby’s mobility and curiosity grow. Your baby now responds to his or her name, loves to cuddle with family, and may show While babies may progress at different rates, here are a few things to keep in mind during this developmental period: • Uses toys to make noise • Grasps smaller objects with hands and fingers • Sits, crawls, and pulls up to stand • Turns pages in books • Fills and dumps things • Makes sounds and gestures to communicate • Starts to cling to adults they’re familiar with • Might be afraid of strangers YOUR BABY AT 1 YEAR After baby’s first birthday, the rate at which they grow begins to decrease. By 1, your baby is officially a toddler. Toddlers are more active, curious, and expressive. Your toddler may begin to use words, stand on his or her own, and take a few steps. shyness or fear of strangers. WHAT YOUR BABY IS LEARNING NOW
• Brings objects to mouth • Likes to look in the mirror • Reaches and grasps toys • Shakes and bangs rattle • Responds to own name
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