Abby Barnes, M.S., CCC-SLP
Developmental milestones are behaviors and skills that babies, toddlers, and children typically learn at certain ages. These milestones include skills related to communication, movement, learning, feeding, and social and emotional growth. Not all children learn these skills at the exact same age, but milestones are good general guidance to understand how your child is developing.
Key takeaways
Monitoring childhood developmental milestones helps ensure your child is developing skills appropriately.
Developmental milestones include skills related to communication, movement, social and emotional growth, learning and cognition, and feeding.
Your pediatrician will help track your child’s developmental milestones.
Speech, occupational, and physical therapy can help kids who may be behind in reaching their milestones.
What are developmental milestones?
When it comes to raising a child, there’s definitely a lot to keep track of. From diaper changes and meals, to daycare and school, parents learn and make decisions every day. Throw in childhood developmental milestones, and it can feel a little overwhelming!
It helps to start by understanding just what these milestones are. Developmental milestones include skills related to:
Speech and communication
Movement and motor skills
Social and emotional growth
Learning and cognition
Feeding
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) sets specific milestones for newborns to 5-year-olds. These are skills that 75% of children can perform at certain ages.
Developmental milestones are important. They help healthcare providers track whether a baby, toddler, or child is developing in an age-expected way. If they aren’t, this helps identify areas where they may need support.
How are developmental milestones tracked?
Developmental milestones can be monitored in a few ways. At each well checkup with your child’s pediatrician, they will assess your child’s development. They will look at how your child is developing in all areas.
Sometimes the doctor can physically assess your child’s abilities. For example, they can watch whether a baby is starting to sit up on their own, or how well a toddler is walking. Other times they may need to ask you questions. They might ask, “Has your baby said their first word?” Or “Does your baby respond to their name?”
If your doctor finds that your child is behind in any areas, they may refer you to physical, occupational, or speech therapy. These professionals can perform a full assessment to determine whether your child needs therapy, and if so, in what areas.
You can keep an eye on your child’s development at home, too! The first step is to get familiar with the expected milestones for your child’s age. If you notice anything that gives you concern, or even if you just have questions, tell your doctor.
Checklist: Key communication milestones by age
From the early coos and babbles that babies make, all the way to talking in sentences, kids' communication skills keep growing month by month. Here are the key speech and language milestones to watch for in your child’s first few years:
2 months
Make sounds other than crying
4 months
Coos
Makes sounds back to you when you talk to them
6 months
Takes turns making sounds with you
9 months
Babbles with sounds like “mamamama” and “bababababa”
Lifts arms up to be picked up
When do babies start babbling? Discover the types of babbling, what they mean, and simple ways to help your baby learn to talk.
1 year
Waves goodbye
Calls a parent “mama” or “dada” or another special name
Understands when you say “no,” pausing briefly or stopping in response
18 months
Tries to say three or more words, besides “mama” or “dada”
Follows your simple spoken directions, without you making any gestures like pointing
2 years
Says at least two words together, like “more milk”
Uses more gestures than just waving and pointing
30 months
Says about 50 words
Says two or more words that include one action word, such as “Dog barks”
Names things in a book when you point and ask
3 years
Talks with you in conversation by using at least two back-and-forth exchanges
Asks “who,” “what,” “where,” or “why” questions
Talk clearly enough for others to understand most of the time
4 years
Says sentences with four or more words
Answers simple questions, like “What is your favorite food?”
5 years
Answers simple questions about a book or story
Keeps a conversation going with more than three back-and-forth exchanges
Learn more in our age-based checklists for communication milestones. These articles give you an in-depth review of the skills speech therapists expect to see at different ages and stages:
Remember that the sooner a child gets support for a communication delay, the better it is for their development. Alexis Irazoque, M.S., L/SLP, an Expressable speech therapist, encourages families to take action early on. “Don’t wait to talk to a speech therapist if you have the slightest feeling your child may need extra help,” she says. “Speech therapists are trained to intervene early and provide both you and your child with expert techniques to grow their communication skills.”
Curious or concerned?
Our free screener is tailored by age and covers all areas of speech, language, and feeding. Find out if your child might need speech therapy.
Screener for childrenChecklist: Key motor development milestones by age
Motor developmental milestones for babies and kids are all about movement. They cover what your child is able to physically do as they get older: pushing up during tummy time, rolling, pulling to stand, walking, and so much more.
Take a minute to review some of the main motor developmental milestones to see how your child is doing:
2 months
Holds their head up when on their tummy
Opens hands briefly
4 months
Holds head steady without support
Holds a toy when you put it in their hands
Pushes up onto elbows or forearms when on tummy
6 months
Rolls from tummy to back
Pushes up with straight arms when on their tummy
Here are some of the best activities for entertaining your 6-month-old baby and growing their speech and language skills.
9 months
Gets to a sitting position alone
Sits without support
1 year
Pulls up to stand (12 months)
18 months
Walks without holding on
Climbs on and off a couch or chair without help
2 years
Kicks a ball
Runs
Walks up a few stairs
4 years
Catches a large ball most of the time
5 years
Hops on one foot
Looking for things to do with a 2-year-old? Get 8 easy, expert-approved activities that keep toddlers busy and support speech and language.
Motor development also includes fine motor skills, which are the small, precise movements we make using our hands and fingers. These movements help kids do everyday tasks like picking up objects, writing, or buttoning clothes. The CDC lists some of these milestones as follows:
12 months
Picks things up between thumb and pointer finger
18 months
Scribbles
30 months
Uses hands to twist things
Turns book pages one at a time
3 years
Strings items together
Uses a fork
4 years
Serves themselves food or pours water with supervision
Unbuttons some buttons
Holds a crayon or pencil between fingers and thumb
5 years
Buttons some buttons
Children who have trouble with fine motor skills often benefit from occupational therapy. Isayda Bell, M.S., OTR/L, an occupational therapist with Expressable, works with many kids who have fine motor delays. “Occupational therapy can help children grow leaps and bounds in their fine motor skills. OTs find ways to make working on these goals fun and motivating,” she says.
Like speech therapy, early intervention for OT often leads to the best results. You can read more about fine motor milestones and how OT can support children here:
Fine motor skills are the small hand and finger movements we use for everyday tasks. Learn examples, activities, and how to support your child’s development at home.
Checklist: Key social and emotional milestones by age
You may not realize it, but social and emotional skills start developing in infancy. These skills are how your child learns to understand their feelings and connect with other people. Smiling, laughing, and playing simple games are some milestones to watch for in your child’s development.
Below are some of the main milestones in social and emotional development to watch for throughout early childhood:
2 months
Begins to smile at people
Can briefly calm themselves (may suck on their hand)
Tries to look at parent
4 months
Smiles on their own to get your attention
Looks at you, moves, or makes sounds to keep your attention
6 months
Knows familiar people
Laughs
9 months
May be afraid of strangers
May be clingy with familiar adults
Has favorite toys
12 months
Plays games with you, like pat-a-cake
18 months
Points to show you something interesting
Looks at a few pages in a book with you
Helps you dress them by pushing arm through sleeve or lifting up foot
2 years
Notices when others are hurt or upset
Looks at your face to see how to react in a new situation
Find out how to calm a dysregulated child, help a child with big emotions, and teach your child emotional regulation skills.
30 months
Calms down within 10 minutes after you leave them
3 years
Notices other children and joins them to play
4 years
Pretends to be something else during play (teacher, superhero, dog)
Comforts others who are hurt or sad
Likes to be a “helper”
5 years
Follows rules or take turns when playing games with other children
Sings, dances, or acts for you
Does simple chores at home, like matching socks or clearing the table after eating
Speech therapy and occupational therapy can support social and emotional skills. In many cases, a child may also need support with their communication, motor, or sensory processing skills as well. If your child is having trouble with some of these social and emotional milestones, talk to your pediatrician. They can make the right referral for you.
Looking for an occupational therapist?
Teletherapy makes it easy. We serve families with a range of needs across the U.S. Get started today!
Find an OTChecklist: Key cognitive milestones by age
Cognitive development is related to how kids learn to think and understand new concepts. Cognitive skills include problem solving, memory skills, and learning colors, letters, and numbers. They support a child’s ability to keep learning.
Here are some key cognitive developmental milestones from birth through age 5:
2 months
Watches you as you move
Looks at a toy for several seconds
4 months
Looks at their hands with interest
6 months
Puts things in their mouth to explore them
Reaches to grab a toy they want
9 months
Looks for objects when dropped out of sight
Bangs two things together
12 months
Puts something in a container
Looks for things they see you hide
18 months
Copies you doing chores
2 years
Plays with more than one toy at the same time
30 months
Uses things to pretend
Shows simple problem-solving skills
3 years
Draws a circle when you show them how
4 years
Names a few colors
Tells what comes next in a well-known story
Draws a person with three or more body parts
5 years
Counts to 10
Pays attention for 5 to 10 minutes
Writes some letters in their name
Expected reading and writing skills for 4-year-olds, kindergarteners, and first graders. Plus, what to do if your child has a reading problem.
Checklist: Key feeding milestones by age
At each checkup, your pediatrician will make sure your child is physically growing well. Eating well is a big part of that growth!
Babies start out needing to drink a certain amount of breastmilk or formula. Over time, they begin eating baby food and table foods. This transition is important for their growth and nutrition.
Oral-motor skills and sensory skills help support strong eating abilities. If a child is having difficulty transitioning to solids, or they choke, gag, or show discomfort when eating, a referral to speech therapy could be needed. Occupational therapy can help here, as well.
A child’s ability to feed themselves is often related to fine motor skills. This includes things like being able to pick up small pieces of food, drink from a cup, or eat with utensils. This is another area where an OT can help.
Here are several feeding and self-feeding milestones to be watching for as your child grows up:
6 months
Eats purees
9 months
Uses fingers to rake food toward themselves
Starts to tolerate very soft, bite-sized foods (between 9-12 months)
12 months
Drinks from a cup without a lid, as you hold it
Picks things up between thumb and pointer finger, like small bits of food
Learn the feeding and swallowing milestones for babies from birth to 12 months old, plus tips for transitioning your baby to using a cup.
18 months
Drinks from a cup without a lid, but may spill sometimes
Feeds themselves with their fingers
Tries to use a spoon
2 years
Eats with a spoon
3 years
Uses a fork
Learn the feeding and swallowing milestones for toddlers 12 to 36 months old, plus tips for helping your toddler try new foods.
What to do if your child isn’t meeting milestones
If you suspect that your child may need some extra support, talk to your pediatrician. They can help you make sense of developmental milestones and guide you on next steps.
At Expressable, we offer a free speech screener with questions tailored to your child’s age. It takes just a few minutes to complete, and the results will let you know if a speech evaluation is recommended.
You can also contact a speech therapist or occupational therapist directly for an evaluation. You know your child best—trust your gut! Get started and schedule an evaluation with Expressable here.
Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
Developmental milestones are important to monitor because they help you understand your child’s growth and whether they may need extra support. Speech, occupational, and physical therapists can help kids who have trouble meeting their milestones. They also support parents and caregivers, teaching them how to help their child at home and in everyday life.
The CDC does not consider crawling a milestone since some children skip this step. However, many professionals view this as an important milestone and would expect to see it at around 9 months old.
Babies should be sitting on their own, without support, by 9 months. They may practice sitting with support from a caregiver before then. Over time, their independence should increase so they can sit up on their own by 9 months of age.
Some babies start walking at around 12 months. The CDC says that babies should be walking on their own by 18 months. Every child is different, but this is good guidance. If your child is having trouble walking and isn’t making progress as they get close to 18 months old, talk with your pediatrician or a physical therapist.
Toddlers usually say their first word at around 12 to 15 months. By 18 months, they should be saying at least three words besides “mama” or “dada.” But keep in mind that babies start developing communication skills when they’re even younger. For example, they should be babbling lots of different sounds starting at around 9 months. These types of skills lead up to learning to talk.
How Expressable Can Help
Concerned your child isn't reaching age-expected milestones? Looking for communication support from a professional? Expressable is a national online speech and occupational therapy practice serving children and adults. We treat all major areas of communication, feeding, and developmental skills, offer flexible hours including evenings and weekends, and accept most major health insurance plans. We’re proud to have earned more than 4,500 5-star reviews from our clients (4.83/5 average).
Our therapy model is centered on parent and caregiver involvement. Research proves that empowering caregivers to participate in their loved one’s therapy leads to better outcomes. That’s why we combine live, 1-on-1 speech and occupational therapy with personalized education and home practice activities for faster progress.
