It’s quite interesting how your baby goes from being an image on an ultrasound to being a real life person. The first few years of a child’s life are a period of tremendous growth in all areas of a child’s development. From their first cry to their first step they grow in a blink of an eye.

Developmental milestones are behaviours or physical skills seen in infants and children as they grow; skills like crawling, taking the first steps, smiling for the first time, waving bye-bye. Generally, doctors use these events to monitor your baby’s growth and development and to see if your baby is developing as expected.

Every child develops at their own pace. Nonetheless, most children pass through specific changes at approximately the same time as they get older.

These milestones are grouped into 4 main domains, namely; motor milestones, sensory milestones, communication milestones and feeding milestones.

• Motor milestones: This has to do with movement and development of muscles.
• Communication milestones: This domain deals with speech and language development.
• Sensory milestones: These milestones track development of the baby’s senses (sight, hearing, taste, smell, touch, movement).
• Feeding milestones: This deals with your baby’s feeding habits and reactions to new kinds of food and feeding styles.

These core milestones are further grouped under age ranges. In this write-up let’s take a look at some of these milestones from 0 to 9 months.

From 0 – 3 months

Motor Milestones

• While lying on tummy, baby is able to push up on arms, lifts and holds head up and is able to move fists from closed to open.
• Baby can also bring hands to mouth, move legs and arms off of surface when excited

Sensory Milestones

• While lying on back, baby watches a moving toy from side to side, attempts to reach for a toy held above their chest.
• Baby also keeps head centered to watch faces or toys.

Communication Milestones

• Baby becomes quiet or smiles in response to sound or voice, turns head towards sound or voice and makes eye contact.
• Baby cries differently for different needs (e.g. hungry vs. tired).

Feeding Milestones

• Baby grabs and holds onto nipple or bottle.
• Baby is able to move tongue forward and back to suck. Sucks and swallows well during feeding

From 4- 6 months

Motor Milestones

• Baby uses hands to support self while sitting
• Rolls from back to tummy and tummy to back
• Baby can carry its entire weight when supported to stand
• Reaches for nearby toys while on tummy
• While lying on back, reaches out both hands to play with feet
• While lying on back, transfers a toy from one hand to the other

Sensory Milestones

• Uses both hands to explore toys
• Generally happy when not hungry or tired
• Brings hands and objects to mouth
• Able to calm with rocking, touching, and gentle sounds. Is not upset by everyday sounds.
• Enjoys a variety of movements

Communication Milestones

• Reacts to sudden noises or sounds
• Listens and responds when spoken to
• Uses consonant sounds in babbling, e.g. “ba, ba, ba”.
• Makes different kinds of sounds to express feelings.
• Notices toys that make sounds. Uses babbling to get attention

Feeding Milestones

• Shows interest in food.
• Opens mouth as spoon approaches.
• Moves pureed food from front of mouth to back.
• Begins to eat cereals and pureed foods – Smooth, pureed food (single ingredient only), like carrots, sweet potato, squash, apples, pears

From 7 – 9 months

Motor Milestones

• Sits without support.
• Sits and reaches for toys without falling.
• Moves from tummy or back into sitting.
• Starts to move with alternate leg and arm movement e.g. creeping, crawling.
• Turns head to visually track objects while sitting.
• Shows more control while rolling and sitting.
• Picks up small objects with thumbs and fingers.
• In simple play imitates others

Sensory Milestones

• Enjoys a variety of movements – bouncing up and down, rocking back and forth.
• Explores and examines an object using both hands and mouth.
• Experiments with the amount of force needed to pick up different objects.
• Focuses on objects near and far.
• Investigates shapes, sizes, and textures of toys and surroundings.
• Observes environment from a variety of positions – while lying on back or tummy, sitting, crawling, and standing with assistance.

Communication Milestones

• Looks at familiar objects and people when named.
• Recognizes the sound of their name.
• Participates in two-way communication.
• Follows some routine commands when paired with gestures.
• Recognizes commonly used words.
• Does simple gestures, e.g. shaking head for “no” and Imitates sounds.

Feeding Milestones

• Begins to eat thicker pureed and mashed table foods.
• Enjoys chew toys that can massage sore and swollen gums during teething.
• Stays full longer after eating.
• Starts to look and reach for objects, such as food that is nearby.
• Shows strong reaction to new smells and tastes