Parents + Guardians

Developmental Milestones for your Child's First 5 Years

Each child has their own unique strengths and talents, as well as skills that may take them a little longer to tackle. Some challenges are part of natural growth and happen at their own pace. Others may be indicators of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or other developmental delays.

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Developmental Checklist for Infants, Toddlers and Preschoolers

Have you ever wondered, “What should my baby be doing at 6 months?” Or, “What should my toddler know how to do at 2 years old?”

As a parent, it can be difficult to understand which behaviors and challenges are typical and which need extra attention. To lighten the questions, we prepared a child development checklist, which covers what most children do at various ages, including social/emotional, language/communication, movement/physical development and cognitive milestones. This list of milestones for babies through 5-year-olds does not serve as a test for autism or disability. Rather, it should function as a guide of skills in which families can watch for in their children.

The American Academy of Pediatrics and CDC recommend physician surveillance during every well visit and developmental screenings for children at 9, 18 and 24 or 30 months of age. Evidence shows the earlier development is assessed, the greater the chance a child has to reach their true potential. So, if you have concerns or questions about any aspect of your child’s development – listed here or not – we urge you to discuss them with the pediatrician or contact us at Hopebridge to arrange an appointment for autism testing.

Find out the target milestones for each age bracket, from birth to 5 years:

– Birth to 2 months
– 2 to 4 months
– 4 to 6 months
– 6 to 9 months
– 9 to 12 months
– 12 to 15 months
– 15 to 18 months
– 18 months to 2 years
– 24 to 30 months
– 30 months to 3 years
– 3-4 years
– 4-5 years

Milestones to watch from birth to 2 months old

Calms when spoken to or picked up
Looks at parent’s face
Smiles or shows excitement when starting to feed or when parent talks to them
Vocalizes sounds other than crying
Reacts to loud sounds
Tracks moving object or person
Lifts head when on tummy
Both arms move or legs kick in sequence
Opens hands briefly

Milestones to watch from 2 to 4 months old

Smiles, moves or makes sounds to get or keep others’ attention
Giggles at others attempts to make them laugh, though not yet a full laugh
Looks at face of person speaking
Turns head toward sound of parent’s voice
Babbles and coos when spoken to
Anticipates milk from breast or bottle
Plays with hands; watches hands
Holds head steady without support while held
Holds toy when placed in hand
Swings arms at toys
Brings hands to mouth
Props on hands or elbows when lying on stomach

Milestones to watch from 4 to 6 months old

Reacts to familiar people
Enjoys looking at self in mirror
Laughs
Takes turns making sounds
Makes squealing noises and blows “raspberries” (sticks out tongue and blows)
Explores objects & pulls them into mouth
Reaches to grab toys
Closes mouth to show they don’t want more milk or food
Leans on hands for support when sitting
Rolls from stomach to back
Props up on straight arms when lying on stomach

Milestones to watch from 6 to 9 months old

Looks toward sounds and name being called
Expresses a range of emotions through face and body language, such as happy, sad and surprised
Participates in peek-a-boo through smiles, laughs or covering face
Hesitancy or shyness around strangers
Reacts when parents leave the room
Makes sounds like “ma ma ma ma” and “babababa”
Lifts arms to be picked up
Looks for items when dropped out of sight
Makes purposeful movement to cause sound
Makes purposeful movement to cause motion
Independently gets into seated position
Sits independently without support
Moves objects between hands
Uses fingers to bring food towards self during feeding

Milestones to watch from 9 to 12 months old

Plays pat-a-cake, waves bye-bye
Calls parents “mama,” “dada” or another special name
Understands the meaning of “no”
Able to place one block in a cup
Looks for things someone hides, like a toy under a blanket
Drinks from a cup without a lid as someone else holds it
Pulls up to stand
Takes weight through legs while standing with support; walks with support
Picks up small objects using thumb and pointer finger, such as small food like peas or Cheerios

Milestones to watch from 12 to 15 months old

Imitates other children’s activities while playing
Claps when excited
Shows off objects they enjoy
Shows parents and caregivers affection through hugs, cuddles or kisses
Hugs stuff animal or toy
Tries to vocalize words besides parents’ names, such as “ba” for ball or “ma” for milk
Follows simple one-step commands that are given with goth a gesture and words
Looks to find familiar objects when named
Points to something they want or to ask for help
Attempts to use objects (e.g. cup, phone, book) with their intended use
Builds tower of 2-3 blocks
Takes several steps independently
Feeds self with fingers

Milestones to watch from 15 to 18 months old

Moves away from parents, but looks to make sure they are nearby
Points to show others something
Looks at a few pages in a book
Helps dress self by pushing arms through sleeve or lifting foot
Puts hands out when ready to wash them
Tries to vocalize three or more words besides parents’ names
Follows simple one-step commands without any gestures Imitates others doing various chores or activities
Plays with toys in a simple manner, such as pushing a toy car
Walks without support
Scribbles
Feeds self with fingers & drinks from cup independently (may spill sometimes)
Attempts to use a spoon or fork
Climbs on and off furniture without help

Milestones to watch from 18 months to 2 years

Notices when others are hurt or upset
Looks at others’ faces to see how to react in a new situation
Points to objects when looking at a book and asked questions like, “Where is the dog?”
Verbalizes two-word phrases, such as “more milk”
Identifies at least two body parts when asked
Uses gestures beyond waving and pointing, such as blowing a kiss, giving a high five or nodding yes
Holds something in one hand while using the other
Attempts to work buttons, knobs or switches on a toy
Plays with more than one toy at the same time, like a baby doll and a stroller or toy food on a toy plate
Feeds self with a spoon independently
Walks up & down stairs with hand on rail or while holding another hand
Runs
Kicks a ball

Milestones to watch from 24 to 30 months old

Plays alongside other children and sometimes interacts with them
Shows what they can do by saying “look at me!”
Follows simple routines, like putting away toys on request
Verbalizes about 50 words
Combines two or more words with one action, like “doggie barks”
Labels things in a book when you point and ask, “what is this?”
Uses pronouns (I, you, we)
Follows simple two-step commands, like “pick up your water bottle and sit down”
Uses objects or toys to pretend, like feeding a block to a doll or holding up a remote like a phone
Shows simple problem-solving skills, like standing on small stool to reach something
Demonstrates they know at least one color
Removes some clothing independently
Uses hands to twist things like turning doorknobs or unscrewing lids
Jumps off ground with both feed
Turns book pages one at a time

Milestones to watch from 30 months to 3 years old

Notices other children and joins them to play
If parents need to leave, such as for childcare, calms down within 10 minutes
Engages in conversation using at least two back-and-forth exchanges
Asks “who,” “what,” “where,” or “why,” questions
Describes what action is happening in a book or picture, such as “running” or “eating”
Gives first name, when asked
Speech is understood most of the time
Imitates drawing a circle
Avoids touching hot objects, when warned
Strings items together, like large beads
Uses a fork independently

Milestones to watch from 3 to 4 years old

Asks to play with other children
Comforts others who are hurt or sad
Pretends to be someone or something else during playtime
Avoids danger, such as refrains from jumping from tall heights on the playground
Enjoys helping others
Changes behavior based on where they are (e.g. restaurant vs. playground)
Combines four or more words to speak in sentences
Repeats some words from a song, story or nursery rhyme
Talks about at least one thing that happened during their day
Answers simple questions
Identifies a few colors by name
Shares what comes next in a well-known story
Draws a person with three or more body parts
Independently serves self food or pours water (with adult supervision)
Catches a ball in arms
Unbuttons some buttons
Holds crayon or pencil between fingers and thumb

Milestones for 4 to 5 years old

Follows rules or takes turns when playing games
Sings, dances or acts for others
Accomplishes several simple chores at home
Tells a story they heard or made up that includes at least two events
Answers simple questions about a book or story told to them
Participates in conversation with more than three back-and-forth exchanges
Uses or recognizes simple rhyming words
Counts to 10
Identifies some letters and numbers between 1 and 5 when pointed to
Uses time-related words, like “yesterday” and “morning”
Pays attention for 5 to 10 minutes during activities (beyond screen time)
Writes some letters in their name
Jumps on one foot
Buttons some buttons

Learn the signs of autism

If you suspect delayed speech, regression of skills or any other developmental concerns after following this checklist, you can also consult our signs of autism list as a helpful pre-screening tool, as well as check out our “What is Autism?” resources for more information. These can provide some added insight to your conversation with your physician or the clinician who conducts the evaluation.