Should I Worry? Understanding Developmental Milestones

• Clenches hand firmly in fists
• Eyes wander and focus on things between 8 and 12 inches away
• Loves black-and-white and high-contrast patterns
• Baby can discern between sweet and bitter tastes, tending to prefer sweet tastes such as breast milk
• Reacts quickly at loud noises
• When tummy-down, the infant attempts to hold head up for a moment

• Starts to smile at people
• Makes sounds like cooing, gurgling, or grunting
• Can briefly calm themselves (can bring the hand to mouth and suck on it)
• When activity does not change, the child begins to act bored (cries, fusses)
• Recognizes parent or caring adult
• Eyes follow moving objects such as rattles and toys.
• They will be able to make more fluid movements with their arms and legs

• Closes and opens hands
• Grabs and shakes toys
• Holds dangling objects and swipes them with hands
• Whenever feet are placed on a hard surface, the baby pushes down on the legs
• When lying on tummy, lifts head and chest
• When lying on the stomach or back, the baby stretches its legs out kicks
• Imitates some sounds and turns head to sound source and smiles at the sound of the parents' voice
• Observes faces intently
• Responds to touch and different textures

• Lie on his back and roll from front to back
• Sitting up with support
• The baby holds up his head and chest
• Gains a clearer vision and enjoys seeing more patterns, shapes, and colors
• When laying on the stomach, it pushes up to the elbows
• One-handedly reaches for objects
• Enjoys playing with people and might cry if the play stops
• Coordinates sight and movement, spotting and reaching for the thing they want
• Eyes follow moving objects from one side to the other
• Various types of cries to express hunger, pain, and tiredness
• Replicates some facial expressions, like frowning or smiling

• Responses to the emotions of others and are often cheerful
• Jabbers with consonants ("m," "b")
• Start to string vowel sounds together while speaking, such as "ah, eh, and oh."
• Begin passing things back and forth
• Starts sitting without support
• Enjoys looking in the mirror
• Reacts to own name
• Uses raking grasp (not pincer)
• Whenever feet are placed on a hard surface, the baby pushes down on the legs
• Begins to recognize familiar faces and to distinguish strangers
• Sometimes crawls backward before moving forward, rocking back and forth
• Displays curiosity and tries to get things they can't reach
• Rolls both ways (front to back, back to front)
• A shows an interest in food and will open their mouth when spoon-fed.

Makes sounds in response to sounds

Starts to respond to "no."

• Begins to crawl or may already be crawling well
• Bounces when in a standing position
• Bangs toys together and tosses balls and other things
• Makes specific sounds to express emotions such as joy or frustration
• Thrives on the sense of taste and touch to discover the world
• Points at objects across a room
• Get your attention by making noises
• With their thumbs and index fingers, they can pick up small objects precisely now and have improved the way they focus on examining objects closely
• Has a favorite toy and tends to cling to known adults. 
• Copies gestures; makes a wide variety of sounds like "mamama" and "bababa."
• Plays peek-a-boo
• Searches for what they see you hiding
• Attempts to stand; crawling

• From a standing position, squats down
• Lifts the body using furniture
• Moves from the stomach to a seating position
• Stacks play bowls, cups, and other things
• Start feeding themselves using fingers
• Waves "bye-bye"
• Takes steps
• Can understand simple one-word requests or phrases
• Shy with strangers; repeats sounds or actions to catch the attention
• Makes sounds with varying pitches, such as "mama" and "dada."
• Follows simple instructions
• Starts to use objects correctly (drinks from a cup, brushes hair)
• May stand alone
• Releases objects into a big container
• Sits and throws objects while maintaining balance
• Mimics scribbling
• Can turn pages in a book
• Plays with objects in many ways (shake, bang, throw, drop)
• When a parent leaves, the baby cries
• Bounces to music