Developmental Milestones
Be aware, act early.
Skills such as taking a first step, smiling for the first time, and waving “bye-bye” are called developmental milestones. From birth to 5 years, your child should reach milestones in how he or she plays, learns, speaks, acts and moves (CDC, USA)
As children grow, they achieve different milestones when they are able to display certain physical skills or behaviours. There is a certain range for reaching each developmental milestone. For example, a child can start walking between 8 months and 18 months.
Developmental milestones are an important checklist to determine if the child is growing as per his developmental age. If you are concerned about your child’s development at any point, do not ever hesitate to visit your developmental pediatrician or a child psychologist.
You know your child best. Recognising the signs and acting early can make a real difference!
Here is a general guideline for developmental milestones (adapted from CDC, USA)
Upto 1 year
– Can sit without support
– Able to drink from a Sippy cup
– Babbles
– Displays social smile
– Gets first tooth Plays peek-a-boo
– Pulls self to standing position
– Rolls over by self
– Says mama and dada, using terms appropriately
– Understands “NO” and will stop activity in response
– Walks while holding on to furniture or other support
1 to 3 years
– Starts eating on own with minimum help
– Can run
– Able to say first and last name
– Able to walk up and down stairs
– Can recognize body parts
– Learns to take turns and share toys
– Can identify colors
3 to 6 years
– Able to draw simple shapes
– Can skip and hop
– May start riding a bicycle
– Starts recognizing words
– Begins reading
– Begins to get independent
– Can understand size and time concepts