The “what’s normal?” game can drive any new parent crazy, and balancing concern over your baby’s development with the desire to keep your competitive or worrywart tendencies in check can be hard.
Your best bet is to contact your pediatrician if your baby is not meeting any of the following milestones or displays any of the warning signs below-or if your intuition tells you something may be wrong.
Motor skill milestones
By 3 to 4 months, your child should be able to:
- Reach for, grasp and hold objects
- Support her head well
- Bring objects to her mouth
- Push down with legs when his or her feet are placed on a firm surface
- By 5 months, your baby should be able to:
- Roll over in either direction
By 6 months, your baby should be able to:
- Sit up without help
By 7 months, your baby should be able to:
- Crawl
- Get objects to her mouth
- Stand when supported.
Social/emotional milestones
By 3 months, your baby should:
- Smile at people
- Pay attention to new faces
By 5 months, your baby should:
- Smile without prompting
By 6 months, your baby should:
- Laugh
By 7 months, your baby should:
- Cuddle with and show affection to parents and caregivers
- Display enjoyment around people
By 8 months, your baby should:
- Show interest in playing peek-a-boo
Speech/language milestones
By 3 to 4 months, your baby should be able to:
- Respond to loud noises
- Babble
By 7 months, your baby should be able to:
- Respond to sounds
By 1 year, your baby should be able to:
- Use single words
Cognitive milestones
By 1 year, your baby should:
- Search for objects that are hidden while she watches
- Use gestures (i.e. waving bye-bye)
- Point to objects or pictures
Recommended Reading
The Wonder Years: Helping Your Baby and Young
Child Successfully Negotiate the Major Developmental Milestones
by Tanya Remer Altmann
The Early Intervention Guidebook for Families and
Professionals: Partnering for Success by Bonnie
Keilty
Could It Be Autism?: A Parent’s Guide to the First
Signs and Next Steps by Nancy D. Wiseman
The First Year: Autism Spectrum Disorders: An
Essential Guide for the Newly Diagnosed Child by Nancy D.
Wiseman
