Developmental milestones are easily identifiable age-specific skills that a baby can perform, such as rolling over, sitting, walking, etc. The development milestones are only a guide. Babies will most likely follow the same progression through these milestones. No two babies are exactly alike, and each baby grows at his or her own rate. Therefore, mothers should not compare their child’s growth to that of any other child. Some of the age-specific developmental milestones are as follows:
1. One to three months:
Babies begin cooing and making vocal sounds between six weeks and three months of age. A baby’s eyes still wander and can sometimes cross. They make jerky, jerky movements with their arms and try to bring their hands closer to their face. Newborns usually hold their hands in a clenched fist. They can focus on objects 8 to 12 inches away. They can recognize some sounds, including the voice of their parents.
2. From three to six months:
Six-month-old babies can smile when they hear their parents’ voice and love to look at their faces up close. They try to lift their head and chest when lying on their stomach. At the end of six months, babies begin to babble and imitate some sounds. Some babies can roll over at three months, but most can turn at five or six months. Some have not mastered it at seven or eight months. They are all completely normal. These milestones are just one of the ways to view a child’s growth progress.
3. Six to nine months:
Most babies begin to crawl between 7 and 9 months of age, but some babies jump completely and learn to stand and walk first. Most babies can sit without a cushion sometime between five and seven months. At nine months of age. Babies this age babble strings of consonants like pa-pa-pa-pa or ba-ba-ba-ba. The first tooth develops between four and eight months of age.
4. Nine to twelve months:
By then, babies can sit properly without help. Some babies at the end of 11 or 12 months walk holding onto objects such as furniture and possibly a few steps without support. They try to imitate the words and they love to stand up. They begin to use simple gestures, such as shaking their head to indicate “no” or waving their hand to say goodbye. The average age to start walking is 12-13 months, but there are many children who don’t take their first steps until 16-18 months.
A baby’s healthcare provider will evaluate the baby’s development at each visit. Contact a healthcare professional if you have concerns about delayed development of a baby. However, these baby milestones help us understand a baby’s growth; one should not completely trust them.