There is no doubt that having children completely transforms your life and gives it greater meaning. As a parent, you will naturally be concerned about your child’s growth and want to ensure that they are making sufficient progress. One way to do this is by looking at milestones as they grow. Infant developmental milestones are new behaviors and physical abilities that your newborns learn and develop as they grow. Observing these milestones can give you a general idea of how your baby is progressing and whether their development is on track.
To help you track your child’s progress, here are important milestones you should look for to monitor infant development.
Physical Activity Milestones
Also known as motor milestones, physical activity milestones involve motor skills, most of which are developed from around 6-15 months. There are two types of motor skills: large and fine. Large motor skills involve walking, standing, and sitting up. Fine motor skills primarily involve the hands, and include skills such as coloring and eating with utensils.
Here are more specific examples of physical infant development milestones to keep an eye out for from your child:
- Able to sit without support
- Rolling over by themselves
- Crawling up stairs
- Taking first steps
- Waving goodbye
- Drinking from a cup
- Eating with a spoon and fork
- Playing peek-a-boo
- Holding crayons
Cognitive Developmental Milestones
Cognitive milestones are an infant development that involves your child’s capacity to think, understand, and solve problems. It is a milestone when your child starts learning how to respond to facial emotions and even learning the alphabet. Your child starts developing a better sense of perception around the age of 3 to 6 months. However, as they grow older, you’ll notice more impressive cognitive milestones from them.
Specific examples of these cognitive milestones include:
- Points to pictures or objects
- Counts objects
- Draws shapes
- Recognizes breast or bottle
- Imitates facial expressions
- Responds to the facial expressions of other people
- Reacts to familiar sounds
- Plays pretend (e.g., their favorite superheroes)
- Piles objects or makes a tower of blocks
- Responds with gestures and sounds
- Starts to have a favorite toy
Social and Emotional Developmental Milestones
Your child’s experiences, expressions, and control of emotions, as well as their ability to form meaningful and rewarding interactions with others, all contribute to social and emotional infant development. Your child begins their social and emotional development as early as one month when they recognize you as their parent and feel very comfortable in your presence.
Here are some examples of social and emotional infant developmental milestones to look out for:
- Cries to get their needs met
- Smiles and laughs with other people
- Shows excitement by waving arms and legs
- Looks at themselves in the mirror
- Shows interest in other children
- Prefers specific people
- Enjoys playing with others, especially with family
Communication Developmental Milestones
Communication developmental milestones are how your child reacts and communicates with others. These milestones can develop anywhere from one month to six months. Babies first communicate by crying, then babbling and copying sounds after a few months. As your child grows, their communication skills improve and become noticeable. Their learning depends on their ability to communicate with others, express their wants, be curious and ask “why” questions.
Here are some communication developmental milestones to watch for in your child starting in the early months and continuing as they grow:
- Communicates mainly by crying
- Smacks lips and roots if hungry
- Imitates sounds
- Has a specific cry if hungry or uncomfortable
- Responds to own name
- Responds to “no”
- Says first words like “mama” or “dada”
- Points to what they want
Bottom Line
It is critical to keep an eye on the infant developmental growth of your newborn. It’s reasonable that as a parent, you’re concerned about your child’s development and want to make sure they’re meeting the milestones they should be. The examples of developmental milestone we have detailed can be very useful; however, keep in mind that every child is different.
Most developmental milestones are achieved at home, but as your child grows older, they can benefit from the cognitive and emotional benefits of social interaction. Children will acquire great language skills, creativity, social awareness, and confidence in the correct socially engaging environment.
You can reach out to A Child’s Place at the Ranches today and learn more about a safe, fun, and socially and engaging environment that utilizes directors and reliable caregivers to foster collaboration, face-to-face interactions, and developmental support for your child, no matter their age.
