In our recent podcast, Milestones and Misconceptions, we sat down with Encompass Developmental Specialist Emily Arkus to talk about common developmental milestones, the misconceptions often associated with them, and guidance on when caregivers should seek help if they have concerns. The conversation addressed why milestones are important and emphasized the idea that children grow and develop at their own rate.

Below, Emily provides a list of common milestones sorted by general age ranges and encourages caregivers to give their child until the end of each range to meet the milestone. If your child is not meeting milestones by this time, consider talking to your healthcare provider or reaching out to the Encompass Early Support for Infants and Toddlers (ESIT) team for a free evaluation.

Motor Development

• Roll tummy to back and back to tummy (4-6 months)
• Sit without support (6-9 months)
• Crawl (9-12 months)
• Pull to stand and cruise along furniture (9-12 months)
• Takes several independent steps (12-15 months)

Communication Development

• Coos and smiles (0-2 months)
• Makes different vowel sounds (2-4 months)
• Turns head towards a sound or voice (2-4 months)
• Begins to giggle or laugh (4-6 months)
• Combines consonants and vowels in different ways (6-9 months)
• Uses simple gestures (6-9 months)
• Imitates speech sounds (9-12 months)
• Meaningfully uses “mama” and “dada” (9-12 months)
• Pays attention to where you are looking and pointing (9-12 months)
• Points to objects they want (12-15 months)
• Uses 1 or 2 words other than mama and dada (12-15 months)
• Imitates simple words and actions (15-18 months)
• Follows simple directions (15-18 months)
• Says 3 or more words (15-18 months)
• Names objects and pictures (18-24 months)
• Begins to use two-word phrases (18-24 months)
• Uses at least 50 words (24-30 months)
• Asks “what” and “where” questions (30-36 months)

Feeding Development

• Begins to eat baby-safe foods such as purees (4-6 months)
• Able to eat soft finger foods/table foods (6-9 months)
• Attempts to finger feed self (6-9 months)
• Uses a spoon (18-24 months)
• Uses a fork (30-36 months)

Gauging milestones can be tricky. During our podcast, Emily mentioned that sometimes, caregivers just have a gut feeling that something isn’t tracking. If you have that feeling, or your child is not meeting a milestone by the end of the listed range, our ESIT team encourages you to seek a screening. All families with children aged birth to 3 are eligible for a full developmental evaluation at no cost to the family.  Reach out to our team at 425.888.3347 or email esit@encompassnw.org.

For further reading about milestones and activities that support these abilities, visit www.pathways.org.