Milestone Charts: What to expect from your newborn to 6-month-

old

Child's Age Mastered Skills Emerging Skills Advanced Skills (a

(most kids can (half of kids can few kids can do)
do) do)

1 month • Lifts head • Follows objects • Smiles

• Responds to • Ooohs and ahhs • Laughs
sound • Can see black- • Holds head at 45-
• Stares at faces and-white patterns degree angle

2 months • Vocalizes sounds • Smiles, laughs • Holds head

— gurgling and • Holds head at 45- steady
cooing degree angle • Bears weight on
• Follows objects • Movements legs
• Holds head up for become smoother • May lift head and
short periods shoulder (mini-
pushup)

3 months • Laughs • Squeals, gurgles, • Turns toward loud

• Holds head coos sounds
steady • Recognizes your • Can bring hands
• Recognizes your voice together and may
face and scent • Does mini- bat at toys
pushups • Can roll over

4 months • Holds head up • Can grasp a toy • Imitates speech

steadily • Reaches out for sounds — baba,
• Can bear weight objects dada
on legs • Can roll over • May cut first tooth
• Coos when you • May be ready for
talk to him solids

5 months • Can distinguish • Turns toward new • May sit

between bold sounds momentarily
colors • Recognizes own without support
• Can roll over name • Mouths objects
• Amuses himself • Stranger anxiety
by playing with may begin
hands and feet

6 months • Turns toward • Reaches for • May lunge forward

sounds and voices objects and or start crawling
• Imitates sounds, mouths them • May jabber or
blows bubbles • Sits without combine syllables
• Rolls in both support • May drag object
directions • Is ready for solids toward himself

Milestone Charts: What to expect from your 7- to 12-month-old

Child's Age Mastered Skills Emerging Skills Advanced Skills

(Most kids can (Half of kids can (A few kids can
do) do) do)
7 months • Sits without • Combines • Stands while
support syllables into holding onto
• Reaches for wordlike sounds something
things with a • Begins to crawl • Waves goodbye
sweeping motion or lunges forward • Bangs objects
• Imitates speech together
sounds (babbles)

8 months • Says "dada" and • Stands while • Pulls self to

"mama" to both holding onto standing position,
parents (isn't something cruises
specific) • Crawls well • Picks things up
• Begins to crawl • Points at objects with thumb-finger
• Passes object "pincer" grasp
from hand to hand • Indicates wants
with gestures

9 months • Combines • Uses pincer • Plays patty-cake

syllables into grasp to pick up • Says "dada" and
wordlike sounds objects "mama" to the right
• Stands while • Cruises while parent (is specific)
holding onto holding onto
something furniture
• Bangs objects
together

10 months • Waves goodbye • Says "dada" and • Drinks from a cup

• Picks things up "mama" to the right • Stands alone for a
with pincer grasp parent (is specific) couple of seconds
• Crawls well • Responds to • Puts objects into a
• Cruises name and container
understands "no"
• Indicates wants
with gestures

11 months • Says "dada" and • Imitates others' • Drinks from a cup

"mama" to the right activities • Says one word
parent (is specific) • Puts objects into besides "mama"
• Plays patty-cake a container and "dada"
• Stands alone for • Understands • Stoops from
a couple of simple instructions standing position
seconds

12 months • Imitates others' • Says one word • Scribbles with

activities besides "mama" crayon
• Jabbers wordlike and "dada" • Walks well
sounds • Takes a few • Says two words
• Indicates wants steps besides "mama"
with gestures • Understands and and "
responds to simple
instructions

Milestone Charts: What to expect from your 13- to 18-month-old

Child's Mastered Skills Emerging Skills (half Advanced Skills (a

Age (most kids can do) of kids can do) few kids can do)

13 • Uses two words • Enjoys gazing at his • Combines words and

months skillfully (e.g. "hi" and reflection gestures to make
"bye") • Drinks from a cup needs known
• Bends over and • Plays "peekaboo" • Tries to lift heavy
picks up an object things
• Stands alone • Rolls a ball back and
forth

14 • Finger feeds • Toddles well • Uses spoon or fork

months • Empties containers • Initiates games • Matches lids with
of contents • Points to one body appropriate containers
• Imitates others part when asked (e.g. pots and pans)
• Pushes and pulls toys
while walking

15 • Plays with ball • Can draw a line • Walks up stairs

months • Vocabulary • Runs well • "Helps" around the
increases up to five • Adopts "no" as his house
words favorite word • Puts his fingers to his
• Walks backward mouth and says "shhh"

16 • Turns the pages of • Discovers joy of • Takes off one piece of

months a book climbing clothing by himself
• Has temper • Stacks three blocks • Gets finicky about
tantrums when • Learns the correct food
frustrated way to use common • Switches from two
• Becomes attached objects (e.g. the naps to one
to a soft toy or other telephone)
object

17 • Uses a handful of • Responds to • Dances to music

months words regularly directions (e.g. "Sit • Sorts toys by color,
• Enjoys pretend down") shape, or size
games • Feeds doll • Kicks ball forward
• Likes riding toys • Talks more clearly

18 • Will "read" board • Strings words • Throws ball overhand

months books on his own together in phrases • Takes toys apart and
• Can pedal when put • Brushes teeth with puts them back
on trike help together
• Scribbles well • Builds a tower of four • Shows signs of toilet
cubes training readiness

Milestone Charts: What to expect from your 19- to 24-month-old

Child's Mastered Skills Emerging Skills Advanced Skills (a

Age (most kids can do) (half of kids can do) few kids can do)

19 • Can use a spoon • Half of speech may • Can wash and dry
months and fork be understandable hands and brush teeth
• Can run • Recognizes when with help
• Can throw a ball something is wrong • Can point to picture
underhand (calling a dog a cat) of cat or dog when you
say the word
• May know when she
needs to urinate

20 • Will pretend feed a • Learns words at a • May start exploring

months doll rate of 10 or more a genitals
 • Can take off own day • Draws straighter
clothes with help • Can walk up (but lines
• Will dump an object probably not down) • Names several body
in imitation, such as stairs parts
throwing garbage • Searches for hidden
away objects

21 • Can walk up steps • Can throw a ball • Can name cat or dog
months • Enjoys helping overhand when you show a
around the house • Can kick a ball picture
• Can set simple goals • Can make block • Can make short
(e.g. deciding to put a towers sentences (Me go)
toy in a certain place) • Can walk down stairs

22 • Can kick a ball • Can do simple • Can put on clothing

months forward puzzles • Might be ready for a
• Follows two-step • Can draw a straight big bed
requests (get your doll line • Understands
and bring it here) • Can identify several opposites (tall and
• Imitates others' body parts short)
behavior

23 • Can make a tower of • Can make two- or • Can walk down stairs
months four blocks three-word sentences • Talks about self
• Can name a simple • Can sing simple (likes, dislikes)
picture in a book tunes • Asks "Why?"
• Can use 50 single • Takes more of an
words interest in playing
with other kids

24 • Can name at least • Starts talking about • Begins to understand

months six body parts on a self abstract concepts like
doll • Can arrange things sooner and later
• Half of speech is in categories • Becomes attuned to
understandable • Can walk down gender differences
• Can make short stairs • Learns to jump
sentences

Milestone Charts: What to expect from your 25- to 30-month-old

Child's Age Mastered Skills Emerging Skills Advanced Skills

(most kids can (half of kids can (only a few kids
do) do) can do)

25 and 26 months • Takes off clothes • Washes and • Speaks clearly all
dries hands the time * Draws
• Names several vertical line
body parts * Builds • Brushes teeth
a tower out of with help
three or four blocks
• Puts on clothes

• Speaks clearly
most of the time *
Throws a ball
overhand
27 and 28 months • Speaks clearly • Builds a tower • Draws vertical line
most of the time out of several * Balances on one
blocks * Speaks foot
• Puts on clothes * clearly all the time
Jumps up off the
ground

29 and 30 months • Brushes teeth • Draws a vertical • Puts on T-shirt

with help * Washes line
and dries hands • Names one color *
• Speaks clearly all Names one friend
the time *
Balances on one
foot

Milestone Charts: What to expect from your 31- to 36-month-old

Child's Age Mastered Skills Emerging Skills Advanced Skills

(most of kids can (half of kids can (A few kids can
do) do) do)

31 and 32 months • Builds a tower of • Puts on a T-shirt • Calls a friend by

six blocks his name
• Balances on
• Names at least each foot for a • Washes and dries
six body parts second hands
* Throws ball * Brushes teeth by * Uses two
overhand herself adjectives

33 and 34 months • Names one color • Builds a tower of • Completely toilet

eight blocks trained during the
• Carries on a day
conversation of • Uses
two to three prepositions (e.g. • Wiggles thumb
sentences on, in, over) * Expresses a wide
* Names at least * Speaks clearly range of emotions
four pictures in a
book

35 and 36 months • Can describe • Balances on • Hops and skips

how two objects each foot for three
are used seconds • Draws a circle
* Gets dressed
• Uses four to five • Can follow a two- without help
words in a or three-
sentence component
* Names two command
actions (e.g. * Separates fairly
skipping, jumping) easily from parents