Is Your Baby Developing Normally? Check Our Baby Milestones Chart
Becoming a first time parent is such an exciting time, with many mixed emotions of joy, nervousness, excitement, feeling overwhelmed and uncertainty. These are all very normal emotions to exhibit.
As you watch your child grow and develop, most parents have numerous questions: is my child developing correctly, are they on the right track, should I be worried? These are normal and valid questions to have. The best thing to do is to speak to your doctor, who may have you fill out a questionnaire to assess baby development by week and month and to assess social development in children. These objective measures can help determine if your child is developing normally or out of the range of normal.
The Nippising Developmental Checklist is designed to assist parents and practitioners to determine if your child is developing at the right pace or if there are some concerns known as ‘red flags’.
There are 5 different developmental domains that children must master, Cognitive, Socio-Emotional, Fine Motor, Gross Motor and Communication, language and literacy. Each child learns differently and at a different pace, some children will master the skill of walking by 10 months of age while others will not take their first step until after their first birthday. If you are worried about your child’s development, I would recommend that you make an appointment with your doctor as well as completing the Nippising Developmental Checklist. This form is designed to assist parents and practitioners to determine if your child is developing at the right pace or if there are some concerns known as ‘red flags’. Red flags are considered when a child does not develop a particular skill at a set age or if they have a dramatic loss of a skill. Red flags are guidelines that professionals follow to determine if additional advice or treatment is required.
It’s time to change? how we view a child’s growth.
Below are just some of the things you should look for as your child grows. Use this as a guide, and if you have any concerns, talk with your child’s doctor.
Baby milestones chart
| At 6 months, many children | · Respond to their own name· Respond to other people’s emotions
· Often seems happy · Copy sounds · Like to play with others, especially parents |
| At 12 months, many children | · Use simple gestures, like shaking head “no” or waving “bye-bye”· Say “mama” and “dada” and exclamations like “uh-oh!”
· Copy gestures · Respond to simple spoken requests |
| At 18 months, many children | · Play simple pretend, such as feeding a doll· Point to show others something interesting
· Show a full range of emotions, such as happy, sad, angry · Say several single words |
| At 24 months, many children | · Say sentences with 2 to 4 words· Follow simple instructions
· Get excited when with other children · Point to things or pictures when they are named |
| At 36 months), many children | · Show affection for friends without prompting· Carry on a conversation using 2 to 3 sentences
· Copy adults and friends · Play make-believe with dolls, animals, and people |
| At 48 months, many children | · Tell stories· Would rather play with other children than by themselves
· Play cooperatively with others |
- If you think your child is not reaching milestones, make an appointment with your doctor/pediatrician.
- Complete a Nippissing Developmental Check List to determine if your child is reaching appropriate baby milestones by week.
- A great way to ensure your child is on track and developing is to join a play group with other children. This allows parents to share their experiences, learn how other parents play with their kids and songs to sing with your child. Good play groups will encourage parents to be active and to support their gross/fine motor development.
Amy, having earned a Bachelors Degree in Child Development, has been in the field of Early Childhood Education for the past 10 years. First working in an infant classroom, and then moving to JK, preschool and toddlers. Currently Amy works as a Supervisor of a childcare facility in York Region.
