Remember that all babies are individuals and develop at their own pace. Premature infants, especially, reach many milestones later than their same-age peers. This checklist should be used only to get a general sense for where your baby is or where he is heading. If you have any concerns about your child's development, consult with your physician.
Physical Development
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Crawls quickly.
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Pulls to standing.
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May cruise holding onto furniture.
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Comes to sitting position from stomach.
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Points with finger.
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Picks up tiny objects with thumb and finger.
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May begin to demonstrate right- or left-handedness.
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Holds bottle and cup.
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Handles two objects simultaneously.
Intellectual Development
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Eager to explore.
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Shakes, drops, feels, and tastes all he finds.
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Briefly searches for hidden objects.
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Enjoys being recognized for newly developed feats.
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Experiences heightened anxiety level.
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Understands the word no (but doesn't always obey it).
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May develop fear of heights or bath.
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Recognizes parents and self in mirror, will kiss own image on mirror.
Social And Emotional Development
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Responds to own name.
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Shows moods: angry, happy, hurt, sad
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Plays peek-a-boo.
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May play patty-cake.
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Playfully imitates sounds of others, including coughing, lip smacking, and hissing.
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Experiences separation and stranger anxiety.
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Easily overwhelmed by older, noisy children.
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Fights with other children over toys.
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Objects if you try to take toy away.
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Begins to identify with same-sex parent.
Language Development
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Correlates words with gestures, such as waving bye-bye or nodding yes.
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Combines sounds into longer expressions.
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May say mama, dada, or bye-bye.
Dr. Bettye M. Caldwell Ph.D. Professor of Pediatrics in Child Development and Education
Parenting advice is given as a suggestion only. We recommend you also consult your healthcare provider.