Infant & Toddler Growth Milestones

Watching your baby grow is one of the most beautiul things you will do.The amount of growth and development that your baby will make in the first year is astounding. As you relish watching your baby hit special infant and toddler growth milestones, you should be aware of the most important ones that can be indicators of your baby’s health and wellness both physically and mentally.

There are key milestones that your baby is expected to reach in a generalized timeframe. Being ahead or behind by a small margin is generally nothing to be worried about, but monitoring your baby’s progress is an important part of setting him up for long-term success.

0-3 months key milestones

During the first 3 months of your baby’s life, you will watch a beautiful transformation. By the end of the third month, your baby should be able to:

Push himself up with his arms
Hold his head up
Open and close his fists
Bring his hands near his face
Move his head from side to side
Recognize his parents’ voices
Stretch and kick his legs
Push down with his legs
Grab and reach for toys
Visually track movement
Enjoy movement & play
Smile
Babble
Recognize familiar faces or objects
Start developing hand-eye coordination

4-7 months milestones

Between 4 and 7 months, you will watch your baby reach another set of milestones and start wondering how the time is going by so fast. During this phase, your baby will continue developing his motor skills and sensory abilities like vision and hearing. By 7 months, your baby should be able to:

Grasp at people and objects
Roll over
Sit up
Eat solid foods
Start teething
Transfer objects between his hands
Express his feelings (happy vs. unhappy) vocally
Respond to his name
Enjoy peek-a-boo
Support weight on legs when held upright
Distinguish between tones of voices
Display curiosity at her reflection in mirrors

1 year milestones

It’s truly amazing how much your baby learns in the first year! Watching your baby start to gain a little independence is exciting. By his first birthday, your baby should be able to:

Hold himself up while sitting
Crawl
Pull to stand up
Walk with support
Grab with thumb and forefinger
Say his first words
Respond to verbal information like “no”
Imitate words
Use exclamations such as “uh-oh”
Make simple hand gestures like a wave or clapping
Word-object correlation

When your baby is learning to walk and talk at the same time, it can be thrilling and overwhelming. You will likely be gushing with pride while wondering how it’s already been a year. During this phase, while you’re keeping an eye out for motor skill development, it is also important to keep an eye out for phonemic awareness and developing language abilities.

When to talk to Dr. Moemeka

If your baby isn’t hitting these milestones on time, talk to Dr. Moemeka to take early action. Remember that these milestones are just general timeframes, and your baby will develop at his own speed. Call our office today if you notice any of the following:

Limited leg movement
Difficulty lifting head
Limited arm movement
Visual tracking issues
Doesn’t like being held
Doesn’t respond to loud noises
Difficulty making eye contact or smiling
Difficulty feeding (latching or keeping breast milk or formula in the mouth)

Every child is different and will develop at a different rate of speed. If your baby misses a few milestones, this isn’t necessarily something that you need to be concerned about. If you are concerned about your baby’s development, contact Dr. Moemeka at Mark9 Pediatrics.

Dr. Moemeka will track your baby’s development during your regular well child visits. This time is essential for giving your baby the healthiest start to life! Here, healthy is a state of being, and we want to make healthy easy. By closely monitoring your baby’s development, Dr. Moemeka can catch the early signs of anything that could be concerning to your baby’s development.

Do you have questions about whether or not your baby is developing on track? Call Mark9 Pediatrics at (972) 325-2005 to talk to Dr. Moemeka today!