Infant Developmental Checklist
Physical, social, emotional, and cognitive skills are closely linked, and strengthen one another. A complete list of developmental milestones is available online.
Physical & Sensory Development (Vision, Hearing, Movement Milestones)
- Focuses and follows faces and moving objects (by 2-4 wk)
- Briefly lifts head, chest when on tummy (1-3 months), controls head well (4 mo)
- Turns head toward sounds
- Begins to hold gaze longer, focus on objects
- Babbles, coos, imitates some sounds (2-3 mo)
- Can grasp and shake rattle (2-3 months)
- Rolls over from front to back and back to front ((4-7 mo)
- Support his body weight on his legs when placed to stand (6 mo)
- Sits up with support (6 months), then without support (9 mo)
- Explores breast or bottle (4 mo), finger-feed and drinks from cup (9-12 mo)
- Crawls, scoots, creeps forward (7-12 mo)
- Begins to take first steps (9-15 mo)
Body Rhythms and Routines ("Self-Regulation")
- Cries to express needs (hunger, sleep, comforting)
- Spends more time alert, less time crying (crying peaks at 6-8 wk)
- Can usually be calmed in a few minutes when needs are met (3 mo)
- Settles into fairly regular sleep/wake and feeding routine (3-6 mo)
- Begins to eat meals and snacks at regular times throughout day (6-7 mo)
- Gradually sleeps longer and wakes less often at night
- Feels secure with a comforting bedtime routine
- Learns to self-comfort when falling sleep or falling back to sleep
Becoming a Family (Attachment, Temperament, Goodness of Fit)
- Feels safe and secure with parents, smiles and brightens when parent enters room
- Temperament (unique style or "personality") begins to emerge (4 mo)
- Prefers parents over all others (attachment)
- Begins to show anxiety when away from mother or around strangers (6-9 months)
- Gradually adapts to family routines (mealtimes, nighttime sleep patterns)
- Seeks comfort and security from parents
Emotional and Social Development
- Responds to parents' face and voice
- Smiles in response to parents' smile and voice
- Enjoys feedings, nuzzles or cuddles during breast or bottle feedings
- Begins to develop a social smile (6 wks-2 months)
- Looks to parents for help and comfort
- Smiles, laughs, squeals
- Likes social play
- Responds to others' emotions (4-7 mo)
- Shows range of emotion (joy, anger, fear, surprise (5-6 mo)
- Plays social games (peek-a-boo, pat-a-cake) (6-9 mo)
- Smiles at own image in mirror (6-9 months)
- Shows more complex emotions: anger, joy, boredom, surprise, sadness, fear (5-6 mo)
- Aware of/attuned to moods and emotions of parents and caregivers
Language and Communication
- Babbles and coos
- Begins to imitate (copy) sounds (by 3 months)
- Can say simple consonant sounds (da, ba)
- Responds to own name (6-9 months)
- Says 1-3 words besides ma-ma, da-da, ba-ba (12 months)
- Understands more words than can speak
Learning and Exploration
- Eager to explore surroundings
- Curious, "into everything"
- Delights in sights, sounds, people, movement, colors, all kinds of objects
- Shows interest in people, colors, sounds, objects
- Begins to learn "cause and effect" by moving dropping, banging, shaking things
Source
Checklist is drawn from a variety of sources, including What to Expect & When to Seek Help: Bright Futures Tools for Social and Emotional Development; Bright Futures Guidelines; American Academy of Pediatrics' Health Supervision III; and American Academy of Pediatrics' Caring for Your Baby and Young Child Birth to Age 5.
