Social & Emotional
How your baby connects with you, responds to people, expresses feelings, and interacts socially.
Development
The first year is full of changes—some tiny, some seemingly overnight. Developmental milestones can help you understand the kinds of skills babies typically begin building as they grow, without turning every new skill into a deadline.
Babies develop at their own pace. Milestones are helpful guides, not a competition or a schedule your baby has to follow perfectly.
First things first
What is a developmental milestone?
Developmental milestones are skills that most children can do by a certain age. They give parents and healthcare professionals helpful information about how a baby is learning, communicating, interacting, and moving.
Language & Communication
The sounds, gestures, expressions, and eventually words your baby uses to communicate.
Cognitive
How your baby learns, explores, remembers, and begins solving simple problems.
Movement & Physical Development
How your baby gains control of their head, hands, body, sitting, reaching, rolling, and other movements.
Around 2 months
You may start noticing...
Social & Emotional
- Calms when spoken to or picked up
- Looks at your face
- Seems happy to see you when you approach
- Smiles when you talk or smile
Language & Communication
- Makes sounds other than crying
- Reacts to loud sounds
Learning & Thinking
- Watches you as you move
- Looks at a toy for several seconds
Movement
- Holds head up during tummy time
- Moves both arms and both legs
- Opens hands briefly
Your baby may already do some of these things while still working toward others.
Around 4 months
More personality starts showing up
Social & Emotional
- Smiles to get your attention
- Chuckles when you try to make them laugh
- Looks at you, moves, or makes sounds to keep your attention
Language & Communication
- Makes cooing sounds such as “oooo” and “aahh”
- Makes sounds back when you talk
- Turns toward the sound of your voice
Learning & Thinking
- Opens mouth when seeing the breast or bottle if hungry
- Looks at their hands with interest
Movement
- Holds head steady without support while being held
- Holds a toy placed in their hand
- Swings an arm toward toys
- Brings hands to mouth
- Pushes up onto elbows or forearms during tummy time
Around 6 months
The world gets a lot more interesting
Social & Emotional
- Recognizes familiar people
- Enjoys looking in a mirror
- Laughs
- Takes turns making sounds with a caregiver
Language & Communication
- Makes squealing or varied sounds
- Explores objects with the mouth
- Reaches for desired toys
Learning & Thinking
- Repeats sounds or actions that get a reaction
- Begins to understand cause and effect
Movement
- Rolls
- Pushes up with straight arms while on the tummy
- Uses hands for support while sitting
Around 9 months
Movement, communication & curiosity
Social & Emotional
- May be shy, clingy, or cautious around strangers
- Shows different facial expressions
- Reacts when a caregiver leaves
- Smiles or laughs during games such as peek-a-boo
Language & Communication
- Looks when their name is called
- Makes repeated sounds such as “mamamama” or “babababa”
- Lifts arms to be picked up
Learning & Thinking
- Looks for an object after it falls out of sight
- Bangs objects together
Movement
- Gets into a sitting position
- Sits without support
- Moves objects from one hand to the other
- Uses fingers to rake food toward themselves
Around 1 year
So much can change in one year
Social & Emotional
- Plays simple games with you
Language & Communication
- Waves “bye-bye”
- Calls a parent “mama,” “dada,” or another special name
- Understands “no” and may briefly pause or stop
Learning & Thinking
- Puts an object into a container
- Looks for something they saw you hide
Movement
- Pulls up to stand
- Walks while holding onto furniture
- Drinks from a cup without a lid while someone holds it
- Picks up small objects using the thumb and pointer finger
When milestones bring questions
Milestones are a guide—not a grade
Babies do not all develop new skills on the same day or in the same order. Milestones are useful for understanding development and identifying when a child may benefit from additional support—not for ranking babies against one another.
Contact your pediatrician if:
- your baby has lost a skill they previously had
- your baby is not meeting one or more developmental milestones
- your baby's movement seems noticeably different between the two sides of their body
- you have concerns about your baby's hearing, vision, movement, communication, or social interaction
- you simply feel something about your baby's development is not right
You do not need to wait until the next checkup to bring up a development concern.
You don't need fancy toys
Everyday interaction matters
Talk
Narrate what you're doing, respond to your baby's sounds, and have little back-and-forth “conversations.”
Read
Look at simple books together, even before your baby understands the words.
Play
Give your baby safe opportunities to reach, grab, explore textures, look in mirrors, and interact with you.
Floor Time
Give your baby supervised opportunities to move and explore on the floor.
Tummy Time
While awake and supervised, tummy time helps babies practice important movement skills.
Respond
Smiles, cuddles, eye contact, talking, and responding to your baby's attempts to communicate all support learning and connection.
Trusted resources
Helpful places to learn more
CDC — Developmental Milestones
Age-by-age milestone information from the CDC's Learn the Signs. Act Early. program.
Visit milestonesHealthyChildren.org — Milestones Matter
American Academy of Pediatrics guidance about developmental milestones from infancy through early childhood.
Learn moreHealthyChildren.org — Baby
American Academy of Pediatrics information about development, growth, health, and common questions throughout baby's first year.
Explore guidanceDisclaimer
This resource is for general educational and informational purposes only and is not medical advice or a substitute for care from a qualified healthcare professional. Every parent, baby, and situation is different. For questions about your health or your child’s health, development, feeding, sleep, or safety, contact an appropriate healthcare professional. If you believe you or your child may be experiencing a medical emergency, seek emergency medical care.