Typical Child Development Milestones - by Age

As a parent, it is helpful to understand when your child should be reaching their growth or developmental milestones. A child's development refers to your child’s growth and  physical, mental, emotional, and social changes. Their developmental milestones refer to when they acquire a new accomplishment in any of those categories, whether it is a first tooth or the first time your baby rolls over or speaks

It is important for parents to know that children reach their developmental milestones at their own pace. The developmental scale gives lots of room for children to reach their milestones. A child who is developing at a healthy rate may crawl at 5 months or at 9 months. Parents should not panic if their child has not reached their developmental milestones within the exact time frame listed.

Click here to see the Developmental Milestones for children from birth through high school. (PDF 35kB)

Being aware of developmental milestones allows you to anticipate what may be coming next so you can be prepared to help your child grow.  It also allows you to look out for any significant delays in your child's growth.  Comparing your child’s progress with the developmental scale will help you see if your child is falling behind, meeting, or exceeding in reaching their developmental milestones.  Just remember that each child develops at his or her own timetable.  The developmental milestones are simply a guide.

If you have concerns about your child’s development, contact your child’s health care provider.  If your child is in school, you may also want to discuss your concerns with your child’s teacher or other support staff.

There are many places that you can get information on child developmental milestones. 

Here are a few examples:
https://www.pbs.org/wholechild/abc/
http://www.med.umich.edu/1libr/yourchild/devmile.htm
https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/actearly/index.html
https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/spanish/actearly/index.html