From the first smile to those wobbly first steps, your baby’s first three years are full of milestones worth celebrating. Developmental milestones are skills most children reach by a certain age, like babbling, waving or stacking blocks.
Every child develops at their own pace. These milestones are a guide, not a scorecard. They can help you celebrate your child’s progress and know when to ask questions if you have concerns.
Use the milestone chart for a quick look at what most children do by each age. Then use the printable checklist to track your child’s progress and share it at well-child visits.
The milestones reflect what about 75% of children can do by a given age, based on guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).
Milestones show up across four connected areas: social and emotional, language and communication, cognitive, and physical development. Your child is usually working on all of them at once.
These skills describe how a baby connects with others and through back-and-forth interactions and building relationships.
At first, it looks like locking eyes with you and calming to your voice. Over time, babies will respond to their name, share moments of delight (“did you see that too?”), play alongside other children (parallel play), show empathy for others and take turns. These early bonds are the foundation for everything else.
Long before words, babies are communicating — cooing, babbling, and using gestures like pointing and waving to tell caregivers what they want and notice.
This area covers both receptive language (what a child understands) and expressive language (what a child can express). A first “mama” or “dada,” following a simple direction, and stringing two words together are all part of this unfolding.
This is a child’s thinking at work: figuring out that a toy still exists when it’s hidden (object permanence), banging two blocks to see what happens (cause-and-effect play), working a simple puzzle and eventually pretending to feed a stuffed animal.
Play is learning at this age. Through play, children test ideas, solve problems and discover how the world works.
This area has two parts. Gross motor skills use the big muscles (head control, rolling, sitting, pulling to stand and becoming mobile like crawling and walking).
Fine motor skills use the small ones (bringing hands to the mouth, developing a pincer grasp to pick up a puff of cereal, scribbling with a crayon, and stacking blocks).
Wondering what to expect this month? Tap your child’s age below to see the full picture — what most children are doing, simple things you can do together and what to talk about with your child’s doctor.
In the first year, your baby changes more than at any other time; from a newborn who calms to your voice to a busy explorer who may be pulling up and cruising. Common first-year moments include the first social smile, rolling over, sitting, babbling and responding to their name.
Your baby becomes a toddler during this year. They are walking, pointing to show you things, trying out first words and beginning to play pretend. Around 15 and 18 months are key check-in ages, and by 18 months most children walk on their own and try to say a few words beyond “mama” and “dada.”
Your toddler’s world opens up during this year. They are running, climbing, longer sentences and rich pretend play. Toward the middle of this year, many children are combining two or more words like “more juice.”
Download our free, printable checklist and chart to see what milestones are typical at various ages. Keep in mind that these tools are a guide for conversation, not a test and not a developmental screening. Think of it as a way to celebrate new skills and to make it easy to share anything you’re wondering about with your child’s doctor.
The CDC and the American Academy of Pediatrics updated developmental milestones in 2022 to reflect the skills that at least 75% of children can do by a given age. The revised milestones are intended to help identify children who may benefit from additional evaluation or support sooner.
Some milestones were also updated or removed. For example, crawling is no longer included because healthy babies begin moving in many different ways. Some crawl, some scoot, some roll and some skip crawling altogether. Each of these can be part of typical development.
Developmental milestones are a guide, not a checklist to pass or fail. Children develop at their own pace, and there is a wide range of what’s typical.
A conversation with a health care provider may be helpful if:
Noticing one of these signs does not necessarily mean something is wrong. It means a closer look may be helpful. Early identification can connect children and families with support when it is needed.
Milestone tracking and regular check-ups go hand in hand. At well-child visits, health care providers look at how a child is growing and developing over time. They may also use a developmental screening, a short questionnaire that helps identify whether a child might benefit from extra support.
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends developmental screening at 9, 18, and 30 months, along with autism-specific screening at 18 and 24 months. Sharing milestone observations and everyday examples from home helps give providers a more complete picture of a child’s development.
Questions or concerns don’t have to wait until the next check-up. Reaching out to a health care provider early can help families get answers and support when they need it.
If a developmental screening or conversation raises questions, a health care provider may recommend a developmental evaluation. This is a more in-depth assessment that helps identify a child’s strengths, needs, and whether additional support could be helpful.
Depending on the results, families may be connected with services such as speech-language therapy, a hearing evaluation, occupational or physical therapy, or support for feeding and swallowing challenges.
Early intervention is designed to provide support during the years when it can have the greatest impact. Throughout the process, caring relationships remain at the center. Everyday interactions with trusted caregivers continue to play the most important role in a child’s learning, development, and well-being.
A milestone checklist by itself cannot tell you whether your child has a developmental delay. It can help you notice when it’s time to ask questions.
If your child is missing milestones for their age, share your observations with your child’s doctor and ask whether a developmental screening is recommended. Screening can help determine whether further evaluation or support is needed.
Most children begin walking on their own by 18 months. If your child is not walking independently by 18 months, or starts walking and then stops, talk with your child’s doctor.
Walking later than other children is often not a cause for alarm, but it’s worth discussing so your child’s development can be evaluated if needed.
You may have heard that walking was once considered a 12-month milestone. In 2022, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated its milestone checklists so each milestone reflects what about 75% of children are doing. Walking independently is now listed at 18 months.
Not by itself. Walking is a physical developmental milestone, while autism is more closely related to how a child communicates, connects with others and interacts socially.
If you have concerns about your child’s development, including eye contact, responding to their name, pointing or sharing enjoyment with others, talk with your child’s doctor. Autism screening is recommended at 18 and 24 months.
Missing one milestone does not automatically mean a child has a developmental delay. Children develop at different rates. However, if your child misses several milestones, loses skills they previously had or you have concerns about their development, talk with your child’s doctor about developmental screening.
Caregivers support child development every day through warm, responsive relationships. Talking, reading, playing, singing, following a child’s lead and responding to their cues all help build healthy brain development and learning. Nurturing relationships are the foundation for healthy development in the first years of life.
Explore our science-based resources, attend events and advocate for policies that support early intervention and family engagement so we can ensure every child receives the strong start they deserve. Get involved today or explore our comprehensive resources for more.
