Introduction
Social and emotional
Cognitive
Language
Movement
Vision
Developmental Health Watch
Babies develop at their own pace, so it's impossible to tell exactly when your child will learn a given skill. The developmental milestones listed below will give you a general idea of the changes you can expect, but don't be alarmed if your own baby's development takes a slightly different course.
Social and Emotional
- Enjoys social play
- Interested in mirror
images
- Responds to other people's expressions of emotion and appears joyful often
Cognitive
- Finds partially hidden
object
- Explores with hands and
mouth
- Struggles to get objects that are out of reach
Language
- Responds to own name
- Begins to respond to "no"
- Can tell emotions by tone
of voice
- Responds to sound by
making sounds
- Uses voice to express joy
and displeasure
- Babbles chains of sounds
Movement
- Rolls both ways (front to
back, back to front)
- Sits with, and then
without, support on hands
- Supports whole weight on
legs
- Reaches with one hand
- Transfers object from hand
to hand
- Uses hand to rake objects
Vision
- Develops full color vision
- Distance vision matures
- Ability to track moving objects improves
Developmental Health Watch
Alert your child's doctor or nurse if your child displays any of the following signs of possible developmental delay for this age range.
- Seems very stiff, with
tight muscles
- Seems very floppy, like a
rag doll
- Head still flops back when
body is pulled to a sitting position
- Reaches with one hand only
- Refuses to cuddle
- Shows no affection for the
person who cares for him or her
- Doesn't seem to enjoy
being around people
- One or both eyes
consistently turn in or out
- Persistent tearing, eye
drainage, or sensitivity to light
- Does not respond to sounds
around him or her
- Has difficulty getting
objects to mouth
- Does not turn head to
locate sounds by 4 months
- Does not roll over in
either direction (front to back or back to front) by 5 months
- Seems impossible to
comfort at night after 5 months
- Does not smile on his or
her own by 5 months
- Cannot sit with help by 6
months
- Does not laugh or make
squealing sounds by 6 months
- Does not actively reach
for objects by 6 to 7 months
- Does not follow objects
with both eyes at near (1 foot) and far (6 feet) ranges by 7
months
- Does not bear weight on
legs by 7 months
- Does not try to attract
attention through actions by 7 months
- Does not babble by 8
months
- Shows no interest in games of peek-a-boo by 8 months
From CARING FOR YOUR BABY AND YOUNG CHILD: BIRTH TO AGE 5 by Steven Shelov, Robert E. Hannermann, © 1991, 1993, 1998, 2004 by the American Academy of Pediatrics. Used by permission of Bantam Books, a division of Random House, Inc.
The National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities (NCBDDD) promotes the health of babies, children, and adults, and enhances the potential for full, productive living. Our work includes identifying the causes of birth defects and developmental disabilities, helping children to develop and reach their full potential, and promoting health and well-being among people of all ages with disabilities.
See PDF version:
Important Milestones: By the End of 7 Months [PDF, 141KB]
