Track Your Child's Progress With These Developmental Milestones by Age

Watching your baby grow and develop is thrilling, awe-inspiring, and — let's be real — a little stressful. As a parent, you just want to do a good job raising your precious baby, but conflicting information from books and TV (plus your annoying great aunt's penchant for judgment) could leave even the most zen parents feeling a little crazed. That's why we did our research and created a no-frills list of developmental stages backed by the CDC. Use this as a road map to track the exciting changes your baby undergoes, and, as always, reach out to your trusted pediatrician if you have questions about childhood development.

01
2 Months
Unsplash/Gift Habeshaw Follow

2 Months

Important milestones:

  • Begins smiling at people
  • Turns their head toward sounds
  • Coos and makes other similar sounds
  • Pays attention to specific faces
  • Can lift up their head
  • Begins pushing up when lying on their belly
02
4 Months
Unsplash/Markus Spiske

4 Months

Important milestones:

  • Smiles spontaneously
  • Responds to affection
  • Can reach for a toy with one hand
  • Can follow moving things with their eyes
  • Holds up head unsupported
  • Starts babbling
  • Mimics some movements and facial expressions
03
6 Months
Unsplash/Luke Michael

6 Months

Important milestones:

  • Begins sitting without support
  • Rolls over in different directions such as front to back or back to front
  • Likes to look at self in a mirror
  • Responds to name
  • Creates sounds that show displeasure or joy
  • Exhibits curiosity at items outside of their reach
  • Enjoys playing with others, especially Mom and Dad
04
9 Months
Unsplash/Guillaume de Germain

9 Months

Important milestones:

  • Stands while holding on
  • Sits without support
  • Can play peekaboo
  • Uses finger to point at things
  • Understands "no"
  • Watches the path of different things as they fall
  • Places things in mouth
05
18 Months
Unsplash/Chen Lei

18 Months

Important milestones:

  • Can walk alone
  • Can drink from a cup and eat with a spoon
  • Can scribble without assistance
  • Points to attract attention of others
  • May be able to walk up stairs
  • Understands and can follow simple verbal commands
  • Says some single words
  • Able to shake head "no"
06
2 Years
Unsplash/ Yogesh Rahamatkar

2 Years

Important milestones:

  • Can make copies of circles and straight lines
  • Able to throw a ball overhead
  • Begins running
  • Can stand on tiptoes
  • Able to sort colors and shapes
  • Repeats certain words that are overheard
  • Understands names of body parts and some people
  • Gets excited when with other children
  • Shows defiant behavior
07
3 Years
Unsplash/Caroline Hernandez

3 Years

Important milestones:

  • Plays make-believe with people, animals, and toys
  • Turns book pages one at a time
  • Able to climb
  • Runs with ease
  • Able to pedal a tricycle
  • Shows affection for others
  • Takes turns in games
  • Dresses and undresses self
  • Exhibits a wide range of varying emotions
  • Uses sentences when talking
08
4 Years
Unsplash/Patricia Prudente

4 Years

Important milestones:

  • Hops and stands on one foot for up to two seconds
  • Can catch a ball that's bouncing
  • Begins understanding time
  • Able to draw a person with some body parts
  • Begins copying capital letters
  • Likes trying new things
  • Talks about interests and likes
  • Able to tell stories
09
5 Years
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5 Years

Important milestones:

  • Wants to make friends happy
  • Enjoys singing, acting, and dancing
  • Speaks clearly
  • Counts to 10 or higher
  • Understands things that are used daily such as food and money
  • Can do a somersault
  • Able to use the toilet
  • Swings, climbs, and hops
10
6-8 Years
Unsplash/Annie Spratt

6-8 Years

Important milestones:

  • Physical, mental, and emotional skills develop quickly as child begins school
  • Shows more independence
  • Begins thinking about the future
  • Pays attention to teamwork, family, and friends
  • Learns ways to better describe experiences
  • Has more concern for others and the wider world