Developmental milestones are easily identifiable age specific skills that a baby can perform, such as rolling over, sitting up, walking etc.. Development milestones are just a guideline. Babies most likely follow the same progression through these milestones. No two babies are exactly alike and each baby grows at his/her own pace. Thus, mothers should not compare their child's growth with that of any other child. Some of the age specific development milestones are as follows:
1. One to Three Months:
Babies start cooing and making vowel like sounds between six weeks and three months of age. A baby's eyes still wander and may sometimes cross. They make jerky, quivering arm movements and try to bring hands near the face. Newborns usually keep hands in closed fists state. They can focus on objects 8 to 12 inches away. They can recognize some sounds, including their parents' voice.
2. Three to Six Months:
Babies by six months of age, can Smile at the sound of their parents' voice and love to watch faces closely. They try to raise their head and chest when lying on stomach. By the end of six months, babies begin to babble and to imitate some sounds. Some babies can roll over at three months, but most can do this when five or six months old. Some haven't mastered it by seven or eight months. All are completely normal. These milestones are just one of the ways to see a child's growth progress.
3. Six to Nine Months:
Most babies start crawling between 7 and 9 months old, but some babies skip crawling altogether and learn to stand and walk first. Most babies can sit without cushion support somewhere between five and seven months. By nine months of age. Babies by this age babble chains of consonants like pa-pa-pa-pa or ba-ba-ba-ba. First tooth develops between four and eight months of age.
4. Nine to Twelve Months:
By this time babies can sit properly without any assistance. Some babies by the end of 11 or 12 months walk holding onto objects such as furniture, and possibly a few steps without support. They try to imitate words and love to pull self-up to stand. They start using simple gestures, such as shaking head indicating "no" or waving their hand to say bye-bye. The average age to start walking is 12-13 months, but there are plenty of children who don't take their first steps until 16-18 months.
A baby's health care provider will evaluate the baby development at each visit. Contact a health-care professional with any concerns about a baby's delayed development. These baby milestones help us understand the growth of a baby however; one should not rely on these completely.