Baby Developmental Skills in the First 2 Years
We get it. Taking care of your new little human is wonderful and well, let's face it, full of wonder. Not just for the baby, but as a new parent too! Your bundle of joy certainly does come with a bundle of questions. So, we wanted to make it easier for you to have a quick checklist on hand to check in on key skills in your baby's first two years.
We reached out to Caron Irwin, a Child Life Expert and Founder of Roo Family, to help provide general guidelines on developmental milestones to look out for on a month-by-month basis. We know every child develops differently, so if you have any specific questions, it's best to contact your doctor or pediatrician to assess your individual child.
Newborn-2 month milestones
0 months (Newborn)
-Cries to communicate (Language, Social & Emotional skills)
-Can only see a distance of 8-10 inches (Social & Emotional)
1 month
-Recognizes a parent’s smell (Social & Emotional skills)
-Sees in black, white & gray (Cognitive skills)
2 months
-Recognizes a parent’s touch & soothing voice
(Social & Emotional skills)
-Begins to slightly lift shoulders & head during tummy time (Gross motor skills)
3-6 month milestones
3 months
-Baby starts to smile (Social & emotional skills)
-Begins to babble (Language, Social & Emotional skills)
-Starts to grasp objects with hands (Fine motor skills)
4 months
-May begin to reach for toys (Fine & Gross motor skills)
-Process of teething starts (Cognitive skills)
-Starts to see colour (Cognitive skills)
5 months
-Smiles & giggles (Social & Emotional skills)
-Can see some colour (Cognitive skills)
Early 6 months
-Begins to try to sit up (Gross motor skills)
6-11 month milestones
6 months
-May roll from front to back (Gross motor skills)
7 months
-Hearing is fully developed (Language, Social & Emotional)
-Can see full colour (Cognitive skills)
8 months
-Sits up on his/her own (Gross motor skills)
9 months
-Starts showing interest in crawling (Gross motor skills)
10 months
-Starts to call Mama and Dada (Language skills)
-May pick up items with thumb and pointer finger (Fine motor skills)
11 months
-Recognizes objects and may point to them (Cognitive skills)
-May show interest in standing while holding furniture (Gross motor skills)
12-23 month milestones
12 months-15 months
-May start to stand & cruise while holding on to furniture
(Gross motor skills vary by child)
-Shows interest in walking/walks with assistance
(Gross motor skills)
15 months-18 months
-Begins to walk unassisted & eventually run (Gross motor)
-Understands simple one-step instructions (Cognitive skills)
18 months-23 months
-May begin to say single words (Speech & language skills)
24+ month milestones
24 months+
-May say simple 2-4 word sentences (Speech & language)
-Begins to point to objects in pictures (Cognitive skills)
-Can pull toys while walking (Gross motor skills)
Caron Irwin, Child Life Expert
These developmental milestones have been reviewed and are validated by our Mastermind Toys Child Life Expert,
Caron Irwin, Founder of Roo Family.
Caron is a Canadian mother of three and started Roo Family to provide parents with comprehensive support to navigate the adventures and challenges of parenting and family life.
Caron holds a Master’s Degree in Early Childhood Studies and is a Certified Child Life Specialist. She has over 10 years of experience supporting children and families through illness at Canada’s largest children’s hospital, The Hospital for Sick Children.
Written by Cathy Barbarossa, Senior Copywriter and Editor with contributions by Caron Irwin, Child Life Expert
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