Development

2 Months

Social and Emotional

• Begins to smile at people
• Can briefly calm himself (may bring hands to mouth and suck on hand)
• Tries to look at parent

Language/Communication

• Coos, makes gurgling sounds
• Turns head toward sounds

Cognitive (learning, thinking, problem-solving)

• Pays attention to faces
• Begins to follow things with eyes and recognize people at a distance
• Begins to act bored (cries, fussy) if activity doesn’t change

Movement/Physical Development

• Can hold head up and begins to push up when lying on tummy
• Makes smoother movements with arms and legs

4 Months

Social and Emotional

• Smiles spontaneously, especially at people
• Likes to play with people and might cry when playing stops
• Copies some movements and facial expressions, like smiling or frowning

Language/Communication

• Begins to babble
• Babbles with expression and copies sounds he hears
• Cries in different ways to show hunger, pain, or being tired

Cognitive (learning, thinking, problem-solving)

• Responds to affection
• Reaches for toy with one hand
• Uses hands and eyes together, such as seeing a toy and reaching for it
• Follows moving things with eyes from side to side
• Watches faces closely
• Recognizes familiar people and things at a distance

Movement/Physical Develoment

• Holds head steady, unsupported
• Pushes down on legs when feet are on a hard surface
• May be able to roll over from tummy to back
• Can hold a toy and shake it and swing at dangling toys
• Brings hands to mouth
• When lying on stomach, pushes up to elbows

 

6 Months

Social and Emotional 

• Knows familiar faces and begins to know if someone is a stranger
• Likes to play with others, especially parents
• Responds to other people’s emotions and often seems happy
• Likes to look at self in a mirror

Language/Communication

• Responds to sounds by making sounds
• Strings vowels together when babbling (“ah,” “eh,” “oh”) and likes taking turns with parent while making sounds
• Responds to own name
• Makes sounds to show joy and displeasure
• Begins to say consonant sounds (jabbering with “m,” “b”) 

Cognitive (learning, thinking, problem-solving)

•  Looks around at things nearby  
• Brings things to mouth 
• Shows curiosity about things and tries to get things that are out of reach 
• Begins to pass things from one hand to the other 

Movement/Physical Development

• Rolls over in both directions (front to back, back to front)
• Begins to sit without support
• When standing, supports weight on legs and might bounce
• Rocks back and forth, sometimes crawling backward before moving forward

 

9 Months

Social and Emotional

• May be afraid of strangers 
• May be clingy with familiar adults  
• Has favorite toys 

Language/Communication

• Understands “no” 
• Makes a lot of different sounds like “mamamama” and “bababababa” 
• Copies sounds and gestures of others 
• Uses fingers to point at things  

Cognitive (learning, thinking, problem-solving)

• Watches the path of something as it falls 
• Looks for things he sees you hide 
• Plays peek-a-boo 
• Puts things in her mouth 
• Moves things smoothly from one hand to the other 
• Picks up things like cereal o’s between thumb and index finger 

Movement/Physical Development

• Stands, holding on 
• Can get into sitting position 
• Sits without support 
• Pulls to stand 
• Crawls

 

 

12 Months

Social and Emotional 

• Is shy or nervous with strangers 
• Cries when mom or dad leaves 
• Has favorite things and people  
• Shows fear in some situations 
• Hands you a book when he wants to hear a story 
• Repeats sounds or actions to get attention 
• Puts out arm or leg to help with dressing 
• Plays games such as “peek-a-boo” and “pat-a-cake” 

Language/Communication

• Responds to simple spoken requests 
• Uses simple gestures, like shaking head “no” or waving “bye-bye” 
• Makes sounds with changes in tone (sounds more like speech)  
• Says “mama” and “dada” and exclamations like “uh-oh!” 
• Tries to say words you say  

Cognitive (learning, thinking, problem-solving)

• Explores things in different ways, like shaking, banging, throwing
• Finds hidden things easily 
• Looks at the right picture or thing when it’s named  
• Copies gestures  
• Starts to use things correctly; for example, drinks from a cup, brushes hair 
• Bangs two things together 
• Puts things in a container, takes things out of a container 
• Pokes with index (pointer) finger 
• Follows simple directions like “pick up the toy” 

Movement/Physical Development 

• Gets to a sitting position without help 
• Pulls up to stand, walks holding on to furniture (“cruising”) 
• May take a few steps without holding on 
• May stand alone