9 Most Important Infant Milestones

Learn about nine important infant milestones from pediatrician Dyan Hes, M.D. in this Howcast video about newborn and baby development.


So parents always ask, "What are the most important milestones that my baby will have?"

So the first milestone that you might be looking for in your baby is a smile. And a smile usually occurs at two months of age. Between two and four months, your baby's going to smile more often and start to roll. Rolling usually happens around four months of age.

Just remember, all of these milestones are guidelines. Some babies do it a little bit early. Some babies do it a little bit later. It doesn't mean your baby is developing wrong. You just have to follow it with your doctor. Between four and six months, babies are going to start to sit up. They're going to start doing sit ups like crunches where they are going to try to pull themselves up. And around six months a baby will sit up. That's a major milestone at six months.

Sometimes they need some help. Sometimes they lean forward in a tripod, and they need to hold themselves up with their arms. Between six and nine months, babies start to creep, which is when they pull themselves, and drag their legs behind them. But not all babies do creep, some babies get up and rock on their knees and their hands to try to crawl. And then babies eventually start crawling around nine months of age.

Also at this time, between seven and nine months of age, some babies pull themselves up. They often do it first with the bars of their crib, and then they pull themselves up. Some babies pull themselves up on furniture. And some babies pull themselves up on drawers. So you have to make sure your house is safety proof during this time when your baby is exploring.

At 12 months of age at lot of babies start to walk, but not all babies start to walk at 12 months of age. They stand alone for a few seconds at 12 months of age, and then they start to take their first few steps. Between 15 and 18 months old, some babies are already running. At 18 months old, some babies are taking steps backwards.

These are the kind of questions that you want to discuss with your pediatrician whether your baby's meeting the appropriate milestones.

Popular Categories