BASIC INFANT DEVELOPMENT CHART
NEWBORN – 18 MONTHS
. … 
Remember that there is a range of “average” and every baby is different and follows their own developmental timeline.
This chart is meant to be used as a quick reference.
| AGE |
KEY GROSS MOTOR MILESTONES |
PHOTO |
KEY FINE MOTOR MILESTONES |
PHOTO |
| Newborn – 1 month |
Getting used to coming from the warm and cosy womb into the cold world, which has gravity.
- Flexed posture- maintains position from womb (fetal position)
- Prone- Lifts head briefly and turns head to the side
- Movements mostly driven by primitive reflexes, for example:
1. Moro reflex
2. Rooting and sucking reflexes – important for baby’s survival, helping them find the source of food
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- Hands fisted
- Grasp reflex
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| 2 months |
Lifting my head
|
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- Hands often open or loosely closed.
- Grasp reflex still strong.
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| 3 months |
- Midline orientated and symmetrical
-Hands to midline
-Head in midline
- Prone- puppy position (props self on forearms)
– lifts head 45-90 degrees and holds without bobbing
-turns head to look in both directions, with head lifted
-elbows most often under or in front of shoulders
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What are these?
- Hands to mouth
Hands together
Looking at hands
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| 4 months |
- Chest raise
-lifts and holds head steady to 90 degrees
-presses through forearms to lift upper chest
-may lift arms and legs off the floor and rock or appear to be “swimming” or “flying”
- Starting to roll – prone to supine.
- Sits upright with trunk support, head steady
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Let’s play
- Voluntary grasp begins- holds a toy and shakes it
Bilateral approach
Mouths toys
Starts reaching for toys and bats at dangling toys
** Bilateral approach develops before unilateral approach. Able to reach and grasp a small toy using both hands before starts using either hand. |
|
| 5 months |
- Working the core/abs and neck muscles
*Supine – hands to feet
*Prone – Push ups, on extended arms
- Sits with pelvic support
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- Reaches for toys
- Palmar grasp, no thumb used
- Uses both hands to explore toys
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| 6 months |
- Getting moving
Rolling both directions- supine to prone and vice versa.
- Prone- Begins to push backwards using arms
- Starting to sit on my own
Begins to sit without support – leans forwards on hands (props self)
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- Reaches with one hand
- Can only hold one object at a time
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| 7 months |
- Starting to move backwards
Creeping backwards on abdomen.
- Sits without support- arm support at sides
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- Transfers object from hand to hand
- Radial palmar grasp
- Can hold 2 objects
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| 8 months |
- Starting to move forwards
Reciprocal creeping using arms
- Pushes back into 4 point kneeling
- Perfect sitting balance
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- Imitates clapping hands
- Compares 2 objects by banging together
- Index poking
- Radial raking
|
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| 9 months |
Rock ’n roll
- Rocks on hands and knees
- Prone to sit & sit to prone
- Sits and pivots
I’m standing
- Pulling up into standing holding on to furniture, arms do most of the work
- Stands holding on to furniture
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- Inferior pincer
- Isolates index finger
|
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| 10 months |
Off I go – crawls on hands and knees |
|
Thumb and finger opposition begins |
 |
| 11 months |
- Cruising with one hand for support
- Walks with hand held
- Stands independently for a short time- 2 seconds, legs wide, arms up/out
|
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Pincer grasp maturing |
 |
| 12 months |
- Crawls, bear walks or shuffles on bottom
- May start walking- can take independent steps
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- Mature pincer grip – thumb opposition and tip of index finger
- Attempts tower of 2 cubes
- Scribbles after demo
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| 15 months |
- Walks– may still have feet wide apart
- Squats down with control and stands back up
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- 2 cube tower
- Precise pincer grasp – can pick up crumbs
- Spontaneous scribble
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| 18 months |
- Pulls toys while walking
- Squats to play
- Climbs up onto big chair and turns to sit
- Starts to jump with both feet
- Throws ball while standing
- Runs with stiff posture
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- 4+ cube tower
- Pegs in a board
- Drinks from a cup
- Feeds self with a spoon
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References:
https://www.growinghandsonkids.com/fine-motor-skills-checklist-babies.html
https://pathways.org/growth-development/baby/milestones/
https://depts.washington.edu/dbpeds/Screening%20Tools/Devt%20Milestones%20Table%20(B-6y)%20PIR%20(Jan2016).msg.pdf
http://mamaot.com/developmental-milestones/
https://academic.oup.com/pch/article/17/10/561/2638880
http://www.candokiddo.com/news/tummy-time-milestones
https://slideplayer.com/slide/6076260/
www.columbia.edu/itc/hs/medical/residency/peds/new_compeds_site/grasp.doc
