What are milestones? They are skills and traits typically portrayed in infants and children. It follows a usual range of development. Milestones can help identify if a child may need some more attention in an area. If concerned you can turn to a couple different services including speech therapy, physical therapy, and developmental preschool for older children.

Milestones fall under 4 main catagories.
- Social/emotional; ability to connect with others. Noticing others emotions as well as their own.
- Language/communication; ability to communicate, talk, and interact with others.
- Cognitive; higher brain functions. Ability to pay attention and notice environment.
- Movement; gross and fine motor skills.

2 month milestones
- Smiling at people
- Looking for familiar faces
- May attempt to calm themselves by sucking on fingers
- Making cooing or gurgling sounds
- Turns head towards sounds
- Begins to follow movement with eyes
- May act bored if in one place too long
- May hold head up while on tummy
- Starts making smoother movements with arms and legs.
If concerned act early and contact the child’s doctor if child,
- Doesn’t respond to load sounds
- Doesn’t watch things as they move
- Doesn’t smile at familiar people
- Doesn’t bring hands to moutcant hold up head when on tummy.

9 month milestones.
- May be fearful of strangers
- Clingy with familiar adults
- Have favorite toys
- Umderstands “no”
- Make a lot of different sounds and noises
- Attempts to copy sounds and gestures
- Watches the path of something as it falls
- Plays peek-a-boo
- Moves things from one hand to the other
- Points at what they want
- Picks small things up between thumb and index finger
- Stands holding on to something
- Can get into a seated position
- Crawls
- Sits without support.
If concerned act early and contact child’s doctor if;
- Doesn’t bear weight on legs with support
- Doesn’t sit with help
- Doesn’t babble
- Doesn’t play “back and forth” games(peek-a-boo.)
- Doesn’t respond to name.
- Doesn’t recognize familiar faces
- Doesnt look where you point
Resources:
- www.Medlineplus.gov
- CDC government
- My own personal training+ experience
I’m an aspiring cognitive therapist that currently works as a child care provider.