Healthy Children Milestone Category

Developmental Health Watch

Milestone Name	Expected Age
Sucks poorly and feeds slowly	1	1
Doesn’t blink when shown a bright light	1	1
Doesn’t focus and follow a nearby object moving side to side	1	1
Rarely moves arms and legs; seems stiff	1	1
Seems excessively loose in the limbs, or floppy	1	1
Lower jaw trembles constantly, even when not crying or excited	1	1
Doesn’t respond to loud sounds	1	1
Doesn’t seem to respond to loud sounds	3	3
Doesn’t notice her hands by two months	3	3
Doesn’t smile at the sound of your voice by two months	3	3
Doesn’t follow moving objects with her eyes by two to three months	3	3
Doesn’t grasp and hold objects by three months	3	3
Doesn’t smile at people by three months	3	3
Cannot support her head well at three months	3	3
Doesn’t reach for and grasp toys by three to four months	3	3
Doesn’t babble by three to four months	3	3
Doesn’t bring objects to her mouth by four months	3	3
Begins babbling, but doesn’t try to imitate any of your sounds by four months	3	3
Doesn’t push down with her legs when her feet are placed on a firm surface by four months	3	3
Has trouble moving one or both eyes in all directions	3	3
Crosses her eyes most of the time (Occasional crossing of the eyes is normal in these first months.)	3	3
Doesn’t pay attention to new faces, or seems very frightened by new faces or surroundings	3	3
Still has the tonic neck reflex at four to five months	3	3
Seems very stiff, with tight muscles	7	7
Seems very floppy, like a rag doll	7	7
Head still flops back when body is pulled up to a sitting position	7	7
Reaches with one hand only	7	7
Refuses to cuddle	7	7
Shows no affection for the person who cares for him	7	7
Doesn’t seem to enjoy being around people	7	7
One or both eyes consistently turn in or out	7	7
Persistent tearing, eye drainage, or sensitivity to light	7	7
Does not respond to sounds around him	7	7
Has difficulty getting objects to his mouth	7	7
Does not turn his head to locate sounds by four months	7	7
Doesn’t roll over in either direction (front to back or back to front) by five months	7	7
Seems inconsolable at night after five months	7	7
Doesn’t smile spontaneously by five months	7	7
Cannot sit with help by six months	7	7
Does not laugh or make squealing sounds by six months	7	7
Does not actively reach for objects by six to seven months	7	7
Doesn’t follow objects with both eyes at near (1 foot) [30 cm] and far (6 feet) [180 cm] ranges by seven months	7	7
Does not bear some weight on legs by seven months	7	7
Does not try to attract attention through actions by seven months	7	7
Does not babble by eight months	7	7
Shows no interest in games of peekaboo by eight months	7	7
Does not crawl	12	12
Drags one side of body while crawling (for over one month)	12	12
Cannot stand when supported	12	12
Does not search for objects that are hidden while he watches	12	12
Says no single words (“mama” or “dada”)	12	12
Does not learn to use gestures, such as waving or shaking head	12	12
Does not point to objects or pictures	12	12
Cannot walk by eighteen months	24	24
Fails to develop a mature heel-toe walking pattern after several months of walking, or walks exclusively on his toes	24	24
Does not speak at least fifteen words by eighteen months	24	24
Does not use two-word sentences by age two	24	24
Does not seem to know the function of common household objects (brush, telephone, bell, fork, spoon) by fifteen months	24	24
Does not imitate actions or words by the end of this period	24	24
Does not follow simple instructions by age two	24	24
Cannot push a wheeled toy by age two	24	24
Cannot throw a ball overhand	48	48
Cannot jump in place	48	48
Cannot ride a tricycle	48	48
Cannot grasp a crayon between thumb and fingers	48	48
Has difficulty scribbling	48	48
Cannot stack four blocks	48	48
Still clings or cries whenever his parents leave him	48	48
Shows no interest in interactive games	48	48
Ignores other children	48	48
Doesn’t respond to people outside the family	48	48
Doesn’t engage in fantasy play	48	48
Resists dressing, sleeping, using the toilet	48	48
Lashes out without any self-control when angry or upset	48	48
Cannot copy a circle	48	48
Doesn’t use sentences of more than three words	48	48
Doesn’t use “me” and “you” appropriately	48	48
Exhibits extremely fearful or timid behavior	60	60
Exhibits extremely aggressive behavior	60	60
Is unable to separate from parents without major protest	60	60
Is easily distracted and unable to concentrate on any single activity for more than five minutes	60	60
Shows little interest in playing with other children	60	60
Refuses to respond to people in general, or responds only superficially	60	60
Rarely uses fantasy or imitation in play	60	60
Seems unhappy or sad much of the time	60	60
Doesn’t engage in a variety of activities	60	60
Avoids or seems aloof with other children and adults	60	60
Doesn’t express a wide range of emotions	60	60
Has trouble eating, sleeping, or using the toilet	60	60
Can’t differentiate between fantasy and reality	60	60
Seems unusually passive	60	60
Cannot understand two-part commands using prepositions (“Put the cup on the table”; “Get the ball under the couch.”)	60	60
Can’t correctly give her first and last name	60	60
Doesn’t use plurals or past tense properly when speaking	60	60
Doesn’t talk about her daily activities and experiences	60	60
Cannot build a tower of six to eight blocks	60	60
Seems uncomfortable holding a crayon	60	60
Has trouble taking off her clothing	60	60
Cannot brush her teeth efficiently	60	60
Cannot wash and dry her hands	60	60