Early Childhood Milestone & Cognitive, Social, Physical Growth of a child

Last Updated on March 14, 2025 by monalishamund1987@gmail.com

Early childhood is a crucial stage for a child’s cognitive, social, and physical development.

Gross Motor :

Social smile by two months.
Four months of head holding.
Nine months of sitting alone.

Crawl after a year.
Individual 15-month period.
18 months of walking alone.
Reach the upper and lower levels in 24 months.
A child should be able to see, hear, and listen.

By six months, hold the rattle.
Move items from one hand to the other by nine months.
Twelve months of pincer grasp.
By 15 months, placing toys or other items in a container.
By 18 months, Scribble
Self-feeds by 24 months using a spoon or hand.

Hearing :

Becomes sound-sensitive by two months.

Reacts to the mother’s voice by four months

Turns one’s head or eyes to a whisper. Six months.

Answers the name within nine months.

Coos or squeals by two months

Create screaming noises by four months
“p,” “b,” and “m” by six months
The 9-month-old babbles “baba,” “dada,” and “mama.”
Speaks one significant word every twelve months.
15 months old and able to say at least two words other than “baba” and “ma,” such as “cat” and “ball.”
18 months old and able to speak at least five words
Combines two words, such as “mama-milk” and “car-go,” by the age of 24 months.
36 months to speak sentences

By two months of eye contact
Four months after the object
Watches TV for six months without cocking their head.

Refrain from running into things when moving for nine months.
By 15 months, placing tiny items in a cup

social smile by two months
reaches out for something six months in advance.

Poor hands by four months
Seeks a spoon or a six-month-old toy that has fallen
Answers her name within nine meters
Responds to “no” within a yearlooks for concealed objects by the end of the year.
15 months pointing at objects
By the age of fifteen months, the child uses toys to pay by pulling or prodding.

Mimic household chores at the age of 18 months
Act like you’re two years old.
By two years, parallel play
Skipped three years of play.

Features of Mental retardation :

1. A Slow Reaction
2. Inability to Understand Quickly
3. Lack of Clarity 
4. Inability to Learn Fast
5. The inability to make a decision
6. Absence of Focus
7. Short-tempered
8. Unable to Recall 
9. Insufficient Coordination
10. Development Delay

SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT :

Social smile by 2 months

Enables parents to choose arms by six months.

Adores peek-a-boo by nine months.

Distinguishes known faces from unknown ones by a year.

15 months of imitation of phrases like “bye bye” and “namaste”

24-month parallel play

Head holding by 4 months & Rolls over by 6 months :

Sit alone by 9 months

Crawl by 12 months  

Stand-alone  15 months

In Indian context most of the children walk alone by 15 months  and stand alone by 12 months,

What does walking alone mean for mothers ?

12 months to 15 months, walk alone by 15 months 

 Walks well means he can walk while pulling a toy by 18 months :

 2 years one step at a time with holding

Climb upstairs and down stairs :

 3 years alternating feet without holding

Hold rattle by 6 months :

•Grasps an object with the center of his or her palm, using his thumb and the whole palm

Pincer grasp by 12 months.

Transfer object from hand to hand by 9 month :

Putting objects or toys in a container by 15 month

Scribble by 18 months

Feeds self with hand or by spoon by 24 months

Pattern of child development (Flexion to extension):

Thanks and Regards.

N.B. This information is suggestive only.