Physical milestones

Your child’s little body learns so much between the ages of six months and three years. Enjoy this busy time!

6 MONTHS

Your baby is starting to sit on his own. He can lift his head, chest and shoulders off the floor and is starting to look like he wants to crawl. He actively rolls around. He can move an object from one hand to the other and is even trying to feed himself. When you’re feeding him, he’ll probably start grabbing at the jar or spoon.

7 MONTHS

At month seven, your baby is busy moving his one knee ever closer to his tummy – a precursor to crawling. He can roll like a boss and can bring his foot to his mouth. He’s beginning to play with his toys more intentionally by shaking them or banging them together. He can pull toys and he’s dropping them less and less regularly. When he tries to feed himself finger foods, he succeeds more often than not. He is beginning to practise his pincer grip using his thumb and forefinger.

8 MONTHS

This is usually the time when babies begin crawling. They’ll also experiment with pulling themselves up against couches or coffee tables. By the end of this month, your baby can probably crawl forwards as well as backwards. He can open and close his hands deliberately and his pincer grip is becoming more accurate by the day.

9 MONTHS

If your baby is already crawling, chances are he will start turning over at this stage. He’ll attempt stairs and can make walking movements while you hold his hands or arms. He can feed himself foods such as peas and can build a tower all of two blocks high. 10 MONTHS

Crawling and climbing are his current obsession, but he’ll probably only make it to the first step and down again. He can move easily between sitting and pulling himself up to cruise along the furniture. He’ll try to pick up two blocks in one hand and loves unpacking your drawers. He can clap hands!

11 MONTHS

He can bend down to pick something up off the floor while holding on to a surface with one hand. He can open lids and boxes and he has refined his coordination between thumb and forefinger. He starts turning the pages of boardbooks and can stack differently sized containers inside one another.

1 YEAR

Any day from now you can expect the pitter-patter of tiny feet – actually walking! But don’t worry if your little one only achieves this feat in three months’ time – everyone at their own pace. His confidence is increasing on the stairs, and he can push a wagon or pram. He loves pouring water to and from containers. He can feed himself with a little help and not too much mess, and from 13 months some children can drink out of a normal cup with handles. He can hold (more like clutch) a crayon or pencil and draw lines with it.

By 16 months he can turn pages in a book and will attempt to undress himself.

By 18 months he will start enjoying push-and-pull toys.

2 YEARS

This past year your baby has transformed into a confident walker and by two he should be able to run, walk backwards and climb stairs (with both feet on one step). He’s falling way less than at the beginning of his walking journey. Don’t stress if he struggles to run around corners – this is normal.

Your toddler is developing a sense of rhythm and likes to dance. By twoand-a-half years he should be able to jump with both feet off the ground. He can stand on one leg. He can kick and sometimes catch balls and from about two he can start riding a tricycle or push bike. Give him plenty of chances to clamber on jungle gyms. By two-and-a-half years old your toddler has good hand-eye coordination. He can brush his own teeth and use a pencil more accurately. He can open and close twist lids and he can build a tower about eight blocks high. 3 YEARS

By three years of age, your youngster can wash and dry his own hands. He can stand on tippy toe, kick a ball surprisingly accurately, he can sit on his haunches and even walk a few steps on a balance beam.

He can thread beads onto a piece of string and his movements keep becoming more coordinated. For example, he can walk a short distance carrying a cup of milk without spilling, he can handle a teaspoon and can start dressing himself (he’ll start with items that are easy to put on). By the end of his third year he might be able to build a four-piece puzzle. His drawings are becoming more sophisticated and soon you’ll start seeing the beginnings of a stick figure taking shape on the page. The head will be as big as the rest of the body and the body will be drawn as lines only – literally a stick figure.