MILESTONES TO WATCH

HEAD CONTROL

Your newborn has weak neck muscles at birth, and therefore very little control over their head. By about a month old, they’ll probably lift their head and then start holding it up, while in a sitting position, at around 4 months. Expect more firm and strong head control by around 6 months. WHEN TO SEEK ADVICE Is your baby having difficulty lifting their head slightly at around 3 months? Premature babies reach this milestone, and others, later than full-term babies, so bear this in mind.

GRASPING

At birth, babies instinctively grasp for objects but learn over the course of a year how to pick things up and hold them firmly. By around 3 months, your baby starts to develop hand-eye coordination, although they can’t grasp and hold objects correctly yet. Between 4 and 8 months, babies start picking up larger objects such as building blocks, but can’t manage small items yet. From around 9 to 12 months, your baby can pick up objects, may start favouring their left or right hand and practises their pincer grasp, enabling them to pick up smaller objects between forefinger and thumb. WHEN TO SEEK ADVICE Chat to a doctor if your baby makes no effort to touch, play with or pick up a toy by around 9 months, or if they show no interest in anything placed in front of them at around 2 months of age.

ROLLING OVER

Babies seem so independent once they can flip from back to stomach and vice versa! Turning from stomach to back may emerge at around 2 to 3 months, but rolling from back to stomach takes more effort, muscle strength and stronger arms, emerging at around 6 months.

Your 3-month-old will likely lift up their head and shoulders, using arm support, while lying on their stomach – all useful exercises for rolling from front to back and vice versa at around the half-year mark. Some babies move around by rolling while others skip this stage and go straight to sitting, lunging or crawling. Don’t worry about this – as long as your baby is interested in learning new skills and wants to explore, all is well.

WHEN TO SEEK ADVICE At around 6 months, your baby should be trying to roll over or at least show interest in moving around in other ways, such as trying to sit, scoot or crawl.

SITTING

While experts say independent sitting emerges between 4 to 7 months, many babies take longer. Statistics show that 90 percent of babies sit well for a few minutes at around 8 months.

Once head and neck control are mastered, your baby may sit for a moment or two, without support, at around 5 months, before toppling. Around 7 months, they may move their body to grasp a toy while sitting.

WHEN TO SEEK ADVICE By 6 months, your baby should be making an effort to prop themself up on their arms and be able to hold their head steadily. Head control is an essential milestone for sitting, which leads to crawling and, eventually, walking.

CRAWLING

This skill usually emerges once your baby can sit steadily, unsupported. Their muscles are stronger, they can look around and can also prevent themself from falling once they’re balanced on hands and knees. From about 9 to 10 months, babies start the process of moving from sitting to balancing on all fours, learn to rock back and forth and then how to move forward. After that, they also start to master moving from all fours back to a sitting position. Advanced or “cross-crawling” is mastered when your baby uses an alternate leg and arm to crawl forward. By around 12 months, babies are mostly crawling well.

WHEN TO SEEK ADVICE The rule of thumb is that your baby should want to move in some way – whether scooting, crawling, rolling or creeping – by a year old. They should also be using their limbs equally.

WALKING

The moment all parents anticipate with great excitement, walking is a complex and fascinating step towards independence – and a farewell to young babyhood!

All milestones, such as head control, sitting, rolling and crawling, help your baby to develop coordination and muscle strength – essential tools for taking those first steps.

Your baby may pull into a standing position at around 8 months, with average walking age ranging from 9 months to as much as 18 months. Many parents report their babies standing early, but only walking at around 15 months.

WHEN TO SEEK ADVICE If your baby seems to be taking their time to walk after 15 months, or if you feel concerned that their milestones are taking significantly longer than their peers (and they’re not premature), then chat to your doctor.

TALKING

Between 13 and 18 months, toddlers will likely say one or two words, but many say nothing at all at this stage. Average vocabulary up to 2 years is around 50 to 70 words, but again, some children are not even making simple, three-word sentences or singing little songs by the age of 2. Around 3, toddlers may have a 300-word vocabulary, use pronouns with lots of practice and hold simple conversations. WHEN TO SEEK ADVICE Some signs of a possible problem are that your baby doesn’t keep eye contact or try to make sounds between 6 and 12 months, or was babbling but stops at about 6 months.

If, by around 2, your toddler makes no attempts to speak, or didn’t babble before their first birthday, seems frustrated that you can’t understand what they’re saying, uses only one word and no simple sentences, then see your doctor for reassurance and possible evaluation. Experts suggest a doctor’s visit if your child drops consonants, can’t name simple objects, still uses only one word at a time and if people have difficulty understanding them at around 3 years. Again, this doesn’t necessarily indicate a problem – an evaluation will put your mind at ease and help you to take the right action if there is a developmental issue. “If you are concerned about your child’s milestones, have them checked by a paediatrician, child psychologist or a developmental specialist using the guidelines in this article,” Jenny suggests. “The reality, if there is a developmental problem, is that you might need to spend some time, money and quite a bit of energy on different kinds of therapies for your child, such as occupational therapy, physiotherapy or speech therapy.

”The more armed you are with knowledge about your child’s condition, the better equipped you will be to offer them what they really need to help them with their developmental delay.

”The Red Cross developmental unit in Cape Town has a team of experts that can either do a thorough assessment or refer you to a more appropriate place if necessary.”