First Year Of Development

Parenting needs to come with a handbook.  How many times have you thought that?

Here is some helpful developmental guidelines so you can become an informed parent.  Know what to encourage and when!

By 6 months your child should:

• Sit alone for short periods
• Begin to belly crawl
• Roll back to belly and belly to back
• Grab feet and bring them to mouth
• On belly props up on straight elbows
• Reach for a toy when playing on belly
• Hold a toy and shakes it
• Put fingers in mouth
• Hold hands open at least 1/2 of the time
• Smile at self in mirror
• Cup drinking in introduced
• Soft, smooth solids
• Move chewed food to center of mouth before swallowing

By 9 months your child should:

• Maintain sitting for at least 60 seconds with hands free to play
• Crawl independently
• Pull to stand from floor
• Walk with 2 hands held
• Wave bye-bye
• Release objects intentionally
• Feed self finger foods
• Bang a toy on the floor
• Pass a small object between hands
• Babble same sounds
• Respond to “no”
• Vocalize different syllables
• Tolerate smooth solid foods
• Make sounds while eating with food in mouth

By 12 months your child should:

• Cruise along furniture
• Independent standing
• Get into and out of sitting
• Corral a ball with arms and hands in sitting
• Transition sit to stand and stand to sit
• Grasp thick crayon or pencil in fist, does not mark
• Turn page of a cardboard book
• Help to pull off simple clothing
• Put object into others
• Pull shoes off
• Feed self with fingers
• Babble using different sounds
• Take turns vocalizing
• Point / gesture
• Tolerate coarsely chopped food

If your child is having trouble achieving any of the milestones above, go to https://www.abcpediatrictherapy.com for more information.  The ABC staff is here to help you help your child.  Each developmental skill builds on the next one.  You do not want your child to skip skills or fall behind.  Their self confidence depends on it!