Infant Milestones: the first year

The following information is to be used as a guide to and at the discretion of the end-user and should not replace a doctor’s opinion.

Milestones: 1-3 months

Milestones for months 1 to 3 include:

• Ability to raise head and chest when laying on stomach
• Stretches arms out and kicks when laying on back
• Smiles purposefully
• Enjoys playing with other people
• Can follow a moving object with eyes
• Ability to open and shut hands and bring hands to mouth
• Ability to grasp and shake a toy
• Communication includes facial expressions and body movement, coo’s and babbles
• Begins to imitate some sounds and expressions
• Begins to recognize toys and people from a distance
• Hand-eye coordination improving

Milestones: 4-7 months

Milestones for months 4 to 7 include:

• Uses hands and mouth to explore
• Can find a partially hidden object
• Attempts to get objects that are out of their reach
• Can roll from back to tummy and tummy to back
• Can sit by self for a short time, with or without hands and sit in a highchair
• Ability to transfer toys between hands, point and reach for objects
• Communication includes using more variety of sounds and pitches; uses sound to reflect moods, babbles to get attention and can imitate sounds better
• Play becomes more intentional

Milestones: 8-12 months

Milestones for months 8 to 12 include:

• Can move to a sitting position and crawling position on his/her own
• Crawling
• Sitting independently
• Pull up, stand and walk while holding onto furniture; may even take a few steps independently
• Grasp objects with thumb and first finger; can finger feed themselves
• Place toys into containers and take them out; find toys that are hidden
• Communication includes saying mama and dada, oh-oh, shaking head yes or no and imitating other sounds; may even say their first word
• Uncomfortable around strangers and cries when mom or dad leaves

• Author
• Recent Posts

Bonitas

Bonitas is the second largest open medical scheme in South Africa.
Administered by Medscheme Holdings (Pty) Ltd, Bonitas aims to make quality
healthcare accessible to all South Africans and offers a wide range of plans that are simple to understand and easy to use. The Fund has the largest GP
network in South Africa, a Specialist Network and a host of supplementary
benefits paid from risk and carefully crafted managed care programmes to
cover chronic conditions, cancer, diabetes and HIV/AIDS. This allows members to derive real value for money and stretch their benefits as far as possible

Latest posts by Bonitas (see all)

• Due soon?What to include in your hospital bag - November 22, 2024
• Putting together your birth plan - November 15, 2024
• Premature birth – what to expect - November 8, 2024