Baby milestones in the first year, month by month
Baby milestones at 2, 4, 6, 9 and 12 months based on the CDC's 2022 checklists, what they mean, and when to talk to your doctor.
Educational content only, not medical advice. Always talk to your doctor or health visitor about your child.
In this article
- What changed in the CDC milestone checklists in 2022?
- What should a 2 month old baby be doing?
- What milestones should a 4 month old reach?
- What should a 6 month old be able to do?
- What are the milestones for a 9 month old?
- What should a baby be doing at 12 months?
- When should I worry about my baby's development?
- How can I support my baby's development?
- How do I keep track of milestones and growth together?
In the first year, most babies go from lifting their head and smiling at 2 months, to laughing and rolling by 6 months, to pulling up to stand and waving bye-bye by 12 months. The lists below follow the CDC's revised milestone checklists from 2022, which describe what most babies (about 3 out of 4) can do by each age. Every baby is different. If you are worried about your baby's development, or if your baby loses skills they once had, talk to your doctor, health visitor or paediatrician.
These checklists are a guide to help you notice and celebrate progress and to have better conversations at check-ups. They are not a test.
What changed in the CDC milestone checklists in 2022?
In 2022, the CDC and the American Academy of Pediatrics updated the "Learn the Signs. Act Early." checklists. The main change was to list milestones that most children (75 percent or more) reach by a given age, instead of the average age. That means if a baby has not reached a milestone on the list by that age, it is a clearer signal to check in with a health professional, rather than a reason to wait and see.
A few other changes stood out:
- New checklists at 15 and 30 months were added, to cover the full period of well-child visits.
- Crawling was removed as a milestone, because many babies skip it or move in other ways, such as bottom shuffling.
- Social and emotional milestones were given more attention.
What should a 2 month old baby be doing?
By 2 months, most babies:
- Calm down when spoken to or picked up
- Look at your face
- Seem happy to see you when you walk up to them
- Smile when you talk to or smile at them
- Make sounds other than crying
- React to loud sounds
- Watch you as you move
- Look at a toy for several seconds
- Hold their head up when on their tummy
- Move both arms and both legs
- Open their hands briefly
What milestones should a 4 month old reach?
By 4 months, most babies:
- Smile on their own to get your attention
- Chuckle when you try to make them laugh, even if it is not a full laugh yet
- Look at you, move or make sounds to get or keep your attention
- Make cooing sounds like "oooo" and "aahh"
- Make sounds back when you talk to them
- Turn their head towards the sound of your voice
- Open their mouth when they see the breast or bottle if hungry
- Look at their hands with interest
- Hold their head steady without support when you are holding them
- Hold a toy when you put it in their hand
- Use their arm to swing at toys
- Bring their hands to their mouth
- Push up onto their elbows or forearms when on their tummy
Baby activity gym
A play mat with hanging toys for tummy time and reaching.
What should a 6 month old be able to do?
By 6 months, most babies:
- Know familiar people
- Like to look at themselves in a mirror
- Laugh
- Take turns making sounds with you
- Blow raspberries
- Make squealing noises
- Put things in their mouth to explore them
- Reach to grab a toy they want
- Close their lips to show they do not want more food
- Roll from tummy to back
- Push up with straight arms when on their tummy
- Lean on their hands to support themselves when sitting
What are the milestones for a 9 month old?
By 9 months, most babies:
- Are shy, clingy or fearful around strangers
- Show several facial expressions, like happy, sad, angry and surprised
- Look when you call their name
- React when you leave, for example by looking, reaching for you or crying
- Smile or laugh when you play peek-a-boo
- Make different sounds like "mamamama" and "babababa"
- Lift their arms up to be picked up
- Look for objects when they are dropped out of sight
- Bang two things together
- Get to a sitting position by themselves
- Move things from one hand to the other
- Use their fingers to rake food towards themselves
- Sit without support
What should a baby be doing at 12 months?
By their first birthday, most babies:
- Play games with you, like pat-a-cake
- Wave bye-bye
- Call a parent "mama", "dada" or another special name
- Understand "no", pausing briefly or stopping when you say it
- Put something in a container, like a block in a cup
- Look for things they see you hide, like a toy under a blanket
- Pull up to stand
- Walk holding on to furniture
- Drink from a cup without a lid, as you hold it
- Pick things up between their thumb and pointer finger, like small bits of food
First words are one of the most exciting milestones. Our guide to toddler first words activities has easy ways to build language every day.
First words board book
Sturdy pages with everyday things: apple, ball, car, cup. Point and name together.
When should I worry about my baby's development?
Every baby develops at their own pace. Some walk early and talk later, others babble constantly and are happy sitting for months. Premature babies are usually assessed by their corrected age.
This article is educational and is not medical advice. Please talk to your doctor, health visitor or paediatrician if:
- Your baby has not reached one or more of the milestones listed for their age
- Your baby loses skills they once had. This is always worth raising promptly.
- You have any feeling that something is not quite right, even if you cannot say exactly what
You know your baby best, and your concerns are a valid reason to ask. If there is a delay, getting support early can make a real difference. Asking does not mean something is wrong.
How can I support my baby's development?
The everyday things matter most:
- Talk all day. Narrate what you are doing, even if it feels silly.
- Get down on the floor. Tummy time, reaching games and play mats help build strength.
- Read together. Board books with big pictures are perfect for pointing and naming.
- Respond to their sounds. When your baby coos, coo back. Conversation starts here.
- Play simple games. Peek-a-boo, pat-a-cake and hiding a toy under a cloth.
For toy ideas that suit each stage, see the best learning toys by age.
How do I keep track of milestones and growth together?
Milestones and growth are separate, but it helps to look at them side by side, and to bring notes to check-ups. Our guide to growth percentiles explains how growth charts work.
Baby Growth Tracker Pro plots weight on WHO growth charts from birth to 5 years, with corrected age for preterm babies. It also has a daily care log, a vaccine schedule planner, reminders and 100 answered questions for new parents. It works offline and needs no account. Find out more on the Baby Growth Tracker page.
Frequently asked questions
My baby is not crawling at 9 months. Is that a problem?
Crawling is no longer on the CDC milestone checklists, because many babies skip it or move in other ways. If you have concerns about how your baby moves, talk to your health professional.
Should I use corrected age for milestones?
For babies born prematurely, health professionals usually look at milestones by corrected age, often until around age 2. Ask your baby's care team.
What should I do if my baby loses a skill?
Talk to your doctor, health visitor or paediatrician promptly. Losing skills a baby once had is always worth checking.
Where do these milestones come from?
They follow the CDC's "Learn the Signs. Act Early." checklists, revised in 2022 with the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Some links on this page go to Amazon. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. It never changes the price you pay.
