At 1-5 months of life, you should pay attention to the following indicators
✔️ whether the baby has babbling (appears at about 2 months);
✔️ does he/she pay attention to different sounds (2 months);
✔️ whether emotional reactions have appeared. Does he/she smile at mother’s smile, etc;
✔️ the baby identifies mother (4 months);
✔️ studies the toys that interest him/her. Explores to the touch;
✔️ recognizes mom and dad (4 months);
✔️ performs grasping movements. Holds a plaque, rattle, etc. (4 months);
✔️ responds and interacts well with others (5 months);
✔️ takes in a toy from adults’ hands and can hold it for a long time (5 months);
✔️ opens mouth well when feeding and can pick up food with lips (5 months)
✔️ recognizes people’s faces and displays emotional reactions (5 months);
6 months
✔️ responds to the name;
✔️ confidently picks up objects and moves them around;
✔️ babbles, listens attentively;
✔️ tries to repeat syllables (mum-mum, dum-dum-dum, ba-ba-ba)
7 months
✔️ continuously babbles, imitates adults’ speech with separate syllables;
✔️ interestedly plays with toys;
✔️ when asked where a familiar object is, the child turns, looks at it;
✔️ crawls in any direction, involving the whole body.
8 months
✔️ actively observes the actions of other children
✔️ imitates adults.
✔️ learns new skills (rolling a car, making sorters)
✔️ demonstrates mastered skills (greeting, saying goodbye – lifts and waves his palm)
✔️ pronounces syllables clearly
✔️ holds food (an apple)
9 months
✔️ actively mimics the movements and speech of adults
✔️ uses objects in relation to their function
✔️ walks holding onto a support
✔️ drinks from a cup
✔️ ready to be potty trained
10 months
✔️ child demonstrates previously mastered actions
✔️ can climb stairs by holding the handrail
✔️ gives familiar objects when asked to “give” or “fetch
11 months
✔️ actively learns new actions
✔️ selectively reacts to different people.
✔️ shows joy, discontent
✔️ standing without support, makes first steps
✔️ learns to differentiate objects into groups (cars, dolls)
✔️ masters the first simple words and sound imitations (dai, na, meow, moo)
12 months
✔️ begins to play with other children
✔️ differentiates objects by shape (ball, cube)
✔️ standing and walking independently, alternates steps
✔️ understands the meaning of “no” and responds by stopping a forbidden action easily repeats new syllables after adults, and has an active vocabulary of at least 10 simple words
✔️ takes utensils independently from the table with his hands, places them on the table, drinks from a cup
Article author: Alexandra Zinchenko – speech therapist, corrective pedagogue. Founder of the A. Zinchenko Corrective and Speech Therapy Center in Kyiv. Co-founder of the Public Organization “Association of Speech Therapists of Ukraine.”