When will my baby take his first step or say her first word? Early childhood, from your baby's birth until he or she turns 5, is when children develop skills they will use for the rest of their lives. The normal growth of children can be broken down into the following areas:
- Gross motor - controlling the head, sitting and walking
- Fine motor - holding a spoon, picking up a piece of cereal between thumb and finger
- Sensory - seeing, hearing, tasting, touching and smelling
- Language - being able to talk and be understood, and understanding what parents and other children say
- Social - the ability to play with family members and other children
Babies do not develop at the same rate. There is a wide range of what is considered "normal." Your baby may be ahead in some areas and slightly behind in others. If you are worried about possible delays, talk to your baby's health care provider.
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Developmental Milestones for Babies(March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation) - http://www.marchofdimes.com/pnhec/298_10203.asp
Also available in Spanish http://www.nacersano.org/centro/9256_10057.asp
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Interactive Tools for Parents: Milestones Checklist(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/actearly/interactive/
Also available in Spanish http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/actearly/spanish/interactive/
- Child Development Chart: Preschool Milestones(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/child-development/MY00136
- Growth & Development(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/parent/growth/
- Early Intervention Helps Infants Born Deaf(09/03/2008, Reuters Health) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_68843.html
- Do Underweight Newborns Make for Shy Adults?(07/09/2008, HealthDay) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_66765.html
- Developmental Screening(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/actearly/screening.html
- Activities to Encourage Speech and Language Development(American Speech-Language-Hearing Association) - http://www.asha.org/public/speech/development/Parent-Stim-Activities.htm
- Brain Development: Frequently Asked Questions(Zero to Three) - http://www.zerotothree.org/site/PageServer?pagename=ter_key_brainFAQ
- Growth: 1-Year-Olds(Children's Hospital Boston) - http://www.childrenshospital.org/az/Site1713/mainpageS1713P0.html
- Growth: 2-Year-Olds(Children's Hospital Boston) - http://www.childrenshospital.org/az/Site1715/mainpageS1715P0.html
- Growth: 3-Year-Olds(Children's Hospital Boston) - http://www.childrenshospital.org/az/Site1716/mainpageS1716P0.html
- Growth: Preschool (4 to 5 Years)(Children's Hospital Boston) - http://www.childrenshospital.org/az/Site1725/mainpageS1725P0.html
- Infant Development: What Happens from 10 to 12 Months?(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/infant-development/FL00101/METHOD=print
- Infant Development: What Happens from 4 to 6 Months?(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/infant-development/FL00099/METHOD=print
- Infant Development: What Happens from 7 to 9 Months?(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/infant-development/FL00100/METHOD=print
- Infant Development: What Happens from Birth to 3 Months?(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/infant-development/PR00061/METHOD=print
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Speech and Language: Developmental Milestones
(National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders) - http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/voice/speechandlanguage.asp
Also available in Spanish http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/spanish/speechandlanguage_span.asp
- Building Preschool and School Skills and Getting Ready for Kindergarten(Academic Pediatric Association) - http://www.ambpeds.org/site/index/index/education/education_handouts_preschool.htm
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Child Becomes a Reader: Birth through Preschool(National Institute of Child Health and Human Development) - Large PDF file - http://www.nifl.gov/partnershipforreading/publications/pdf/low_res_child_reader_B-K.pdf
- Friendships in Early and Middle Childhood(American Academy of Pediatrics) - http://www.medem.com/medlb/article_detaillb.cfm?article_ID=ZZZEO5YK79C&sub_cat=21
- Occupational Therapy in Early Intervention: Helping Children Succeed(American Occupational Therapy Association) - http://www.aota.org/News/Consumer/40021.aspx
- Physical Therapy(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/parent/system/ill/phys_therapy.html
- Premature Babies: Growth and Development(American Academy of Pediatrics) - http://www.medem.com/medlb/article_detaillb.cfm?article_ID=ZZZQEMYUQ7C&sub_cat=26
- Premature Infants: A Later Look(NYU Child Study Center) - http://www.aboutourkids.org/articles/premature_infants_later_look
- Separation Anxiety(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/parent/emotions/feelings/separation_anxiety.html
- Social Development(Academic Pediatric Association) - http://www.ambpeds.org/site/education/education_handouts_soc_dev.htm
- Speech-Language Therapy(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/parent/system/ill/speech_therapy.html
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Starting Smart: How Early Experiences Influence Brain Development(Zero to Three) - Links to PDF - http://www.zerotothree.org/site/DocServer/startingsmart.pdf?docID=2422
- Thumb Sucking and Pacifiers(American Academy of Pediatrics) - http://www.medem.com/MedLB/article_detaillb.cfm?article_ID=ZZZQ4JXWQ7C&sub_cat=21
- Toddler Reading Time(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/parent/growth/learning/reading_toddler.html
- Toddlers and Sexual Behavior(Virtual Pediatric Hospital) - http://www.virtualpediatrichospital.org/patients/cqqa/toddlersandsex.shtml
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Tummy Time(National Institute of Child Health and Human Development) - http://www.nichd.nih.gov/health/topics/Tummy_Time.cfm
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Interactive Tools for Parents: Milestones Checklist(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/actearly/interactive/
Also available in Spanish http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/actearly/spanish/interactive/
- Growth Charts(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/parent/growth/growth/growth_charts.html
References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
- Article: Long-term mother and child mental health effects of a population-based... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18762495&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Very low birth weight preterm infants with surgical short bowel... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18762491&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Baby faces. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18655540&tool=MedlinePlus
- Infant and Toddler Development -- see more articles - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=search&db=pubmed&term=(child+development[majr]+OR+child+psychology[majr:noexp]+OR+personality+development[majr:noexp]+OR+infant+behavior[majr])+AND+(infant[mh]+OR+child,preschool[mh])+AND+english[la]+AND+humans[mh]+AND+(patient+education+handout[pt]+OR+review[pt]+OR+guideline[pt]+OR+clinical+trial[pt]+OR+jsubsetk[text])+NOT+(letter[pt]+OR+editorial[pt]+OR+case+reports[pt])&doptcmdl=summary&cmd_current=Limits&pmfilter_EDatLimit=last+1+Year&tool=MedlinePlus
- American Board of Pediatrics: Verification of Certification Search(American Board of Pediatrics) - https://www.abp.org/NewVerification/faces/VerificationSearch.jsp
- State Infant and Toddler Early Learning Guidelines(National Child Care Information Center) - http://www.nccic.org/pubs/goodstart/state-infant-elg.html
- American Academy of Pediatrics - http://www.aap.org/
- KidsHealth(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/index_noflash.html
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National Institute of Child Health and Human Development - http://www.nichd.nih.gov/
- Child Development - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/childdevelopment.html
- Infant and Toddler Health - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/infantandtoddlerhealth.html
- Children and Teenagers - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/childrenandteenagers.html
The primary NIH organization for research on Infant and Toddler Development is the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development - http://www.nichd.nih.gov/
Infant and Toddler Development - Multiple Languages - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/languages/infantandtoddlerdevelopment.html