Babies develop at their own pace, so it's impossible to tell exactly when your child will learn a given skill. The developmental milestones listed below will give you a general idea of the changes you can expect, but don't be alarmed if your own baby's development takes a slightly different course.

Social and Emotional

• Enjoys social play
• Interested in mirror images
• Responds to other people's expressions of emotion and appears joyful often

Cognitive

• Finds partially hidden object
• Explores with hands and mouth
• Struggles to get objects that are out of reach

Language

• Responds to own name
• Begins to respond to "no"
• Can tell emotions by tone of voice
• Responds to sound by making sounds
• Uses voice to express joy and displeasure
• Babbles chains of sounds

Movement

• Rolls both ways (front to back, back to front)
• Sits with, and then without, support on hands
• Supports whole weight on legs
• Reaches with one hand
• Transfers object from hand to hand
• Uses hand to rake objects

Vision

• Develops full color vision
• Distance vision matures
• Ability to track moving objects improves

	Developmental Health Watch Alert your child's doctor or nurse if your child displays any of the following signs of possible developmental delay for this age range. Seems very stiff, with tight muscles Seems very floppy, like a rag doll Head still flops back when body is pulled to a sitting position Reaches with one hand only Refuses to cuddle Shows no affection for the person who cares for him or her Doesn't seem to enjoy being around people One or both eyes consistently turn in or out Persistent tearing, eye drainage, or sensitivity to light Does not respond to sounds around him or her Has difficulty getting objects to mouth Does not turn head to locate sounds by 4 months Does not roll over in either direction (front to back or back to front) by 5 months Seems impossible to comfort at night after 5 months Does not smile on his or her own by 5 months Cannot sit with help by 6 months Does not laugh or make squealing sounds by 6 months Does not actively reach for objects by 6 to 7 months Does not follow objects with both eyes at near (1 foot) and far (6 feet) ranges by 7 months Does not bear weight on legs by 7 months Does not try to attract attention through actions by 7 months Does not babble by 8 months Shows no interest in games of peek-a-boo by 8 months Experiences a dramatic loss of skills he or she once had

From CARING FOR YOUR BABY AND YOUNG CHILD: BIRTH TO AGE 5 by Steven Shelov, Robert E. Hannermann, © 1991, 1993, 1998, 2004 by the American Academy of Pediatrics. Used by permission of Bantam Books, a division of Random House, Inc.