Milestones

Getting to know your child’s milestones is as simple as playing with your child.

Skills such as taking a first step, smiling for the first time, and waving “hi” are called developmental milestones. As children grow, they reach milestones in how they play, learn, speak, act, and move. While all children grow and change at their own rate, experts on child development target a window of time when a child may reach each milestone.

To review milestones below, click on the age you want to learn more about.

9 Months

Communication	Plays peek-a-boo Makes two-syllable consonants sounds, i.e. baba, gaga, kaka, dada Follows one command without gestures, i.e. “come here”
Gross Motor	Sits up straight on floor for several minutes Bends down to pick up toy and returns to standing while holding onto furniture Crawls
Fine Motor	Picks up small toys (rigid objects) and string (floppy objects) with thumb and finger Picks up string (can be attached to a toy) with thumb and finger (floppy object)
Problem Solving	Bangs objects together or on table Tries to get small foods out of a clear bottle (may not dump yet) Dumps objects out of containers either by themself or by copying you
Personal Social	Feeds oneself a cracker Puts toy in your hand, but doesn’t let go of toy Can push arms through a sleeve once arm is in the hole of the sleeve
Talk to Doctor If	Doesn’t respond to name Doesn’t sit with help or bear weight on legs with support Doesn’t babble, i.e. mama, baba, dada Doesn’t play back and forth games Doesn’t look where you point Doesn’t move toys from one hand to the other Doesn’t recognize familiar people

Learn more with a Developmental Screening

To get a more in-depth picture of how your child is developing, we invite you to take a free developmental screening.

Start Screening

Making Meaning from a Screening

After you complete the screening, you may have questions. One in six children have developmental concerns that would benefit from follow up. Research has shown that the sooner the developmental services are started, the better the outcome. There are many services that can support a child’s development, including speech therapy, physical therapy, and developmentally appropriate social activities.

Talking with their health care provider about your concerns can help you determine the best next steps. Your child’s daycare or preschool can also be a partner in supporting your child’s development.

At any time in the process, Help Me Grow is here to walk you through the screening results and to answer your questions.

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