Baby milestones by month: the CDC checklist, from 2 months to 3 years
The milestones below are things most children already do by each age, not the earliest a child might do them. That small change of wording makes them far more useful.
Updated October 13, 2026 · sources checked October 13, 2026
In short
Since 2022, CDC milestones list what at least 75% of children do by each checkup age. By 2 months most babies hold their head up on their tummy, by 6 months most roll from tummy to back, by 12 months most pull to stand, and by 2 years most say two words together. A missed milestone or a lost skill is a reason to talk to your pediatrician.
How to read the checklists
In 2022 the CDC's Learn the Signs. Act Early. program and the American Academy of Pediatrics revised the milestone checklists parents and doctors use. According to the working group's paper in Pediatrics (Zubler et al., 2022), each milestone now describes something at least 75% of children are expected to do by that checkup age. Before, many lists showed the average age, which meant half of children were "late" by design.
The revision added checklists at 15 and 30 months, removed about a quarter of the old milestones, replaced around 41%, and moved most of the transferred ones to older ages. The authors also note that social-emotional and thinking milestones had the least research data behind them.
What this means for you: if your child has not reached a milestone on the list for their age, it is worth a conversation now, not in six months.
2 months
| Area | Most babies by 2 months |
|---|---|
| Social and emotional | calm down when spoken to or picked up; look at your face; seem happy to see you; smile when you talk to or smile at them |
| Language | make sounds other than crying; react to loud sounds |
| Thinking | watch you as you move; look at a toy for several seconds |
| Movement | hold head up when on tummy; move both arms and both legs; open hands briefly |
Supervised tummy time is what builds that head control.
4 months
| Area | Most babies by 4 months |
|---|---|
| Social and emotional | smile on their own to get your attention; chuckle when you try to make them laugh; look, move or make sounds to keep your attention |
| Language | coo ("oooo", "aahh"); make sounds back when you talk; turn head toward your voice |
| Thinking | open mouth at the sight of breast or bottle when hungry; look at their hands with interest |
| Movement | hold head steady without support when held; hold a toy put in their hand; swing an arm at toys; bring hands to mouth; push up onto elbows on tummy |
6 months
| Area | Most babies by 6 months |
|---|---|
| Social and emotional | know familiar people; like to look at themselves in a mirror; laugh |
| Language | take turns making sounds with you; blow "raspberries"; squeal |
| Thinking | put things in their mouth to explore; reach to grab a toy; close lips to show they do not want more food |
| Movement | roll from tummy to back; push up with straight arms on tummy; lean on hands to support themselves when sitting |
9 months
| Area | Most babies by 9 months |
|---|---|
| Social and emotional | shy, clingy or fearful around strangers; show several facial expressions; look when you call their name; react when you leave; smile or laugh at peek-a-boo |
| Language | babble strings like "mamamama" and "bababa"; lift arms to be picked up |
| Thinking | look for objects dropped out of sight; bang two things together |
| Movement | get to sitting alone; move things from one hand to the other; "rake" food toward themselves; sit without support |
12 months
| Area | Most babies by 1 year |
|---|---|
| Social and emotional | play games like pat-a-cake |
| Language | wave "bye-bye"; call a parent "mama", "dada" or another special name; understand "no" |
| Thinking | put something in a container; look for things they saw you hide |
| Movement | pull up to stand; walk holding on to furniture; drink from an open cup you hold; pick up small things between thumb and pointer finger |
15 months
| Area | Most children by 15 months |
|---|---|
| Social and emotional | copy other children at play; show you an object they like; clap when excited; hug a soft toy; show you affection |
| Language | try one or two words besides "mama" or "dada"; look at a familiar object when you name it; follow directions given with a gesture and words; point to ask for something |
| Thinking | try to use things the right way (phone, cup, book); stack at least two small objects |
| Movement | take a few steps alone; feed themselves some food with their fingers |
18 months
| Area | Most children by 18 months |
|---|---|
| Social and emotional | move away from you but check you are close; point to show you something; hold hands out to be washed; look at a few pages of a book with you; help with dressing |
| Language | try three or more words besides "mama" or "dada"; follow one-step directions without gestures |
| Thinking | copy you doing chores; play with toys in a simple way, like pushing a car |
| Movement | walk without holding on; scribble; drink from an open cup; feed themselves with fingers; try a spoon; climb on and off a couch or chair |
2 years
| Area | Most children by 2 years |
|---|---|
| Social and emotional | notice when others are hurt or upset; look at your face to see how to react to something new |
| Language | point to things in a book when asked; say at least two words together ("more milk"); point to at least two body parts; use gestures such as blowing a kiss or nodding |
| Thinking | hold something in one hand while using the other; try switches, knobs or buttons; play with more than one toy at once |
| Movement | kick a ball; run; walk up a few stairs; eat with a spoon |
30 months
| Area | Most children by 30 months |
|---|---|
| Social and emotional | play next to and sometimes with other children; say "look at me!"; follow simple routines such as clean-up time |
| Language | say about 50 words; put two or more words together with an action word ("doggie run"); name things in a book; use "I", "me" or "we" |
| Thinking | pretend, like feeding a block to a doll; solve simple problems, like using a stool to reach; follow two-step instructions; know at least one color |
| Movement | twist things like doorknobs or lids; take off loose clothes; jump with both feet; turn book pages one at a time |
3 years
| Area | Most children by 3 years |
|---|---|
| Social and emotional | calm down within 10 minutes after you leave, for example at childcare drop-off; notice other children and join them to play |
| Language | hold a conversation with at least two back-and-forth exchanges; ask who, what, where or why questions; say what is happening in a picture; say their first name; talk well enough for others to understand most of the time |
| Thinking | draw a circle when shown; avoid touching hot objects when warned |
| Movement | string large beads or macaroni; put on some clothes; use a fork |
Source for every table above: the CDC milestone pages for each age, read on 13 October 2026.
When to act early
The CDC's advice is short: nobody knows your child like you do, and you do not need to wait. Talk to your pediatrician, family doctor or health visitor if your child:
- is not doing one or more of the milestones for their age;
- has lost skills they once had (for example, stopped babbling or stopped using words);
- or if something else worries you, even without a missed milestone.
Ask about developmental screening. The CDC notes that the AAP recommends general developmental screening at 9, 18 and 30 months, and autism screening at 18 and 24 months, or whenever a parent or doctor has a concern. If you are still worried after the appointment, you can ask for a referral to a specialist and, in the United States, call your state or territory's early intervention program.
A lost skill is never a "wait and see" sign. If your child stops doing something they used to do, book an appointment.
Using milestones without the worry
Milestones are a safety net, not a scoreboard. Children develop in bursts: a baby busy learning to walk may say fewer new words for a few weeks. What matters is the overall direction and whether your child keeps adding skills. For the month-by-month picture of what is happening and how to play with your baby at each stage, see baby development month by month. For toddlers, our activities by age turn each checklist into simple games.
Questions parents ask
What changed in the CDC milestones in 2022?
An expert group convened by the AAP for the CDC rewrote the checklists so that each milestone is one that at least 75% of children reach by that age, added checklists at 15 and 30 months, and moved many milestones to older ages. The aim is to stop a "wait and see" approach when a child is behind.
Is crawling still a milestone?
Crawling is not on the 2022 CDC checklists. The WHO motor study gives a wide normal window for hands-and-knees crawling, from about 5 to 13.5 months, and 4.3% of the healthy babies followed in that study never crawled on hands and knees.
My baby was born early. Which age do I use?
Ask your pediatrician which age to use for your baby. Premature babies are often followed with an adjusted age in the early years, and your doctor will tell you how to read the checklists in your case.
What if my child does everything on the list early?
That is fine. The checklists describe what most children do by an age, so many children reach some milestones well before. They are a floor to watch, not a race.
Sources
- CDC — Milestones by age (Learn the Signs. Act Early.) checked October 13, 2026
- CDC — Important milestones, your baby by two months checked October 13, 2026
- CDC — Important milestones, your child by two years checked October 13, 2026
- Zubler JM et al. Evidence-Informed Milestones for Developmental Surveillance Tools. Pediatrics, 2022 checked October 13, 2026
- WHO — Windows of achievement for six gross motor milestones (Multicentre Growth Reference Study) checked October 13, 2026
Mamavela explains; it does not replace your midwife, doctor or pediatrician, who know your situation. If something worries you, call them. In an emergency, call 911 (US), 999 (UK) or 112.