Although we know all children are different and develop at their own pace, parents still like to know generally what to expect when it comes to their child’s development.
The Big Picture
In the greater scheme of things, parents want their children to be healthy and happy. However, the main areas to look out for when ensuring your child is developing within age appropriate norms include:
Development of the muscles, gross motor skills (use of large muscle groups), fine motor development (use of refined muscles)
Communication & Socio-emotional Development
Development of gestures, vocalizations & language to engage with caregiver and others. Relating and engaging with the world.
Development of the senses which allow learning and self-regulation including sense of movement and balance, body position in space, visual awareness, use of touch (tactile) and auditory processing.
“All children are different and develop at their own pace, but parents still like to know what to expect”
BIRTH to 1 year
Physically during this time your baby learns head control and by the end of the first year can roll, sit, reach, grasp toys, and brings hands and feet to their mouth. By age 1 they start standing and walking with support. Your baby should smile & laugh, respond to their name, be curious and interested in the environment. Your baby should be babbling and using some gestures such as pointing, holding out hands to be picked up and waving bye bye. He should be comfotrable with various types of movement, finger feeding, not overly distressed during bath time and nappy changes and should have an established sleeping pattern. He should enjoy playing with musical toys and should respond appropriatly to comfort and soothing from a caregiver.
1 to 2 years
Between 12 and 18 months your child becomes a confident walker and is interested in exploring the environment. At 18 months he is able to throw and kick a ball, propel a plastic motorbike and is starting to climb a jungle gym. He starts using single words to indicate wants and needs and enjoys interactive games such as peek-a-boo. He enjoys playing with toys and can play along side other children. He eats a wide variety of foods, and is able to calm down with help after being distressed. He is not overly distressed by having hands messy.
2 to 3 years
Your child is now a more confident climber and enjoys slides, swings and jumping. He can run with fair coordination and enjoys interacting with other children. He can communicate with intelligable speech and can sit and listen to a story. He can follow simple instructions and tolerate some frustration. He starts and may complete potty training and he is able to tolerate haircuts, teeth and hair brushing without becoming very distressed. He is able to take off his shoes and his trousers and can tolerate a variety of different clothing textures on his skin. He starts matching colours and scribbling with a crayon and can identify familiar pictures in a book.