Lesson 5 10 min

Development & Milestones

Track baby's developmental milestones with AI — month-by-month expectations, age-appropriate activities, tummy time plans, and when to talk to your pediatrician.

Every parent wonders: “Is my baby on track?” Milestone anxiety is real — and comparison to other babies makes it worse. This lesson gives you a clear framework for what to expect, when to worry, and how AI can help you create development-boosting activities without spiraling into comparison mode.

🔄 Quick Recall: In the previous lesson, you built feeding plans from newborn through solid foods. Nutrition fuels development — well-fed babies have the energy and brain-building nutrients for the milestones you’ll track in this lesson.

Your Milestone Tracker

Create a milestone tracker for my [age] baby:

What baby can currently do: [list current skills]
What I'm wondering about: [any concerns]

Build a tracker that includes:
1. Milestones baby should be achieving NOW (based on CDC 2024 guidelines)
2. Milestones coming in the next 1-2 months
3. 3 activities I can do TODAY to support the next milestone
4. The difference between "normal variation" and "worth mentioning
   to the pediatrician"
5. Questions to ask at our next well visit about development

Month-by-Month Milestones

Age	Motor	Social/Cognitive	Language	Key Activity
1 month	Lifts head briefly during tummy time	Focuses on faces 8-12 inches away	Cries to communicate	Tummy time on chest
2 months	Holds head at 45° during tummy time	Social smile, tracks objects	Coos, makes vowel sounds	Face-to-face “conversations”
3 months	Pushes up on arms, bats at toys	Recognizes caregivers, laughs	Coos back when you talk	Reaching for dangling toys
4 months	Rolls front to back, grasps objects	Expresses emotions, plays with hands	Babbles, blows raspberries	Give safe objects to grasp
5-6 months	Rolls both ways, sits with support	Responds to own name, stranger anxiety begins	Babbles consonants (ba, da, ma)	Sitting practice with support
7-8 months	Sits independently, begins crawling	Object permanence (peekaboo!)	Combines syllables, understands “no”	Peekaboo, dropping games
9-10 months	Pulls to stand, cruises furniture	Points at objects, waves	“Mama”/“dada” (sometimes correctly)	Finger foods, stacking cups
11-12 months	May take first steps, pincer grasp	Imitates actions, shows preferences	1-3 words with meaning, follows simple directions	Walking with support, reading books

✅ Quick Check: Your 9-month-old says “mama” when reaching for a toy. Does this count as a first word? (Answer: Not quite — first “words” emerge when baby uses a specific sound consistently and intentionally to mean something. Babbling “mama” randomly is a milestone in itself, but using “mama” specifically for mom is typically a 10-12 month milestone. Both stages are completely normal at 9 months.)

Development Activities by Age

Generate 5 age-appropriate development activities for my [age] baby:

Requirements:
- Use items I already have at home (no special toys needed)
- Include 1 motor activity, 1 language activity, 1 sensory activity,
  1 social activity, and 1 cognitive activity
- Each should take 5-10 minutes
- Explain what skill each activity builds
- Include safety notes if needed
- Tell me what baby's response means developmentally

No-cost activity ideas by age group:

Age Group	Activity	What It Builds
0-3 months	Tummy time with a mirror	Neck strength, visual tracking, social engagement
0-3 months	Narrate everything you do	Language exposure, bonding, serve-and-return
3-6 months	Water play in a shallow dish	Sensory exploration, cause and effect
3-6 months	Reading board books together	Language, pointing, page-turning motor skills
6-9 months	Peekaboo with a cloth	Object permanence, social anticipation
6-9 months	Container play (put things in, take out)	Fine motor, cognitive problem-solving
9-12 months	Stacking and knocking down	Cause and effect, fine motor, spatial awareness
9-12 months	Point and name everything on walks	Vocabulary building, joint attention

Tummy Time Plan

My baby is [age] and [loves / tolerates / hates] tummy time.
Create a progressive tummy time plan:

1. Current tolerance: [how long before fussing]
2. Techniques to extend tummy time enjoyment
3. A 4-week progression plan
4. Alternative tummy time positions (chest, lap, football hold)
5. What milestones tummy time builds toward

When to Talk to Your Pediatrician

Milestone ranges are wide, but some delays warrant a conversation:

Age	Talk to Your Doctor If…
2 months	No social smile, doesn’t track objects with eyes
4 months	Doesn’t bring hands to mouth, no head control during tummy time
6 months	Doesn’t reach for objects, doesn’t respond to sounds, no laughing
9 months	Doesn’t sit with help, doesn’t babble, doesn’t respond to own name
12 months	Doesn’t pull to stand, no gestures (waving, pointing), no words
Any age	Loses skills they previously had (regression)

✅ Quick Check: Your 10-month-old has been walking along furniture for a week, then suddenly stops and goes back to crawling. Is this regression? (Answer: No — this is completely normal. Babies often “practice” a new skill, then seem to abandon it while they consolidate other developing skills. True regression — permanently losing a skill they had — is what warrants concern. Temporary back-and-forth between skills is expected development.)

Key Takeaways

Milestones have wide normal ranges — comparison to other babies creates unnecessary anxiety, so track your baby against CDC guidelines, not against peers
Talking, reading, and responsive interaction are more impactful for brain development than any toy or educational video
Tummy time starts from day 1 (even on your chest) and builds to ~60 minutes total daily by 3 months — it’s the foundation for all motor milestones
“When to worry” is specific: not meeting milestones at the outer edge of the range, or losing skills they previously had
AI can generate unlimited age-appropriate activity ideas using items you already have at home

Up Next

In the next lesson, you’ll build your health and safety toolkit — babyproofing plans, pediatrician visit prep, immunization tracking, and emergency response guides.

Knowledge Check

1. Your 7-month-old isn't crawling yet, but your friend's same-age baby has been crawling for weeks. Should you be concerned?

Yes — all babies should crawl by 7 months Not necessarily. Crawling typically begins between 7-10 months, and some babies skip crawling entirely — they go straight to pulling up and cruising. The CDC milestone checklist says to be concerned if baby isn't moving forward in some way by 12 months. Every baby has their own timeline. AI can help you check whether your baby is meeting the milestones that DO matter for their age Start physical therapy immediately to catch up

2. What's the most effective way to support your baby's brain development in the first year?

Buy educational toys and flashcards designed for babies Talking, reading, and responsive interaction. Research shows that the number of words a baby hears (30 million word gap study), face-to-face interaction, and responsive caregiving (baby coos, you respond) are far more impactful than any toy or screen. Serve-and-return interactions — where baby makes a sound or gesture and you respond — build neural connections. AI can help you find age-appropriate activities that promote interaction, not passive consumption Play educational videos so baby gets constant stimulation

3. At which age should you start tummy time?

Wait until baby can hold their head up on their own Start from the first day home from the hospital — brief sessions of 3-5 minutes, several times a day, building toward 60 minutes total by 3 months. Tummy time on your chest counts! Early tummy time builds neck, shoulder, and core strength needed for all future motor milestones Start at 3 months when baby is strong enough

Answer all questions to check

Complete the quiz above first