Milestones are an exciting time for you and your little one, and watching your child learn and develop their skills as they grow from baby to toddler is one of the many highlights of parenthood.
It’s important to remember however, that it isn’t a competition or a race. Our little ones will progress at their own pace, and if they take a little longer to reach a milestone moment than other children their age - that’s perfectly alright.
What Are Milestone Moments?
Milestones are developmental skills and behaviors that your baby will learn or achieve as they grow. Milestones are meant as guides rather than a strict timeline for ‘success’. Every child is unique and will follow their own developmental path, so while milestones are a useful way to measure your child’s growth, don’t be alarmed if it takes an extra few weeks or even months to develop a particular skill.
Milestones are useful gauges of a child’s growth, but the physical and communication achievements listed below are not meant to be exhaustive or definitive.
When Your Child Is Eighteen Months Old
Physical Milestones
- Your child can walk well
- Your child can walk upstairs when holding an adults hand
- Your child can stack blocks on top of each other
- Your child can turn the pages of a book
Communication Milestones
- Your child can say several single words
- Your child can recognise and point to parts of the body
- Your child will nursery rhymes and will try to join in
- Your child can obey simple commands such as ‘bring me your shoes’
When Your Child Is Two Years Old
Physical Milestones
- Your child can try to kick a ball
- Your child can run well
- Your child can jump with both feet leaving the floor at the same time
- Your child can hold a pencil by using their thumb and first two fingers
- Your child can string small items such as beads or pasta onto a string
- Your child can drink from a cup with no lid
Communication Milestones
- Your child likes to pretend and role play
- Your child can name well known objects
- Your child correctly uses words such as ‘I’, ‘Mine’, and ‘You’
- Your child can correctly put two or three words together
When Your Child Is Three Years Old
Physical Milestones
- Your child can walk on their tiptoes
- Your child can walk upstairs with alternate feet and still put both feet on each step when coming down
- Your child can catch a large ball
- Your child can pedal a tricycle
Communication Milestones
- Your child can say their own name, age and gender
- Your child can say numbers up to 10
- Your child can play pretend more vividly
- Your child can play with other children and take turns
- Your child understands and uses ‘you’, ‘me’, and ‘I’
When Your Child Is Four Years Old
Physical Milestones
- Your child can walk up and down stairs using alternate feet both ways
- Your child is good on a tricycle
- Your child can hop and stand on one foot
- Your child can throw, catch and kick
- Your child can draw a person with recognisable body parts such as head, arms and legs
- Your child can use a fork and spoon
Communication Milestones
- Your child will know their own first and last name
- Your child can sing several nursery rhymes
- Your child likes to listen to longer stories and will begin telling their own stories
- Your child will ask a lot of questions
- Your child can take turns and share
- Your child can show sympathy to friends when they are hurt or upset
When Your Child Is Five Years Old
Physical Milestones
- Your child can balance and stand on one foot for around 10 seconds
- Your child can hop and dance
- Your child can swing, climb and slide down a slide
- Your child can now get dressed and undressed by themselves
Communication Milestones
- Your child can speak clearly
- Your child knows their own name, address and age
- Your child likes listening to and telling stories
- Your child may have a best friend
- Your child will have an increased sense of humour
- Your child can use their imagination
- Your child will become more independent
Whatever stage your little one is at, all milestones, big and small, are important to your child’s development. Check with your child’s Doctor if you are concerned about a delay, or are worried that you aren’t seeing progress where you expected it. Early interventions are often simple, and can be the most effective way to support your child’s long-term development.
At Shnuggle, our products are carefully designed and tested to support your child’s growth and development of their cognitive skills. Products such as the Shnuggle Step Stool are designed to make it easier for little ones to get to those hard-to-reach places; helping them to more easily potty train, reach the sink or help out in the kitchen. Giving them the confidence to become more independent as they grow.
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