Your baby:

• may hold out their arms when you feed them
• will learn to push their feet against your hand
• will be able to open and close their hands into fists
• will wave their arms and legs in the air when excited

By three months, your baby:

• will hold their head up and move around when being bathed
• may be able to roll from side to side and can roll off of high surfaces, like a bed or change table; always keep one hand on your baby when they are on a high surface
• will be able to push themself up on their arms when they are lying on their stomach
• will be able to bring their hands to their mouth and suck on their finger or thumb

Your baby can:

• gurgle and coo
• make an alert face
• make sounds that sound like vowels (aaaaa, eeeee, and ooooo)
• respond to some sounds by looking toward the sound and listening
• show awareness of the sounds they makes
• take turns “talking” to you
• giggle or laugh

Your baby:

• likes patterns
• makes noises (vocalizes) to get your attention
• looks forward to repetitive events, like feeding
• will be able to look at an object
• responds to textured items that are placed on their cheek, like a wash cloth
• discovers their mouth and likes to watch their hands move
• coos or gets excited when they see or hears you
• moves their eyes back and forth to follow a moving toy

Your baby will:

• turn towards sounds
• become quiet and responsive to your voice
• smile, kick, and wave when they see your face
• respond to warmth and affection
• like or dislike their bath
• be content when nursing or feeding
• benefit from being around people

Your baby:

• is able to roll over from back to front
• is able to hold a toy when it is placed in their hand
• holds their head steady when they are sitting up
• sits up with only a little bit of support
• lifts their head, shoulders, and chest when they lie on their stomach or back
• is showing the beginning stages of crawling by pushing on their hands and drawing up their knees
• plays with their toes and fingers
• is grasping and moving objects

Your baby:

• laughs out loud and squeals in delight
• begins to “talk” to toys and people
• looks around when they are feeding and will stop sucking to listen to voices and noises
• is interested in the sounds they make
• takes turns making noises with you
• recognizes and responds to your voice and other caregivers’ voices
• makes eye contact with you

Your baby:

• watches their fingers, hands, and slow-moving objects
• explores objects by putting them in their mouth
• reaches up for hanging objects
• responds to sounds that are out of their line of sight
• searches for objects when they are taken away

Your baby:

• interacts with you and others
• is learning that they will be comforted when they are upset
• is learning to trust you and other caregivers
• uses gestures to show their dislikes
• shows eagerness, pleasure, displeasure, and satisfaction
• moves excitedly when they know food is coming
• likes attention
• is beginning to react to strangers
• becomes more interested in their surroundings and activities

Your baby:

• tries to crawl using both their arms and legs; they can move forward and backward
• move around by creeping, crawling, or pulling
• rolls over, from front to back and back to front
• sits independently for short periods of time
• reaches for objects
• stands up by pulling up on furniture (e.g., the rail of their crib)
• picks up objects, such as larger blocks
• moves objects from one hand to the other
• puts everything in their mouth; this is their way of exploring the world

Your baby:

• enjoys making sounds, verbally, and by banging objects together
• is beginning to put vowels and consonants together (e.g., “mum” or “dada”)
• might say words, like “mama”, but doesn’t know what they mean yet
• is learning to make sounds based on how you respond
• tries out lots of other sounds, like coughing, growling, clicking, and lip bubbles
• listens to you closely when you speak
• responds when you talk to her
• starts simple games, like peek-a-boo
• points to get what they want
• recognizes their name

Your baby:

• explores their world using all of their senses: sight, sound, touch, smell, and taste
• inspects objects in their hands
• learns about objects by reaching, grasping, throwing, banging, pounding, and splashing
• is beginning to understand the concepts of in and out
• searches for partly hidden objects
• anticipates the reappearance of an object
• follows the path of a falling object with their eyes
• is beginning to understand height; they may be afraid of falling

Your baby:

• responds playfully to their image in the mirror
• plays peek-a-boo
• enjoys being sung and talked to
• shows an attachment to familiar people and a fear of strangers
• initiates play with other people
• likes games and songs that have movement and rhythm
• shows they like and dislike people, places, and objects

Your baby:

• puts objects into containers
• pats or claps their hands
• picks up small things with their forefinger and thumb
• rolls and pushes objects
• crawls across floors and up the stairs
• stands up by holding onto furniture
• side steps around furniture
• sits in a chair; but needs supervision to prevent falls
• may be able to walk; but this can also take several more months
• may not have enough fine muscle development to put down objects and may drop them

Your baby:

• makes word-like sounds
• combines some vowels and consonants (e.g., “da”)
• can say a few simple words (e.g., “mama”, “dada”, or “no”)
• imitates new words that you say
• talks to themself when they play
• can carry out simple requests or instructions
• has a longer attention span when they are interacting with you and other people
• recognizes several words and some directions
• stops an activity if you tell them to
• enjoys repetition, rhythm, and rhyme, like “pat a cake”

Your baby:

• uncovers hidden objects
• searches for objects or people that are out of sight
• explores their environment using their five senses
• starts to choose what they want to play with; they will change activities by themself when they want to
• begins to develop problem solving skills, like pulling a string to move a toy or pressing a button to make a noise
• is developing their sense of curiosity
• will try to draw; big toddler crayons will be easier for them to use
• will enjoy looking at pictures in a book

Your baby:

• likes your praise and does things that will get them more praise
• starts to play games with other people, like rolling a ball back and forth
• begins to show affection by hugging both people and toys
• begins to help when getting dressed
• wants to do things independently; they will still need your help to do the things that they cannot do yet
• may kick and hit to resist change and other restrictions to their freedom
• shows physical signs of their frustration
• starts to understand that when you go away, you will come back
• learns they are a separate person from you
• recognizes their own image in the mirror
• may be upset by strangers or may be timid around them

Your child:

• wants to move all the time
• stands alone and may walk alone
• likes to climb, throw, push, and pull things
• scribbles with a large crayon
• stacks and balances small blocks
• turns two or three pages at a time in a book or magazine
• squats when playing

Your child:

• uses a few words to communicate, like “more drink”
• hums and responds to music
• looks at a picture book on their own
• imitates words
• shows different emotions through their speech
• can identify the parts of the face
• follows two-step directions
• recognizes named objects
• uses made up and real words to tell you about experiences

Your child:

• begins to understand what to do with unfamiliar objects
• copies your body gestures, even if they are new to them
• copies your actions with familiar objects
• imitates household routines during play
• uses an object (like a stick) to get another object when shown how
• can insert a piece in a simple puzzle

Your child:

• develops an attachment to a favourite toy
• likes to be near people
• shows affection for parents and family
• likes to listen to music and to dance
• likes to be the centre of family attention
• appreciates routine
• begins to self-feed with a spoon
• shows lots of different emotions, like jealousy, anxiety, and affection

Your child:

• begins to run
• can kick a large ball
• walks up and down stairs holding onto someone’s hand
• builds a tower of six blocks or more
• jumps with two feet
• pushes and pulls a toy
• turns knobs on the radio or a door

Your child:

• puts two words together, like “all gone”
• copies other people’s speech
• can identify the parts of the face
• can identify articles of clothing
• can sit through a simple story
• uses pronouns, such as mine and me
• lets you know what they need

Your child:

• continues to develop problem-solving abilities
• can climb onto a chair to get something
• moves things around to get objects they wants
• imitates actions after a short delay
• begins to line up their toys (small toys, blocks)

Your child:

• may have a security toy or blanket
• likes to play alone; this is called solitary play
• pretends to dress or feed a doll or stuffed toy
• begins to eat with a fork
• is afraid of you leaving them
• can help with simple household tasks
• has a strong sense of “mine”
• has little patience
• is very sensitive; their feelings may be hurt easily
• responds to praise and wants to please you

Your child:

• will be able to walk up the stairs
• may begin to learn to ride a tricycle
• will be able to walk on their toes
• can jump up and down
• won’t have much aim, but they can throw a ball
• likes to put one object into another object
• will be able to turn the pages in a book one at a time
• can draw lines up and down; they may start drawing circles
• can screw lids on jars

Your child:

• often asks ‘what?’, ‘why?’, and ‘what’s this?’
• will repeat words you use to name objects
• will use two or three word sentences
• can make words plural by adding an “s”
• likes to tell stories about things they just did

Your child:

• is beginning to understand the concept of size
• is beginning to recognize different colours
• understands words that describe amounts, like ‘one’, ‘two’, and ‘many’
• is able to use three blocks to build a bridge
• can take simple things apart and put them back together

Your child:

• can tell you when they need to go to the bathroom
• will have less frequent temper tantrums
• may display fear of the dark or animals
• will seek praise and affection
• will show sympathy by trying to comfort or help a friend
• takes pride in the things they do for others
• needs time with other children their age

Your child:

• is developing their large muscles; their coordination will increase
• jumps up and down really well
• goes up and down stairs holding onto a railing
• throws a ball overhead with better aim
• can learn to catch a ball
• can learn to cut and paste using scissors and glue
• can learn to put long beads on a string
• might not need naps, but will still need rest breaks
• can pour liquid into a cup from a small pitcher

Your child:

• knows their first and last name
• likes to talk about their experiences
• knows their body parts
• can recite nursery rhymes and songs
• understands their physical needs, like feeling sleepy and hungry

Your child:

• is very imaginative
• is learning more and more words and concepts
• does not understand time
• can count to 10 or more by the age of 3, and to 20 by the age of 5

Your child:

• wants your approval
• likes to help around the house
• imitates your language and your behaviours
• will be restless and agitated when tired
• begins to learn what is okay and what is not
• is very curious and will ask countless questions
• likes to talk on the telephone
• can use the toilet by themself by the time they are 5

• Canadian Paediatric Society. Caring for Kids: Your Child’s Development: What to Expect
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Child Development
• HealthLink BC: Your Child’s Development from Birth to 3 Years
• Zero to Three: Ages and Stages