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Baby and Toddler Development: Milestones and Play by Age
Milestones by age, tummy time, talking, motor skills and play ideas from birth to preschool, with what's typical and when to check in.
Newborn 2
- Newborn Hearing and Vision: Screening Tests and What Babies See and Hear The newborn hearing screen and follow-up, what newborns can see, eye checks, and hearing and vision milestones.
- Newborn Reflexes: Startle, Rooting, Grasp and When They Fade What the startle, rooting, grasp, fencing and stepping reflexes look like and when each usually fades.
Baby 12
- Play by Age, Birth to 12 Months (and How an Older Sibling Can Join) Play ideas month by month, and how older siblings can join in.
- Tummy Time by Age How much tummy time a baby needs by age, from the first days to crawling, and easy ways to make it work for a baby who hates it.
- Baby Development and Play: Tummy Time, Milestones and Play by Stage Tummy time, movement milestones and play by stage, from Emma Hubbard.
- Developmental Ranges, Not Fixed Ages Why milestones come in ranges, and when a delay is worth checking.
- Talk to Your Baby Talking, answering their sounds, reading and singing: the simplest way to help language.
- Milestones by Age, 2 Months to 3 Years: What's Typical, When to Check In What most children do by each age from 2 months to 3 years, and when to check in.
- When Do Babies Roll, Sit, Crawl and Walk? Motor Milestones Guide Typical ages for rolling, sitting, crawling and walking, how to help, why to skip walkers, and when to check in.
- Reading to Your Baby and Toddler: How to Start From Birth Why to read from birth, what reading looks like at each age, interactive reading for toddlers, and books versus screens.
- Independent Play for Babies: How Long, How to Start and a Safe Yes-Space How babies learn to play on their own: setting up a safe yes-space, simple toys, how to start, and what to expect at each age.
- Baby Games and Activities for 6 to 12 Months, Month by Month Simple games for 6 to 12 month olds, from peekaboo to roll the ball, that build object permanence, turn-taking and movement.
- Baby Sign Language: When to Start, First Signs and Does It Delay Speech How and when to teach a few baby signs like more, milk and all done, and what research says about signing and speech.
- Fine Motor Skills: Pincer Grasp and Hand Skills From Birth to 18 Months How babies learn to reach, grasp, pinch and stack, typical ages, everyday activities and safety while hands get busy.
Toddler 9
- Get Them Outside: Outdoor Time, Toddler Behavior and Sleep Why daylight and movement mean calmer days and easier bedtimes.
- How to Help Your Toddler Play on Their Own: The Yes Space Uninterrupted, self-directed play and a safe 'yes space', from Janet Lansbury.
- Toddler Talking: First Words to Short Sentences First words to short sentences: what's typical, how to help, and when to get it checked.
- Open-Ended Toys and Toy Rotation for Toddlers and Preschoolers Why fewer, simpler toys work better, how to rotate toys, play spaces, loose parts by age with choking cautions, and messy play.
- Active Play Ideas for Toddlers, Indoors and Out How much movement toddlers need and easy indoor and outdoor ideas for climbing, running and balance.
- Toddler Art and Messy Play: Easy Ideas and Safety Process art and sensory play ideas by age, plus setup tips and choking and water-bead safety.
- Early Signs of Autism in Babies and Toddlers, and How Screening Works Early signs of autism to notice from 9 to 30 months, how screening at 18 and 24 months works, and calm next steps if you're worried.
- Toddler Attention Span: What's Normal and How to Build Focus Typical toddler attention spans and everyday ways to help focus grow, without worrying too early.
- Help Your Toddler Talk: Language Games at Home Speech-therapist techniques and everyday games that boost toddler language in any home language.
Preschool 7
- Is My Child Ready for Kindergarten? Skills That Really Matter Kindergarten readiness is mostly social, emotional and self-care skills; what to practice, cutoffs and redshirting.
- Developmental Milestones at 3, 4 and 5 Years CDC milestones at 3, 4 and 5 years for social, language, thinking and movement skills, and when to ask for a check.
- Preschooler Stuttering and Unclear Speech: What's Normal Normal disfluency vs stuttering, how to help, which speech sounds come later, and when to get a speech evaluation.
- Early Math at Home: Counting, Shapes and Patterns Simple everyday ways to build number sense, counting, shapes and patterns with preschoolers through play.
- Getting Ready to Read: Letters, Sounds and Stories at 3 to 5 The building blocks of reading, everyday games for letters and sounds, and why there's no rush to read early.
- Is an Imaginary Friend Normal? Pretend Play at 3 to 5 Why pretend play and imaginary friends are healthy, how to join in, and handling scary or rough play themes.
- When to Start Sports and Classes for Preschoolers How much activity 3 to 5 year olds need, when team sports make sense, swim lessons and avoiding overscheduling.
Family 1
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