MILESTONES, CHECKLISTS AND CHARTS

THE MORE RISKS YOU ALLOW YOUR CHILDREN TO TAKE, THE BETTER THEY LEARN TO LOOK AFTER THEMSELVES.

Roald Dahl

First things first: All kids move at their own pace, and comparing your kids to others is a fast-track to Worrytown. That being said, it’s always a good idea to have a sense of the milestones on the horizon so you can reach out for help if you’re concerned (because there is absolutely no shame in asking for advice at any stage of the pregnancy and parenting journey). We’ve rounded up some of the basic milestones you’ll want to watch out for as your little one grows and changes.

THE NEWBORN

YOUR NEWBORN’S GROWTH

Weight Most newborns lose about one tenth of their birth weight in the first week and reach their birth weight again by the second week. After that, your baby’s weight will increase quickly. Length Boys tend to be a little heavier and longer than girls and they grow a little faster. Head Your baby has a diamond-shaped soft spot in the middle of their skull and a little toward the front. (The skull bones will not fuse in that spot until about six to 10 months.) If your little one was born vaginally, the skull may look misshapen at birth, but soon will have a normal shape. Any bruising or swelling that happened during birth will disappear. Body Your baby was curled up in the womb. Their legs may appear bowed, but gradually will straighten out over the next few months.

YOUR CHILD’S DEVELOPMENT

Even as newborns, the personalities of children shine through. You will learn to “read’ and enjoy your newborn’s personality and adjust to it—just as your newborn adjusts to you. Some things to know: Your baby can see and is attracted to bright colours and patterns. Babies can hear and are interested in high-pitched sounds, but also soft voices. They are sensitive to smells, such as milk. You will start to see and gauge their reactions to all manner of stimuli. Movements Newborns can move their arms and kick their legs— especially when they cry. If they lie on their bellies, they instinctively turn their heads to the side so they can breathe. If you put your finger in your baby’s hand, the baby will grasp the finger tight, as a reflex. Language Newborns are visibly content when they have been fed and feel comfortable. They can make soft sounds, too—and of course they cry when they are hungry, cold, wet or experience some other discomfort.

Watch your newborn. You will learn to understand your child’s signals, which are the start of communication.

WHO GROWTH CHARTS FOR CANADA

From your baby’s first doctor’s appointment on, your child’s primary care provider will consult the WHO Standard Growth Charts to measure and track height and weight. The curve plotted helps the doctor determine if growth is happening at a consistent rate for your child. For more on these charts, check out the Canadian Paediatric Society’s resource page at cps.ca/tools-outils/who-growth-charts.

THE FIRST YEAR

YOUR CHILD’S GROWTH

Weight A baby’s weight usually doubles by the fourth month—and then triples by the end of the first year. Height Babies are about 70 centimetres long when they reach 12 months. Head Their head size increases quickly due to the brain’s fast growth, which pushes the skull bones outward in order to expand.

This growth rate is only a guide. If parents are unusually large or small, the baby may follow their growth pattern—and if the baby was smaller at birth for any reason, growth may remain smaller or show spurts. Call your doctor if your baby does not gain weight, or appears to lose weight over a period of days.

YOUR CHILD’S DEVELOPMENT

Babies progress slowly to gain control over their movements. Neck Your baby’s muscles become progressively stronger, and they will have full control over neck and head motions by about six months. Body Their body muscles become stronger and can control many movements. • By three or four months, babies can roll over, belly to back. • By four months, they can roll from back to belly. • By six to seven months, your baby can sit for a few moments (with legs spread apart). • By eight to nine months, the baby can sit steadily and change position from sitting to getting on the floor and back again. Arms and Legs Movements become stronger and more purposeful. • Around five months, your baby will be able to straighten their legs when they lie on their back. • Around six months, their legs come up so far that your baby can get hold of a foot and bring it to their mouth. • Around eight to nine months, your infant can make crawling motions to move on the floor commando-style. • Around 10 months, arms and legs are strong enough to help your baby creep on hands and knees and pull to stand. • Around 10 to 11 months, your baby may cruise around the crib or coffee table while holding onto it. • Around 12 months, your baby may take their first steps. Hands In the first 12 months, there is a fascinating progression from reflex grasping to precise reaching out and grasping actions. • Around three to four months: Your baby will reach out to grasp a toy • Around six months: Your little one will hold a rattle or toy and is able to pass it from one hand to another. • Around seven months: They will try to get hold of small items. • Around eight months: They can pick up very small items with their whole hand.

• Around nine months: They will pick up small items with their thumb and the rest of the hand. • Around 11 to 12 months: They can pick up items with the tip of thumb and forefinger, called the pincer grasp.

SPEECH AND LANGUAGE

Babies have an urge to make sounds and show an interest in the sounds parents or others make. • Around one or two months: Your baby recognizes and pays special attention to your voice. As muscles of the lips, tongue and other mouth muscles develop, your baby will make more advanced sounds, cooing, squealing. • Around two to three months: They will start to make more sounds when you talk to them. It’s like the beginning of a conversation. • Around eight months: They start to make “Mama” and “Dada” sounds, but they don’t really make the connection between the sound and the person. • Around nine to 10 months: They will use these sounds as special signals to call for you, or to greet people who come to see them. • Around 12 months: Your baby will likely have other sounds that have meaning, like “ba” for bottle and “do” for dog. Just by the tone of your baby’s sounds, you will learn if they are pleased, lonely, angry or need comforting. By 12 months, your baby understands several names of people or objects and shows understanding by looking at the person or object. Your baby understands tone of voice, too, and will frown if your voice is louder or sharper. Consult a physician if your baby does not show interest, does not turn their head to sounds and if your baby’s own sounds do not seem to progress.

EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Between the second and seventh month, your baby will connect that there are very special people in their life who are always there when needed.

Between the fourth and 12th month, your baby discovers that those special people are separate but can be communicated with through looks, touch and play. At one year, your baby is moving around, can get ahold of things, and start to communicate by changing facial expressions and making gestures and sounds.

Observe that your baby is alert, smiles, looks at and plays with you —and may show some distress when you leave (and also may “make strange” when meeting new people).

COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT

Babies are curious to see, hear and touch. As the months go by, their eyes follow people as they move around. Babies also learn to scan for sounds— at the beginning with eye movements and later by turning their heads.

As soon as they can grasp, they can get ahold of anything that is nearby; they will look at what they’re holding, put it in their mouth, shake it, bang it, throw it and pass it from one hand to another.

If a toy they like is hidden, they will remember and search for it where they last saw it (like toy peek-a-boo!).

They will often bang two toys together or try to fit one toy inside the other. For more on newborn and baby development, see Chapter 2.

TODDLER: 1 TO 3 YEARS

YOUR CHILD’S GROWTH

Your baby’s growth rate—both height and weight—will begin to slow after the first year. Their head will reach about 90 percent of its adult size. Their arms and legs get longer and more muscular. Their feet start to point more forward and their sweet face loses some of the baby fat.

YOUR CHILD’S DEVELOPMENT

Walking Walking becomes steadier and faster with their feet closer together. • By 24 months, they will likely run with good balance. Climbing A toddler will start to climb stairs on all fours by around 13 months. • By 15 months: They can climb stairs on hands and knees. • By 15 to 18 months: They are experts at climbing on low furniture. • By 18 months: They can walk up stairs with some assistance. • By 21 months: They can walk down stairs if their hand is held. • By 24 months: They can go up and down, holding on to the railing or wall. • By 30 to 26 months: They can negotiate stairs by alternating feet. Other Movements Around 24 months, toddlers can jump with their feet off the floor and can kick a ball. • By 30 months: They can jump down from a low chair or step. • By 36 months: They can pedal a tricycle.

LANGUAGE

A toddler tends to repeat words that others say, but it may take some time for them to connect the word to the meaning. • Be aware that children understand more than they can say. • Early in the second year, a child will understand a number of words.

• By 18 months: They will understands directions such as “come here” or “give to me” (although they may frequently choose not to follow the direction). • By 24 months: They understand more difficult directions, such as,

“Put the ball on the table” or “Give the ball to Daddy”. • By 36 months: They will understand questions like, “What is your name?”

EMOTIONAL SKILLS

In some ways, toddlers are like adolescents—going through the intense emotions of learning to be and act on their own, asserting themselves and using their own judgment in new situations. When your child ventures away from you, like walking to the other end of the room, it is an experience similar to a long trip for a grown-up. • Toddlers are delighted and scared at the same time. • They try to escape you but will look back to be sure you’re there. • They want to test their own will and act contrary to your wishes. • They have intense fits of frustration when obstacles stand in their way. For more on toddler development, see Chapter 3.

PRESCHOOL: 3 TO 5 YEARS

YOUR CHILD’S GROWTH

Measure your child’s growth every six months, using your bathroom scale for weight and a tape measure for height. Ask your child to stand straight with their back against the wall. Then hold a book on top of your child’s head and make a pencil mark at the level of the lower cover of the book. Then use the tape measure to measure their height.

Your preschooler’s appearance will change and you may have a glimpse of what your child’s face and physique will be as a grown-up.

YOUR CHILD’S DEVELOPMENT

Improved balance and coordination help the preschooler try more difficult exploits: hopping, jumping, big jumps forward, balancing well on one foot, running, skipping and climbing monkey bars.

It can be a lovely keepsake of your kid’s childhood to have a place where your little one’s height is marked in your home. If you’re renting a home or want to be able to take the growth chart with you when you move, many companies make adorable charts that can be affixed to the wall and easily removed when necessary.

At this age, many parents introduce their preschoolers to the sports they themselves enjoy: swimming, skating, skiing, or imitating hockey and baseball motions with their parents or similarly aged friends. Team sports can be a challenge at this age but kids can work on the individual skills they will need when they are an appropriate age to try playing on a team.

Hand to eye coordination is also progressing quickly at this age. Preschoolers throw and bounce balls. They are likely able to string beads, cut with scissors and hold crayons with their thumb and two fingers. By now, most children are showing their hand preference very clearly. Do not attempt to change it.

LANGUAGE AND COMMUNICATION

Preschoolers can produce long and complex sentences and they ask questions beyond “what.” Now it is “why,” “when,” and by the end of this period, “how.” By now, they can use past and future forms of speech. They start to give a beginning, middle and end to what they are saying. Their stories may sometimes be a mix of facts and fantasy as your child’s imagination grows.

Consult your doctor if

• Your child’s speech is unclear to you or to others. • Your child has a small vocabulary. • Your child does not seem to understand what you say. • Your child is not able to form long sentences. • Your child cannot express thoughts or feelings. Stuttering Around four years of age, many children start to stutter. In most cases, stuttering at this age will improve. A physician only needs to be consulted if the stuttering persists for more than a couple of months and interferes with your child’s attempts to communicate.

COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENTS

Your child will learn to understand and draw simple shapes, as well as learn about—and try to draw—the shape of a body and its parts. Children learn that their names consist of sounds that can be put down on paper. They can count by rote, but they don’t really understand the meaning of numbers, such as 10 being more than five.

EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

By now, your child decides it is safe to be away from you for a little while. They can tolerate separation from their parents and use other grownups, such as teachers, as substitutes for parents. They are also used to meeting and being with peers in play groups, drop-in centres, nursery schools and daycare centres.

The crucial factor in being ready for school is the ability to separate from parents and relate to other adults and peers. If your preschooler is secure, peer relationships will be explored that require skills like taking turns, sharing, being a leader or taking another child’s lead.

Nipissing District Developmental Screen The NDDS is often touted as the Canadian standard for milestone assurances. The NDDS is a series of checklists designed to give parents a sense of whether their child is hitting age-appropriate developmental milestones, and, should there be a concern, directing parents when to have their child seen by a paediatrician or GP. Parents can register for monthly prompts up to 30 months, and then yearly prompts up to age six, at lookseechecklist.com.

SCHOOL YEARS: 6 TO 10 YEARS

YOUR CHILD’S GROWTH

Boys and girls grow at about the same rate between five and 10 years old. Girls may be a little heavier. Boys tend to be more muscular and girls tend to have slightly more fat.

YOUR CHILD’S DEVELOPMENT

The motor coordination of the school-age child is fast getting to be like an adult. If children have the inclination and opportunity, they can tackle most sports and activities, such as basketball, baseball, dancing, karate or gymnastics.

Your child will gradually perfect paper and crayon or pencil skills. By now, a child can do arts and crafts with dexterity, which helps develop concentration, patience and perseverance.

LANGUAGE AND COMMUNICATION

School-aged children usually have excellent memories and the capacity to absorb new information. By now, your child’s skills take a new form— written communication. Reasoning about people and events develops, as well as a need to explain what happens and why. These explanations may not always be accurate, but they are refreshingly inventive!

EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

School-age children enjoy one of the most stable periods of their development.

By now, your child has established self-regulation, has friends, has selected activities they enjoy and has a sense of purpose through school learning and other regular extracurriculars.

Let kids try a variety of activities until they really land on something they’re passionate about. Some communities have multisport or multi-activity programs that allow kids to try a number of different things over the duration of the course. These programs are great for being active and social and to home in on what your child may want to pursue more selectively.

KINDERGARTEN READINESS CHECKLIST

For some kids, school is an exciting milestone they can’t wait to experience (especially if they have older siblings, cousins or friends who go to school and rave about their teachers, the playground and more). But for other kids, kindergarten looms large and may be a little scary. With this in mind, we’ve rounded up some ways parents can help ensure their kids are ready for the classroom.

A Note for Parents There are academic skills you can work on at home in the months leading up to the start of kindergarten, of course, but if your child doesn’t know how to print the alphabet or recognize sight words on the first day of school, don’t panic. Work on selfregulation, instruction- and rule-following, social interactions and taking responsibility for themselves and their belongings. The ABCs and 123s come second.

LIFE SKILLS

Your child knows their first and last name and can recognize it in print.

Your child is toilet-trained and can (for the most part) manage their own clothing during bathroom breaks.

Your child can identify their shoes/boots and outdoor clothing and knows how to button, buckle, zip and fasten.

Your child can open lunch containers and feed themselves.

Your child understands authority and can abide by rules with little reminding.

Your child can follow instructions and ask for help if needed.

Your child can use words like please, thank you and you’re welcome.

Your child understands and handles transitions between activities with little difficulty.

Your child tries to self-regulate and articulate their feelings in words.

Your child can play cooperatively with others (most of the time…).

Your child is excited by learning new things and accepts that they will sometimes make mistakes (and that it’s okay and even encouraged!).

CLASSROOM BASICS

Your child can identify colours.

Your child can recognize the difference between numbers and letters.

Your child can identify how objects are the same and different.

Your child can hold a crayon or pencil correctly.

Your child can cut with scissors.

Your child can do an age-appropriate puzzle.

LITERACY BASICS

Your child will sit and listen quietly to a story, following the plotline.

Your child will look at the pictures in a book independently.

Your child can put the events of a story timeline in chronological order.

Your child can explain what happens to a character and how they might feel.

Your child can draw pictures to tell a story.

Your child scribbles or imitates letters as “writing.”

Your child asks you to write notes to others and can dictate what they want to say.

NUMERACY AND MATHEMATICS BASICS

Your child can make more-or-less comparisons.

Your child can count using one-to-one correspondence (points to each object as they count).

Your child can recognize and name basic shapes.

Your child is starting to notice patterns in their every day environment.

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