facial expressions. able to soothe self. becomes excited when approached by caregivers. cognitive skills begins to easily get distracted by surroundings. begins to predict and anticipate routines. repeats behaviors that result in a desired effect. grasps, mouths, and looks at toys. lets caregivers know about mood. able to reach for objects using one hand. able to use hands and eyes together to accomplish tasks. recognizes familiar things from a distance. six months old physical development typically grows between 0.5 and 0.75 inches (1.3 and 1.9 cm) and gains between 1 and 1.25 pounds (450 and 570 g) motor development able to push up to a crawling position and may be able to rock on knees. able to sit with support. able to stand with help and bounce while standing. an explorative study found, however, that 3- to 5-month-old infants can be taught independent standing, which was considered safe. passes objects between hands. some infantile reflexes, such as the palmar grasp reflex, go away. grabs objects using a raking grasp, where fingers rake at objects to pick them up. able to roll from both front to back and back to front. rocks back and forth and may crawl backwards. communication skills uses voice to get attention and to express emotions. enjoys taking turns making sounds with parents. social development is socially active. smiles to attract attention and responds when interacted with. able to tell if a person is a stranger. enjoys playing with others, especially with parents. language development able to blow raspberries and pronounce consonants such as "ba", "da", and "ga". recognizes own name and understands a few other words. makes sounds in response to sounds. makes vowel noises, such as "ah", "eh", and "oh", while babbling. emotional development recognizes familiar faces and responds happily to them. startles at loud noises and may cry out of fear. expresses happiness, pleasure, sadness, and anger. responds to the emotions of others. often seems to be happy. likes to look at self in mirrors. cognitive skills mouths objects to understand environment. reaches for everything in view. moves in the direction they wish to go. understands where dropped objects fall. looks at nearby objects. seven months old physical development typically grows between 0.5 and 0.75 inches (1.3 and 1.9 cm) and gains between 1 and 1.25 pounds (450 and 570 g). motor development begins to sit without support of hands. able to support entire weight on legs. sensory development able to see in full color. abilities to see at a distance and to track moving objects improve. language development responds to "no". able to tell emotions from tone of voice. cognitive skills able to locate partially hidden objects. 8–12 months physical respiration rates vary with activity environmental conditions, weather, activity, and clothing still affect variations in body temperature. head and chest circumference remain equal. anterior fontanelle begins to close. continues to use abdominal muscles for breathing. more teeth appear, often in the order of two lower incisors then two upper incisors followed by four more incisors and two lower molars but some babies may still be waiting for their first. arm and hands are more developed than feet and legs (cephalocaudal development); hands appear large in proportion to other body parts. legs may continue to appear bowed. "baby fat" continues to appear on thighs, upper arms and neck. feet appear flat as arch has not yet fully developed. both eyes work in unison (true binocular coordination). can see distant objects (4 to 6 m or 13 to 20 ft away) and points at them. motor development reaches with one hand leading to grasp an offered object or toy. adjustment from grip emerges around 8 months. manipulates objects, transferring them from one hand to the other. explores new objects by poking with one finger. they adjust their grip based on touch at 8 months, not yet visual cues. infants will begin to use visual cues while reaching and grasping after 9 months of age. uses deliberate pincer grasp to pick up small objects, toys, and finger foods. stacks objects; also places objects inside one another. releases objects or toys by dropping or throwing; cannot intentionally put an object down because infants, at eight months, are not using visual sensory information while grasping an object. beginning to pull self to a standing position. beginning to stand alone, leaning on furniture for support; moves around obstacles by side-stepping. has good balance when sitting; can shift positions without falling. creeps on hands and knees; crawls up and down stairs. the hip and knee joints exhibit a greater lag than the shoulder and elbow joints, which shows that motor skills develop in a cephalocaudal trend. the lags between joints decreases as age increases. the hip and knee joints are more strongly coupled than the shoulder and elbow joints in interlimb comparisons. this may be due to the weight bearing the hip and knee joints go through for standing and walking. walks with adult support, holding onto adult's hand; may begin to walk alone. walking alone leads to inconsistent steps, grasping objects for balance, and taking few steps without falling. walking usually occurs to explore environment and not to necessarily to obtain a specific task, goal, or object. watches people, objects, and activities in the immediate environment. responds to hearing tests (voice localization); however, loses interest quickly and, therefore, may be difficult to test formally. recognizes objects in reverse drops thing intentionally and repeats and watches object imitates activities like playing a drum begins to develop expressive rather than receptive language – child actually responding to what is said to them instead of only receiving and watching the interaction. early childhood toddler (12–24 months) physical weight is now approximately three times the child's birth weight. respiration rate varies with emotional state and activity. rate of growth slows. head size increases slowly; grows approximately 1.3 cm (0.51 in) every six months; anterior fontanelle is nearly closed at eighteen months as bones of the skull thicken. anterior fontanelle closing or fully closed, usually at the middle of this year. chest circumference is larger than head circumference. legs may still appear bowed. toddler will begin to lose the "baby fat" once he/she begins walking. body shape changes; takes on more adult-like appearance; still appears top-heavy; abdomen protrudes, back is swayed. motor development crawls skillfully and quickly. stands alone with feet spread apart, legs stiffened, and arms extended for support. gets to feet unaided. most children walk unassisted near the end of this period; falls often; not always able to maneuver around obstacles, such as furniture or toys. children first recognize when to apply muscular force when walking in order to conserve energy; soon after, children learn to fine-tune muscle tissues to stabilize themselves. uses furniture to lower self to floor; collapses backwards into a sitting position or falls forward on hands and then sits. enjoys pushing or pulling toys while walking. repeatedly picks up objects and throws them; direction becomes more deliberate. attempts to run; has difficulty stopping and usually just drops to the floor. crawls up stairs on all fours; goes down stairs in same position. sits in a small chair. carries toys from place to place. enjoys crayons and markers for scribbling; uses whole-arm movement. helps feed self; enjoys holding spoon (often upside down) and drinking from a glass or cup; not always accurate in getting utensils into mouth; frequent spills should be expected. helps turn pages in book. stacks two to six objects per day. cognitive development enjoys object-hiding activities. early in this period, the child always searches in the same location for a hidden object (if the child has watched the hiding of an object). later, the child will search in several locations. passes toy to other hand when offered a second object (referred to as "crossing the midline" – an important neurological development). manages three to four objects by setting an object aside (on lap or floor) when presented with a new toy. puts toys in mouth less often. enjoys looking at picture books. demonstrates understanding of functional relationships (objects that belong together): puts spoon in bowl and then uses spoon as if eating; places teacup on saucer and sips from cup; tries to make doll stand up. shows or offers toy to another person to look at. names many everyday objects. shows increasing understanding of spatial and form discrimination: puts all pegs in a pegboard; places three geometric shapes in large formboard or puzzle. places several small items (blocks, clothespins, cereal pieces) in a container or bottle and then dumps them out. tries to make mechanical objects work after watching someone else do so. responds with some facial movement, but cannot truly imitate facial expression. most children with autism are diagnosed at this age. language produces considerable "jargon": puts words and sounds together into speech-like (inflected) patterns. holophrastic speech: uses one word to convey an entire thought; meaning depends on the inflection ("me" may be used to request more cookies or a desire to feed self). later, produces two-word phrases to express a complete thought (telegraphic speech): "more cookie", "daddy bye-bye." follows simple directions, "give daddy the cup." when asked, will point to familiar persons, animals, and toys. identifies three body parts if someone names them: "show me your nose (toe, ear)." indicates a few desired objects and activities by name: "bye-bye", "cookie"; verbal request is often accompanied by an insistent gesture. responds to simple questions with "yes" or "no" and appropriate head movement. speech is 25 to 50 percent intelligible during this period. locates familiar objects on request (if child knows location of objects). acquires and uses five to fifty words; typically these are words that refer to animals, food, and toys. uses gestures, such as pointing or pulling, to direct adult attention. enjoys rhymes and songs; tries to join in. seems aware of reciprocal (back and forth) aspects of conversational exchanges; some turn-taking in other kinds of vocal exchanges, such as making and imitating sounds. social less wary of strangers. helps pick up and put away toys. plays alone. enjoys being held and read to. often imitates adult actions in play. enjoys adult attention; likes to know that an adult is near; gives hugs and kisses. recognizes self in mirror. enjoys the companionship of other children, but does not play cooperatively. begins to assert independence; often refuses to cooperate with daily routines that once were enjoyable; resists getting dressed, putting on shoes, eating, taking a bath; wants to try doing things without help. may have a tantrum when things go wrong or if overly tired or frustrated. exceedingly curious about people and surroundings; needs to be watched carefully to prevent them from getting into unsafe situations. walking development young toddlers (12 months) have a wider midfoot than older toddlers (24 months). the foot will develop greater contact area during walking. maximum force of the foot will increase. peak pressure of the foot increases. force-time integral increases in all except the midfoot. the lateral toes did not show a pattern in development of walking. loading parameters of the foot generally increase, the midfoot develops opposite of the other regions in the foot. two-year-old physical posture is more erect; abdomen still large and protruding, back swayed, because abdominal muscles are not yet fully developed. respirations are slow and regular body temperature continues to fluctuate with activity, emotional state, and environment. brain reaches about 80 percent of its adult size. 16 baby teeth almost finished growing out motor development can walk around obstacles and walk more erectly. squats for long periods while playing. climbs stairs unassisted (but not with alternating feet). balances on one foot (for a few moments), jumps up and down, but may fall. often achieves toilet training during this year (depending on child's physical and neurological development) although accidents should still be expected; the child will indicate readiness for toilet training. throws large ball underhand without losing balance. holds small cup or tumbler in one hand. unbuttons large buttons; unzips large zippers. opens doors by turning doorknobs. grasps large crayon with fist; scribbles. climbs up on chair, turns, and sits down. stacks four to six objects on top of one another. uses feet to propel wheeled riding toys. most likely in the emerging stage of learning to run. cognitive eye–hand movements better coordinated;