A map, not a deadline.
Most children reach most milestones within a wide typical range. But some lags are meaningful — and the earlier they're noticed, the more can be done.
Developmental milestones are not a deadline. They're a map. Most children reach most milestones within a wide typical range. But some lags are meaningful — and the earlier they're noticed, the more can be done.
First words by
12–18 mo
AU developmental consensus
Walking by
9–18 mo
typical range
Social smile by
6–12 wks
typical range
0–12 months
0 of 4 live0–3 months: what to look for
The milestones of the fourth trimester — and what's actually worth noting.
4–6 months
Rolling, reaching, social smiling, and the start of babble.
7–9 months
Sitting, pincer grasp, object permanence — the cognitive leap.
10–12 months
First words, first steps — the range and what's beyond it.
1–5 years
0 of 4 live12–18 months
Walking, first sentences, parallel play.
18–24 months
Vocabulary explosion, pretend play, and the language red flags.
2–3 years
Sentence structure, toilet training, symbolic play.
3–5 years
Social play, narrative, kinder-readiness indicators.
Speech
1 of 4 liveFirst words: when
The expected range and what to do when they don't come.
Speech delay: what to do
The step-by-step pathway from 'I'm worried' to a speech pathologist appointment.
Bilingual kids and speech
Does bilingualism delay speech? The evidence — and what's actually normal.
Stuttering
Developmental stuttering, when it resolves, when to act.
Motor
0 of 3 liveCrawling + walking
The typical sequence, the variations, and the lag that matters.
Fine motor 3–6
Pencil grip, scissors, buttons — the readiness skills for school.
Handwriting struggles
What looks like laziness is often a motor-planning issue. What to try, and when to refer.
Social
0 of 3 liveEye contact: myths + facts
What eye contact actually tells you — and what it doesn't.
Imaginative play
What's typical at each age, and what absence of pretend play can signal.
Friendship skills 5–8
The social skills that underpin early friendships, and how to support them.
Red flags
1 of 4 liveThe specific patterns that warrant a conversation with a paediatrician. Not scaremongering — just clear lines.
Red flags by age
A calm, age-banded list of the things worth acting on.
Regression: what it means
When a child loses skills they had. Always warrants a professional conversation.
When to see a specialist
The Australian pathway — GP, paediatrician, allied health — and what each step looks like.
Milestone charts (AU standard)
The consolidated chart we use, linked to the source.
Other parts of being a parent
All topicsCome for a 3-minute walk-through. Leave with a plan.
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