Examples of Physical Development Milestones – Infants and Toddlers

2 Months
 Holds head up with support
 Begins to push up when lying on tummy
 Makes smoother movements with arms and legs

4 Months
 Holds head steady without support
 Pushes down on legs when feet are on a hard surface
 Rolls over from tummy to back
 Holds and shakes toys, swings at dangling toys
 Brings hands to mouth
 Pushes up to elbows when lying on tummy

6 Months
 Rolls over both from stomach to back and from back to stomach
 Begins to sit with support
 Supports weight on legs when standing and might bounce
 Rocks back and forth, sometimes crawls backward before moving forward

9 Months
 Crawls
 Sits without support
 Moves into sitting position with support
 Stands, holding on to adult or furniture for support
 Pulls to stand

1 Year
 Moves into sitting position without support
 Pulls up to stand and walks alone while holding onto furniture
 Takes few steps without support of adult or furniture
 Stands alone
 18 Months
 Walks alone
 Runs
 Pulls toys while walking
 Helps undress self
 Drinks from a cup
 Eats with a spoon

2 Years
 Begins to run
 Climbs onto and down from furniture without support
 Walks up and down steps while holding on for support
 Throws ball overhand
 Draws or copies straight lines and circles
 Stands on tiptoes
 Kicks a ball

Keep in mind that the milestones above are simply the average ages at which
specific development is observed. 

Certain conditions must exist for an infant or toddler to grow and develop. A
young child’s basic needs, or physical needs, include:
 Food (nutritious and age-appropriate)
 Shelter (protection from harm)
 Warmth
 Clean air and environment
 Health and dental care
 Activity and rest

1. PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENTS HEIGHT & WEIGHT

Its normal for new born babies to drop 5 to 10 percent of their body weight within
a couple of weeks of birth.(Due to the baby’s adjustment to neonatal feeding/
once they adjust to sucking, swallowing and digesting, they grow rapidly). 
Breastfed babies are typically heavier than the bottle-fed babies through the first
6 months.(After 6 months, breastfed babies usually weigh less than bottle-fed
 babies.  In general, an infant’s length increases by about 30% in the first 5
months.  A baby’s weight usually triples during the first year but slows down in
the second year of

LIFE Low percentages are not a cause for alarm as long as infants progress
along a natural curve of steady development.

Brain Development Among the most dramatic changes in the brain in the first
2 years of life are the spreading connections of dendrites to each other.
(Remember neurons, dendrites, axon, synapses). Myelination or myelinization
=The process by which the axons are covered and insulated by layers of fat cells,
begins prenatally and continues after birth. =The process of MYELINATION or
MYELINIZATION increases the speed at w/c information travels through the
nervous system.

At birth, the newborn’s brain is about 25% of its adult weight. By the second
birthday, the brain is about 75% of its adult weight.  Shortly after birth, a baby’s
brain produces trillions more connections between neurons than it can possibly
use. The brain eliminates connections that are seldom or never used. The
infant’s brain is literally waiting for experiences to determine how connections are
made.

2. Motor Development Along this aspect of motor development, infants and

toddlers begin from reflexes, to gross motor skills and fine motor skills.
REFLEXES The newborn has some basic reflexes which are, of course
automatic, and serve as survival mechanisms before they have the opportunity
to learn. Many reflexes which are present at birth with generally subside within a
few months as the baby grows and matures. COMMON REFLEXES  Sucking
Reflex( The sucking reflexes is initiated when something touches the roof of an
infant’s mouth. Infants have a strong sucking reflex which helps to ensure they
can latch unto bottle or breast. The sucking reflex is very strong in some infants
and they may need to suck on a pacifier for comfort).  Rooting Reflex( The
roofing reflex is most evident when an infant’s cheek is stroked. The baby
responds by turning his or her head in the direction of the touch and opening
their mouth for feeding).

9.  Gripping Reflex( Babies will grasp anything that is placed in their palm. The
strength of this grip is strong, and most babies can support their entire weight in
their grip).  Curling Reflex( When the inner sole of a baby’s foot is stroked the
infant respond by curling his or her toes. When the outer sole of a baby’s foot is
stroked, the infant will respond by spreading out their toes).  Startle/Moro
Reflex( Infants will respond to sudden sounds or movements by throwing their
arms and legs out, and throwing their heads back. Most infants will usually cry
when startled and proceed to pull their limbs back into their bodies ).  Galant
Reflex( The galant reflex is shown when an infant’s middle or lower back is
stroked next to the spinal cord. The baby will respond by curving his or her body
 toward the side which is being stroked).  Tonic Neck Reflex( The tonic neck
reflex is demonstrated in infants who are placed on their abdomens. Whenever
side the child’s head is facing, the limbs on that side will straighten, while the
opposite limbs will curl).

10. LIFE SPAN DEVELOPMENT OF INFANTS and TODDLERS

3. Gross Motor Skills  It is always a source of excitement for parents to

witness dramatic changes in the infant’s first year of life. This dramatic motor
development is shown in babies unable to even lift their heads to being able to
grab things off the cabinet, to chase the ball and to walk away from parents. Fine
Motor Skills  Are skills that involve a refined use of the small muscles
controlling the hand, finger and thumb. The development of these skills allows
one to be able to complete tasks such as writing, drawing and buttoning.  The
ability to exhibit fine motor skills involve activities that involve precise eye- hand
coordination.  The development of reaching and grasping becomes more
refined during the first 2 years of life. Initially, infants show only crude shoulder
and elbow movements, but later they show wrist movements, hand rotation and
coordination of the thumb and forefinger.

4. SENSORY and PERCEPTUAL DEVELOPMENT The newborn senses

the world into which he/she is born through his/her senses of vision, hearing,
touch, taste and smell. As he/she advances physically his/her sensory and
perceptual abilities also develop.

5. RESEACH FINDINGS regarding NEWBORN’S VISUAL

PERCEPTION The newborn’s vision is about 10 to 30 times lower than
normal adult vision. By 6 months of age, vision becomes better and by the first
birthday, the infant’s vision approximates that of an adult.  Infants look at
different things for different lengths of time. In an experiment conducted by
Robert Fantz(1963 cited by Santrock, 2002), it was found out that infants
preferred to look at patterns such as faces and concentric circles rather than at
color or brightness. Based on these results, it is likely that ‘’pattern perception
has an innate basis’’. Among the first few things that babies learn to recognize is
their mother’s face, as mother feeds and nurses them.

6. Can NEWBORN Hear? The sense of hearing in an infant develops much

before the birth of the baby. When in the womb, the baby hears his/her mother’s
heartbeats, the grumbling of his/her stomach, the mother’s voice and music. 
Infants’ sensory thresholds are somewhat higher than those of adult which
means that stimulus must be louder to be heard by a newborn than by an adult.

7. Can NEWBORNS differentiate Odors?  In an experiment conducted

by MacFarlane(1975) ‘’ Young infants who were breastfed showed a clear
preference for smelling their mother’s breast pad when the babies were only two
days old. This shows that it requires several days of experience to recognize
 their mother’s breast pad odor’’. Can NEWBORNS feel pain?Do they Respond
to touch?  They do feel pain. Newborn males show a higher level of cortisol( an
indicator of stress) after a circumcision than prior to the surgery.  Babies
respond to touch. The newborn automatically sucks an object placed in his/her
head toward the side that was touched in an apparent effort to find something to
suck.

8. Can NEWBORNS distinguish the different tastes?  In a study

conducted with babies only two hour old, babies made different facial
expressions when they tasted sweet, sour and bitter solutions.  When
saccharin was added to the amniotic fluid of a near-term fetus, increased
swallowing was observed.  This indicates that sensitivity to taste might be
present before birth. Do infants relate information through several senses? Or
Are infants capable of intermodal perception?  INTERMODAL PERCEPTION
is the ability to relate, connect and integrate information about two or more
sensory modalities such as vision and hearing.  In a study conducted by
Spelke and Owsley(1979), it was found out that as early as at 3 ½ months old,
infants looked more at their mother when they also heard her voice and longer at
their father when they also heard his voice.  This capacity for intermodal
perception or ability to connect information coming through various modes gets
sharpened considerably through experience.

9. WHAT INFANTS and TODDLERS can do Physically?  DOMAIN:

Physical Health, Well-Being and Motor Development PHYSICAL HEALTH
STANDARD 1_ The children demonstrates adequate growth ( weight, height,
head circumference). STANDARD 2_ The child has adequate sensory systems
to participate in daily activities. 0-6 months  Startles to loud sounds  Visually
follows a moving object from side to side  Visually follows a moving object up
and down  Reacts to pain by crying  Withdraws or reacts with surprise when
in contact with something cold  Reacts with pleasure/smiles or relaxed
expression when he/she tastes something delicious  Reacts by making a
face/frowns/grimaces when he/she tastes something he/she does not like

18. 7-12 months  Reacts with pleasure when he/she smells something nice 
Reacts by making a face when he/she smells something fouls STANDARD 3_ The
child has adequate stamina to participate in daily activities.  Pushes and/or pulls
moderately heavy objects (e.g.. chairs, large boxes)  Walks without tiring easily 13-
18 months  Play without tiring easily, able to keep pace with playmates 
Participates actively in games, outdoor play and other exercises 19-24 months 
Sustains physical activities (e.g. dancing, outdoor games, swimming) for at least 3-5
minutes

10. MOTOR SKILLS DEVELOPMENT(Gross Motor skills) Standard 1_

The child shows control in coordination of body movements involving large
muscle groups. 0-6 months  Holds head steadily  Moves arms and legs
 equally to reach at dangling object  Rolls over  Bounces when held standing,
briefly bearing weight on legs  Sits with support  Stating to crawl but not yet
very good at this

7-12 months  Sits steadily without support  Creeps or crawls with ease as a
primary means of moving around  Stands without support  Stands from a
sitting position without any help  Squats from standing position with ease 
Stands from standing position with ease  Bends over easily without falling 
Stands from a bent position without falling  Walks sideways by holding onto the
sides of crib or furniture (cruises)  Walks with one hand held

13-18 months  Walks without support  Walks backwards  Walks up the

stairs with hand held, 2 feet on each step  Walks down stairs with hand held, 2
feet on each step  Jumps in place  Climbs onto a steady elevated surface
(e.g. bed, adult chair or bangko etc.)  Kicks a ball but with little control of
direction  Throws a ball but with little control of direction  Throws a ball but
with little control of speed  Runs without tripping or falling  Maintains balance
(walking on a low, narrow ledge, between 2 lines without assistance  Moves
with music when he hears it  Can move body to imitate familiar animals  Can
move body to imitate another person/TV character

19-24 months  Walks up the stairs with alternating feet, without help  Walks
down the stairs with alternating feet without help  Kicks a ball with a control of
direction  Throws a ball with control of direction  Throws a ball with control of
speed

11. MOTOR SKILLS DEVELOPMENT(Fine Motor skills) Standard 1_

The child can control and coordinate hand and finger movements 0-6 months 
Hands open most of the time  Bring both hands together towards dangling
object/toy  Uses either hand interchangeably to grasp objects  Uses all 5
fingers in a ranking motion to get food/toy placed on a flat surface  Grasps
objects with the same hand most of the time (hand preference emerging)

7-12 months  Pulls toys by string  Bangs 2 large blocks together  Picks up
objects with thumb and index fingers  Grasps and transfer objects from hand to
hand  Grasps objects with the same hand all the time (definite hand preference
established)

13-18 months  Puts small objects in/out of container  Unscrew lids 

Unwraps candy/food  Holds thick pencil or crayon with palmar grip (e. g. all 5
fingers wrapped around pencil) 19- 24 months  Colors with strokes going out of
the lines

12. PERSONAL CARE AND HYGIENE (Activities of Daily Living) Standard 1_

The child participates in basic personal care routines. 0-6 months  Sucks and
 swallows milk form breast/bottle  Begins to take complementary or semi-solid
foods by the en of 6 months  Keeps reasonably still while being dressed,
undressed bathed and while diaper is being change

7-12 months  Holds feeding bottle by himself  Helps hold cup for drinking 
Chews solid foods well  Feeds self with finger foods  Scoops with a spoon
with spillage

13-18 months  Feeds self with assistance  Feeds self using fingers to eat
rice/viands with spillage  Feeds self using spoon with spillage  No longer
drinks from feeding bottle  Drinks from cup unassisted  Participates when
being dressed by lifting arms or raising legs  Pulls down gartered short
pants/underpants or panties  Removes shoes/sandals  Informs caregiver of
the need to move his bowels so he/she can be brought to comfort room  Takes
a bath with assistance  Brushes teeth after meals with assistance from adult 
Washes and dries hands under adult supervision  Washes and dries face with
the assistance of an adult

19-24 months  Gets drink for self unassisted  Removes loose sando 
Removes socks  Informs caregiver of the need to urinate so he/she can be
brought the comfort room  Goes to the designated place to urinate but
sometimes wets his/her pants  Goes to the designated place to move his/her
bowels but sometimes still sols his/her pants  Goes to the designated place to
move his/her bowels but needs help with wiping and washing  Brushes teeth
after meals with adult supervision  Washes and dries face under adult
supervision

13. LANGUAGE (Expressive Language) Standard 1_ The child is able to

use words and gestures to express his thoughts and feelings. 0-6 months 
Makes gurgling; cooing, babbling or other vocal sounds  Uses gestures (e.g.
stretching his/her arms, pointing) to indicate he/she wants

7-12 months  Repeats sounds produced by others  Says meaningful words

like papa, mama, to refer to specific persons  Uses animal sounds to identify
animals (e.g. meow-meow for cat)  Uses environmental sounds to identify
objects/events in the environment (boom for thunder)

13-18 months  Speaks in single words  Says “yes” and “no” appropriately 
Uses words accompanied by gestures to indicate what heshe wants 
Responds to simple questions with single words 19-24 months  Uses pronouns
 Uses possessive pronouns  Says what he/she wants without accompanying
this with gestures  Attempts to converse even if he cannot be clearly
understood
 14. PRE-READING AND PRE-MATH (MATCHING) Standard 1_ The child
is able to match identical objects, colors, shapes, symbols. 7-12 months  Able
to match 2 identical objects (e.g. 2 spoons, 2 balls) 19-24 months  Matches
identical objects  Matches identical pictures
SOURCES:
https://www.slideshare.net/naomigimena/physical-development-of-infants-and-
toddlerhood
https://www.virtuallabschool.org/fcc/physical-development/lesson-2

a. HEIGHT AND WEIGHT:

b. MOTOR SKILLS (REFLEXES):

c. GROSS MOTOR SKILLS:
d. FINE MOTOR SKILLS: