Nothing is more important than your child’s well-being. So, ask your doctor about your baby’s growth and physical, emotional, and social development. From baby steps and babbling to building blocks and smiles.
Be the champion for your child’s health.
WHAT TO ASK YOUR DOCTOR?
The next time you have a well-child visit, talk to your healthcare provider about your child’s growth and development. You can start the conversation by asking these questions:
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- Is my child reaching “milestones” for physical, social, and emotional development?
- What can I do to support my child’s growth and development?
Tell the doctor what you have observed about your child and share any concerns you may have. You can complete a questionnaire about your child’s development and take it to your doctor.
The Ages & Stages Questionnaires® (ASQ-3) — a screening tool that pinpoints developmental progress in children between the ages of one month to 5 ½ years — is available at no charge through your local Health District.
ARM YOURSELF WITH INFORMATION
The more you learn, the more you can help your child grow and thrive. Use the Resources below to learn more.
What Are Developmental Milestones?
Skills such as beginning to crawl, smiling for the first time, and waving “bye-bye” are called developmental milestones. While each child develops at his or her own pace, typically children will reach certain milestones in how they move, speak, play, learn, and act.
Parents, grandparents, caregivers, and early childhood providers can participate in developmental monitoring by observing how your child grows and changes over time and seeing whether your child meets the typical developmental milestones. You can use a brief checklist of milestones to see how your child is progressing.
A more extensive developmental screening may be performed by a doctor, nurse, early childhood educator, childcare provider, or another specialist. This screening may involve giving your child a brief test or asking you to complete a questionnaire about your child’s development, including language, movement, thinking, behavior, and emotions.
The American Academy of Pediatrics also recommends developmental screening as also a regular part of routine well-child visits for all children at these ages:
- 9 months
- 18 months
- 30 months
- Annually thereafter through age five
Free Resources for Parents, Grandparents, and Caregivers
- Find a Doctor - Link to help you find a doctor near you. Find a Health Center
- Child Development Basics – Understand the basics about how your child grows and develops.
- Checklist of Developmental Milestones – Simple guides showing typical developmental milestones for children from 2 months to 5 years of age.
- CDC Milestone Tracker App – A free app to track your child’s developmental progress by looking for important milestones using an interactive, illustrated checklist.
- Free Books – Request free books on child development as well as books for your child.
- RVA Basics Facebook – Join the RVA Basics Facebook Group and join other families giving their children the best start possible with five free and easy ways to promote the brain development of children.
- Just in Time Parenting (udel.edu) - University of Delaware