Infant Milestones

As a mom of a 3-year-old and a mom with a new infant at home again, I am reminded just how much joy and anxiety there is in the first few minutes, to weeks, to months, to years of being a new parent.  Each scheduled check up brings new milestones to watch for, new questions to ask and answer, and new fears of them being okay and developing “typically”.  As an SLP, I have knowledge of what to watch for for language and feeding skills from day one, but what about the other stuff? This can be overwhelming for all parents, especially in the early stages of infancy with lack of sleep and just getting used to the new “normal”.  So, I wanted to make a simple list of language and feeding skills to be watching for in the first few months of your baby’s life to help guide some conversations and hopefully ease some anxious minds! Keep in mind that development has such a broad range and if you have any concerns, please talk with your pediatrician and/or reach out to any of us for more specific questions!  

In the first 3 months, we are looking for these skills:  

Language: 

• Startles to loud sounds 
• Quiets or smiles when spoken to 
• Recognizes familiar voices 
• Increase/decreasing suckling in response to familiar sounds 
• Begins to coo and vocalize pleasure sounds 
• Cries differently for different reasons (e.g. hungry, wet, tired) 
• Reflexive vocalizations (e.g. crying, burping, sneezing, coughing) 
• Turns head to voices 
• Smiles in response to familiar faces 
• Watches the speakers face when spoken to 

Feeding:

• Establishes consistent “suck, swallow, breathe” pattern 
• Sucks fingers when near the mouth 
• Rooting reflex (turns head in response to touch on cheek 
• Recognizes the nipple/bottle 
• May start to pat the bottle with hands 
• ***Note: if you are concerned with your infants ability to eat safely (lots of gasping, coughing, refusing, etc.), this is something you should get evaluated more closely.  You should contact your pediatrician who may refer you to a lactation consultant, SLP, or other professional for some additional evaluation on feeding skills.   

While the milestones are important to continue to monitor as your baby grows, know that a parent’s gut has a lot of weight and if you leave a question unasked, it can make it difficult to move past and truly be in the moments with out little ones.  So, please do not hesitate to reach out with any specific questions related to concerns you may have or even great stories that you have about your little one! We love to hear from you all! 

~Amber