CDC Developmental Milestones

This guide summarizes the developmental milestone framework from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) "Learn the Signs. Act Early." program — the current online checklists (February 2022 revision). The CDC defines developmental milestones as things that most children (75% or more) can do by a certain age.

The framework covers 12 checkpoints from 2 months to 5 years and a total of about 159 milestones across four developmental domains. Milestone checklists help parents observe development between well-child visits and give pediatricians useful information when concerns come up.

Important: These checklists are educational and for self-reflection only. They are not a substitute for standardized, validated developmental screening tools and are not a diagnostic instrument. If your child is not meeting milestones, has lost skills, or you have other concerns, talk with your child's doctor and ask about developmental screening.

• Back to Child Development
• Related tool: Developmental Milestone Tracker — check milestones interactively by age

The Four Developmental Domains

• Social/Emotional — bonding, social smiles, playing with others, expressing and regulating emotions, and separating from caregivers.
• Language/Communication — cooing, babbling, first words, combining words, following directions, and later telling simple stories.
• Cognitive (learning, thinking, problem-solving) — attention, cause-and-effect play, object permanence, imitation, and early problem-solving.
• Movement/Physical Development — head control, rolling, sitting, crawling, walking, running, and fine-motor skills such as grasping and drawing.

The 12 Milestone Checkpoints

Each checkpoint lists the milestones most children can do by that age, followed by practical tips and activities for supporting learning and brain development at home — such as responding warmly to sounds, reading and singing together, safe tummy time, and limiting screen time.

How to Monitor Milestones

The CDC milestone checklists are available in several forms:

1. Online checklists on each age page.
2. The free Milestone Tracker mobile app (iOS / Android, English and Spanish).
3. A web-based digital online checklist (interactive).
4. Printable checklists (the Milestone Moments series).
5. Milestones in Action — photos and short videos showing each milestone by age.

All of these official tools and pages are collected in our resource library: CDC Developmental Milestones.

How your child plays, learns, speaks, acts, and moves offers important clues about development. Watching for milestones regularly — not just at doctor visits — helps you notice both progress and potential concerns.

Age coverage: The CDC checklists cover 2 months through 5 years — 12 checkpoints in total. There is no 6-year or older page in this series.

When to Share Concerns

Things to share with your child's doctor:

• What are some things you and your child do together?
• What are some things your child likes to do?
• Is there anything your child does or does not do that concerns you?
• Has your child lost any skills he or she once had?
• Does your child have any special healthcare needs, or was he or she born prematurely?

Act early. You know your child best — don't wait. If your child is not meeting one or more milestones, has lost skills he or she once had, or you have other concerns:

• Talk with your child's doctor, share your concerns, and ask about developmental screening.
• If you or the doctor are still concerned, ask for a referral to a specialist, and contact your state or territory's early intervention program (U.S.) or a local child development professional.
• More guidance: the CDC's "Concerned About Your Child's Development?" page and state early intervention contacts (cdc.gov/FindEI) are collected in our resource library: CDC Developmental Milestones.

Key Points About These Checklists

1. Communication tools, not tests. The CDC checklists are communication tools that encourage ongoing conversations between families and professionals, and help identify when additional screening may be helpful. They are not developmental guidelines or standards, and they should not be used as screening or diagnostic tools to detect developmental delays.
2. Not for medical decisions. They should not be used to establish medical necessity for starting or continuing services, nor to justify discontinuing services.
3. Evidence-informed placement. A peer-reviewed 2019 literature review (published in Pediatrics) plus expert clinical judgment guided where each milestone was placed, so that about 75% or more of children would be expected to show it.
4. Why 75%? Placing milestones at the 75% level makes even a single missing milestone more "actionable" — more likely to prompt screening and possible referral — and reduces the "wait and see" approach.
5. Not exhaustive. The checklists do not contain every possible milestone. Inclusion or exclusion reflects the available evidence, not a milestone's importance.
6. Tested for understanding. The milestones and open-ended questions underwent cognitive testing in English and Spanish with families from diverse backgrounds; the final language reflects a 5th- to 7th-grade reading level.
7. February 2022 revision. The current checklists and related Learn the Signs. Act Early. materials were revised and released in February 2022 to better support early identification and action.

Official CDC Sources

All checklists are based on the CDC "Learn the Signs. Act Early." program (current online version, February 2022 revision):

Related Reading

• 0-3 Year Monthly Development Guide — month-by-month observations and play ideas from 1 to 36 months.
• 3-6 Year Learning & Development Guide — the five domains of early learning and preschool goals in China.
• Developmental Red Flags — age-by-age warning signs and when to seek help.
• The Erxin Scales (儿心量表-Ⅱ) — what China's national developmental assessment measures and how the DQ works.
• Kindergarten Readiness Checklist — a practical 25-item checklist for the transition into formal school.
• School Readiness in China (幼小衔接) — the preschool-to-primary-school transition in the Chinese education system.
• Child Development — the hub for milestones, readiness, and early learning guides.
• Related tool: Developmental Milestone Tracker

References

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Learn the Signs. Act Early.: Developmental milestones. https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/actearly/milestones/index.html