The way your child plays, learns, speaks, acts, and moves offers important clues about their development. Those accomplishments are called milestones. Milestones are the things that most babies and children do—from smiling to speaking to walking—at various ages and stages throughout infancy and childhood. While each child develops and learns at his or her own unique pace, developmental milestones offer guidelines for the activities and behaviors you might expect to see as your child grows.

Read on for what to expect at a glance. Click on the links to learn more about each stage of development from the American Academy of Pediatrics’ Healthy Children website.