Ages and Stages of Your Child's Development

As your child gets older, she develops new skills and abilities. The following table provides a general overview of what you might find your child doing at a certain age. It’s important to note that this is not a ‘benchmark’ table. Every child develops in her own unique way and this means that some children are months earlier or later demonstrating a particular skill or behaviour.

Age	What your child is doing
Up to six months	Baby is developing an attachment to you through the way you care for her.
	Milk is her sole form of nutrition.
	Responds and interacts with you through smiles, coos and laughter.
	Can only communicate her wants and needs through crying.
	Learns about her environment through grasping and mouthing objects.
Six months to one year	Moves onto solid food.
	Gradually becomes more mobile, first by rolling over from back to tummy, then moving onto crawling, pulling herself to standing, cruising (walking by holding onto things) and walking independently at about one year.
	Can develop separation anxiety, and become upset when parents leave the room.
One to two years	Learns to walk, run, climb, and walk up and down stairs.
	First words, which develop into first sentences.
	Can have difficulty controlling wants and needs, becoming upset when she doesn’t get her way. She may also hit, bite and snatch when she’s frustrated.
	She’s becoming increasingly independent and wants to do more things by herself, such as making food, putting on clothes, or brushing her teeth.
	May be ready to start toilet training.
Two to five years	Can understand more complex requests.
	Motor skills are gaining ground. Your child learns to use scissors, draw and build structures.
	Starts to tell longer stories, remembers incidents and questions everything.
	Pushes boundaries of what is acceptable behaviour and needs a parent to steer her back on to the right path.
	Uses her imagination to turn cardboard boxes into houses, or make up stories.
	Friendships become more important.

Adapted from Thriving Under Five, Plunket

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Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/ages-and-stages-of-your-childs-development.html