Age Milestone

3 months Neck holding.

5 months Sitting with support.
8 months Sitting without support.
9 months Standing with support.
10 months Walking with support.
11 months Crawling.
12 months Standing without support.
13 months Walking without support.
18 months Running.
24 months Walking upstairs.
36 months Riding tricycle.

Key Developmental Milestones: Fine Motor

Age Milestones
4 months Grasps a rattle or rings when placed in hand.
5 months Reaches out to an object and holds it with both hands (intentional
reaching with bidextrous grasp.
7 months Holding objects with crude grasp from palm (palmar grasp).
9 months Holding small object, like a pellet, between index finger and thumb
(pincer grasp).

Key Developmental Milestones: Language

Age Milestone
1 months Turns head to sound.
3 months Cooing
6 months Monosyllables (‘ma’, ‘ba’)
9 months Bisyllables (‘mama’, ‘baba’)
12 months Two words with meaning
18 months Ten words with meaning
24 months Simple sentence
36 months Telling a story.

Immunization Schedule And Meningitis

Immunization is important to protect your baby from those diseases that can be fatal for him. It is important
to follow the immunization schedule accurately. If you miss an immunization date then consult your doctor
immediately and he will give you a new date. If the baby is very ill when immunization is due then you
consult your doctor and reschedule immunization. But if your baby has a slight cold or cough then you can
go ahead with immunization. If your baby has had an acute reaction to a dose of immunization consult your
doctor before you give him the booster dose.
After an immunization shot the baby is likely to have slight fever, give him the recommended dose of
paracetamol and that should help him. If the injection sight is
swollen do not worry, as this is normal. Consult your doctor about the reactions that various injections will
have on your baby. If your baby has any of the following conditions then he is ill:

• Is not feeding normally for over 24 hours.

• Vomiting continuously.
• If is suddenly beings to breathe noisily and rapidly.
• Has wet only 4 nappies or less in the past 24 hours.
• Presence of blood in stools or urine.
• Cries continuously and it sounds different from the normal way he cries.
• Lacks energy and is not alert.
• Has a skin rash.

Consult your doctor if you are concerned about the way the baby is behaving.

Given below is the ideal immunization schedule for babies:

• At 11/2 months:

1. B.C.G (injection) If not given at birth to the baby.

2. D.P.T. - 1 (injection)
3. O.P.V. - 1 (dose)

• At 21/2 months:

1. D.P.T. - 2 (injection)
2. O.P.V. - 2 (dose)
3. At 31/2 months:
4. D.P.T. - 3 (injection)
5. O.P.V. - 3 (dose)

• At 9 months:

1. Measles (injection)

• 16 to 24 months:

1. D.P.T. Booster (injection)

2. O.P.V. Booster (dose)

Another illness that is a cause of great concern among parents is meningitis. When this affects infants and
small children, it can be fatal if not treated promptly. Meningitis is the inflammation of the meninges, the
membranes that cover the brain and spinal cord. Inflammation can be caused either by bacteria or viruses.
Meningitis caused by bacterial infection is more fatal than the one caused by viral infection. Meningitis is
contagious as it is airborne. It spreads when an infected person sneezes, coughs, laughs or talks and tiny
droplets of fluid from his throat and nose become air borne. Infants are more susceptible to meningitis as
their immune system is still developing. The number of cases of meningitis among infants has dropped
greatly every since the Hib vaccine was introduced. A Hib vaccine safeguards the child against the attack of
meningitis. But vaccines have not been developed for all the strains of meningitis. Hence parents continue to
be worried about meningitis. Some symptoms of meningitis are:

• Stiffness in the neck.

• Swollen fontanel - swelling of the soft spot on the baby's head.
• The baby is listless and is not his usual energetic self.
• The baby looks very pale.
• The baby is not alert.
• The baby has a purple rash.
• The baby cries in a high-pitched voice and seems to me moaning.
• The baby has very high temperature.
• The baby has suddenly become sensitive to light.

Though meningitis seems like a deadly disease, it can be cured, if diagnosed at the right time and treated
promptly.

Key Developmental Milestones: Personal Social

Age Milestone
2 months Social smile
3 months Recognizing mother
6 months Smiles at mirror image
9 months Waves ‘bye-bye’
12 months Plays a simple ball game
36 months Knows gender.