Milestones, and when to trust your gut
Children develop at different paces, and most variation is normal. But “wait and see” has a cost when there is a real delay: the earliest movers get the strongest outcomes. Here’s what to expect at each age, and exactly when to pick up the phone.
What to expect
- Babbles with varied sounds ("ba-ba", "da-da")
- Responds to their name and to "no"
- Uses gestures like waving and pointing
- Says one or two first words
When to call us
No babbling, no gestures, or no response to sounds and voices.
A note for parents of bilingual children
Bilingual children may split vocabulary across languages, but the overall milestones hold when both languages are counted together. Bilingualism does not cause delays. If you’re seeing the signs above across both languages, the same guidance applies.
Begin here
Seeing one of the 'call us' signs?
A ten-minute conversation will tell you whether it's watchful waiting or time for an evaluation. Either way, you'll stop wondering.
Calls returned the same or next business day · Evaluations typically within 1–2 weeks · After-school appointments available · TeleTherapy backup for busy weeks