Infants grow and develop at different rates, and just because your baby isn't crawling or walking as soon as his playmates doesn't mean there's anything wrong. However, there are developmental milestones in every baby's development, and if your child is failing to meet these milestones, it may be a sign of a developmental delay that you should have checked out by your doctor.
Poor Head Control
One of the first developmental milestones for an infant is the ability to hold his head up. Baby Center says that if your baby cannot hold his head up by 2 months, this may a sign of a developmental delay that needs to be checked by a doctor. Also, if your baby can't support his head on his own by 4 months or has poor control of his head when in a sitting position at 7 months, these may be signs of a developmental delay, Baby Center says.
Inability to Move or Stand
Most babies start crawling at some point between 6 and 10 months, although some babies go straight to walking. Still, Baby Center says you should be concerned if your baby has not started crawling by 1 year old. Also by this age, your baby should be able to stand with help. Many babies also start walking at about this age, although you should only be concerned if your infant has not started walking by 18 months. No matter when your baby starts walking, if he is still unsteady and falls often after several months of walking, have him checked by your doctor.
Lack of Speech
Babies start cooing at an early age, and many are able to say simple words such as "mama" and "dada" as early as 9 months, according to KidsHealth.org, a website run by the Nemours Foundation. However, signs of a speech problem usually don't become apparent until sometime between 12 and 24 months. KidsHealth says it's OK if your baby is not speaking at 12 months, as long as he uses and understands gestures such as "bye-bye." However, if he is still predominately using gestures and has trouble vocalizing by 18 months, it could be a sign of a developmental delay and should be checked by a doctor.
If your baby does not respond to sounds by 12 months, according to KidsHealth, it could be a sign of a hearing problem, which, if not corrected, could lead to delayed and impaired speech later.
