Developmental Milestones for 1-Year-Olds: A Checklist

What do "milestones" really mean?

Developmental milestones are skills most children reach by a certain age. The CDC's checklists were revised in 2022 to list milestones that about 75% of children are expected to meet at each age, so a missed item flags a child who may benefit from a closer look rather than labeling typical variation as a delay 1Ref 1Zubler JM, Wiggins LD, Macias MM, Whitaker TM, Shaw JS, Squires JK, Pajek JA, Wolf RB, Slaughter KS, Broughton AS, Gerndt KL, Mlodoch BJ, Lipkin PH (2022).Evidence-Informed Milestones for Developmental Surveillance Tools.The 2022 CDC milestone checklists list evidence-informed milestones expected to be met by ~75% of children at each age, and added 15- and 30-month checklists.. Milestones fall into four broad areas: movement (motor), language and communication, thinking and learning (cognitive), and social-emotional skills. Children move through these at different paces, and being "early" in one area and "on time" in another is completely normal.

What many 1-year-olds can do

Around the first birthday, common skills include:

• Movement: pulls to stand, cruises holding furniture, sits without support, and may take first independent steps (walking ranges widely into the teens of months).
• Communication: says one or two words like "mama" or "dada" with meaning, waves "bye-bye," and uses gestures to ask for things 2Ref 2Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (2024).CDC's Developmental Milestones — Learn the Signs. Act Early..CDC provides free parent-facing milestone checklists from 2 months to 5 years and guidance to act early by talking to a provider when milestones are missed..
• Thinking: looks for objects you hide, bangs two things together, and puts items in and out of a container.
• Social-emotional: plays games like pat-a-cake, hands you a toy, and looks to you when something new happens.

The CDC offers free, parent-friendly milestone checklists for every age from 2 months to 5 years if you'd like a printable list 2Ref 2Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (2024).CDC's Developmental Milestones — Learn the Signs. Act Early..CDC provides free parent-facing milestone checklists from 2 months to 5 years and guidance to act early by talking to a provider when milestones are missed..

How development is tracked at checkups

Pediatricians watch development two ways. Developmental surveillance happens at every well-child visit — your provider asks about skills, observes your child, and notes concerns over time. Standardized screening uses a validated questionnaire and is recommended at the 9-, 18-, and 30-month visits, with autism-specific screening added at 18 and 24 months 3Ref 3Lipkin PH, Macias MM; AAP Council on Children with Disabilities, Section on Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics (2020).Promoting Optimal Development: Identifying Infants and Young Children With Developmental Disorders Through Developmental Surveillance and Screening.AAP recommends developmental surveillance at every well-child visit plus standardized screening at 9, 18, and 30 months.4Ref 4Hyman SL, Levy SE, Myers SM; AAP Council on Children with Disabilities, Section on Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics (2020).Identification, Evaluation, and Management of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder.AAP recommends universal autism-specific screening at the 18- and 24-month well-child visits.. Monitoring is the ongoing watching; screening is the structured tool — the two work together 5Ref 5Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (2024).Developmental Monitoring and Screening — Learn the Signs. Act Early..CDC distinguishes ongoing developmental monitoring from formal standardized screening in routine pediatric care.. Bring any "not yet" skills to these visits so they can be folded into the bigger picture.

When does your 1-year-old's development need a clinician?

A pediatrician adds real value here, even when everything looks fine. They use validated screening tools rather than a single checklist to separate normal variation from a true delay, and the 18- and 24-month visits include autism-specific screening because early identification opens the door to early support 3Ref 3Lipkin PH, Macias MM; AAP Council on Children with Disabilities, Section on Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics (2020).Promoting Optimal Development: Identifying Infants and Young Children With Developmental Disorders Through Developmental Surveillance and Screening.AAP recommends developmental surveillance at every well-child visit plus standardized screening at 9, 18, and 30 months.4Ref 4Hyman SL, Levy SE, Myers SM; AAP Council on Children with Disabilities, Section on Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics (2020).Identification, Evaluation, and Management of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder.AAP recommends universal autism-specific screening at the 18- and 24-month well-child visits.. A provider can also rule out medical contributors — for example, checking hearing if words are slow to come, since untreated hearing loss is a common and fixable reason for language delay. If your child isn't using any words or gestures by 12 months, isn't pulling to stand, or seems to lose skills they once had, an earlier conversation is worthwhile. Acting early — connecting to early-intervention services — tends to help more than waiting 2Ref 2Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (2024).CDC's Developmental Milestones — Learn the Signs. Act Early..CDC provides free parent-facing milestone checklists from 2 months to 5 years and guidance to act early by talking to a provider when milestones are missed..

Supporting your 1-year-old's development

Everyday interaction is the most powerful tool you have. Talk and narrate your day, read together daily, name objects your child points to, sing, and give plenty of floor time to practice standing and walking. Responsive back-and-forth — you respond, they respond, you respond — builds language and confidence. None of this requires special equipment; warmth, routine, and attention do the work.