Table 3 - Developmental milestones and feeding skills birth to 36 months
From the following article
Swallowing and feeding in infants and young children
Joan C. Arvedson
GI Motility online (2006)
doi:10.1038/gimo17
Age (months) | Development/posture | Feeding/oral sensorimotor |
---|---|---|
Source: Adapted from Arvedson and Brodsky10 (pp. 62–67). | ||
Birth to 4–6 | Neck and trunk with balanced flexor and extensor tone Visual fixation and tracking Learning to control body against gravity Sitting with support near 6 months Rolling over Brings hands to mouth | Nipple feeding, breast, or bottle Hand on bottle during feeding (2–4 months) Maintains semiflexed posture during feeding Promotion of infant–parent interaction |
6–9 (transition feeding) | Sitting independently for short time Self-oral stimulation (mouthing hands and toys) Extended reach with pincer grasp Visual interest in small objects Object permanence Stranger anxiety Crawling on belly, creeping on all fours | Feeding more upright position Spoon feeding for thin, smooth puree Suckle pattern initially Suckle ![]() Both hands to hold bottle Finger feeding introduced Vertical munching of easily dissolvable solids Preference for parents to feed |
9–12 | Pulling to stand Cruising along furniture First steps by 12 months Assisting with spoon; some become independent Refining pincer grasp | Cup drinking Eats lumpy, mashed food Finger feeding for easily dissolvable solids Chewing includes rotary jaw action |
12–18 | Refining all gross and fine motor skills Walking independently Climbing stairs Running Grasping and releasing with precision | Self-feeding: grasps spoon with whole hand Holding cup with 2 hands Drinking with 4–5 consecutive swallows Holding and tipping bottle |
>18–24 | Improving equilibrium with refinement of upper extremity coordination. Increasing attention and persistence in play activities Parallel or imitative play Independence from parents Using tools | Swallowing with lip closure Self-feeding predominates Chewing broad range of food Up–down tongue movements precise |
24–36 | Refining skills Jumping in place Pedaling tricycle Using scissors | Circulatory jaw rotations Chewing with lips closed One-handed cup holding and open cup drinking with no spilling Using fingers to fill spoon Eating wide range of solid food Total self-feeding, using fork |