Feeding Developmental Milestones

Below is a list of the feeding developmental milestones that are expected for the first year of your child’s life. Keep in mind that if your child is having trouble meeting these milestones/guidelines, you should consult with your child’s pediatrician.

2-3 months:

• Motor & Postural Stability: Steady head control & baby maintains a curled posture during feeding<8/li>
• Oral Motor: Baby is transitioning to volitional sucking instead of relying on their reflex
• Sensory: Can detect flavor differences (e.g., increased suckling to new flavors)

4-6 months

• Motor & Postural Stability:
  • Beginning hand to mouth play
  • Increased reaching skills
  • Reaches for bottle or spoon when hungry
• Oral Motor:
  • Opens mouth when spoon approaches/touches lips
  • Tongue used to move purees to back of mouth for the swallow
  • Munching jaw movements
• Sensory:
  • Preference for salty flavors emerges

6-7 months

• Motor & Postural Stability:
  • Trunk control is sufficient for independent sitting for more than 3 seconds
  • Stable head control in sitting
  • Holds bottle in both hands

7-8 months

• Oral Motor:
  • Full lip closure emerges
  • Consistent tongue lateralization seen when foods presented to sides of tongue
  • Active movement of foods from side of mouth to central tongue groove and back

8-10 months:

• Motor & Postural Stability:
  • Beginning to move in and out of positions
  • Uses fingers to rake food towards self
  • Puts fingers in mouth to move food and keep it
  • Introduction of cup drinking (open cups, straw cups)
• Oral Motor:
  • Circular rotary movements emerge
  • Able to transition to slightly more texture
  • Munching of softer food

10-12 months:

• Motor & Postural Stability:
  • Independent sitting in a variety of positions
  • Pincer grasp developing
  • Pokes food with index finger
  • Uses fingers to self feed soft, chopped foods
• Oral Motor:
  • Licking food off of lips
  • Simple tongue protrusion may occur
  • More controlled biting, isolated from body movements
  • Full transfer of foods from side to side in mouth with tongue, without difficulty
  • Rotary movements begin to emerge

-Lauren I.

https://sosapproachtofeeding.com/developmental-milestones-free/