Developmental Milestones Checklist

Use our simple Developmental Milestones Checklist to monitor your littlest patient's development in their first 12 months, with check-ins at 2, 4, 6, 9, and 12 months.

By Emma Hainsworth on Aug 2, 2025.

Fact Checked by RJ Gumban.

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What Is A Developmental Milestones Checklist?

New parents are often advised that the early months and years fly by in the blink of an eye, and looking in retrospect- it will often feel that way. However, a baby will undergo big changes in their first 12 months and every few months will bring new milestones for them.

Monitoring the progress of these developments is very important in ensuring they are developing properly, and that you can catch any early signs of developmental impairment early. While this brief checklist is not a substitute for the more comprehensive developmental screenings babies will have throughout their development, the first signs of any issues may be caught using this simple tool and, as is often the case, the earlier the intervention, the better.

To help monitor the development of the littlest patients in your practice, we have created a for their first 12 months. The items on this checklist are from the CDC Developmental Milestones Checklist but presented in a concise checklist format for use in short check-ups.

Developmental Milestones Checklist Template

Developmental Milestones Checklist PDF Template

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How To Use This Checklist For Developmental Milestones

To start using this Developmental Milestones Checklist in your practice, just follow these simple steps.

Step One: Download the Checklist

The first step is to get your hands on a physical or digital copy of this checklist. Our PDF version is fully interactive, so you can complete the checklist digitally, or print it out if you prefer. It is up to you whether you use one checklist for each of the baby’s visits with you, or use a new checklist each time- either way, only fill out the section that is applicable for the date of the baby’s visit with you.

Step Two: Fill out the Parent and Baby details

At the top of the form, don’t forget to add in the parent and baby’s details so you know where to store the checklist later.

Step Three: Complete the applicable section of the checklist

The checklist is divided into five sections: 2 months, 4 months, 6 months, 9 months, and 12 months. Depending on the baby’s age at the time of their visit, fill in the section that applies by discussing the baby’s development with their parent or caregiver present at the visit. Don’t forget to add the date and baby’s age to the section you are completing.

Step Four: Store the checklist securely

The last step is to store the completed checklist securely. It may be necessary to refer back to this checklist in the future should any issues arise in developmental screening, or others in the baby’s care team may also wish to have access to this document. As such, it is crucial you store this document somewhere secure but accessible.

Who Can Use this Printable Developmental Milestones Checklist (PDF)?

As this checklist is not a formal developmental screening tool, it can be used by any practitioner who wishes to monitor the developmental progress of their infant patients in their first twelve months. These practitioners may include:

Midwives and Nurse Midwives
Nurses or Nurse Practitioners
Early years practitioners
Community Health Workers

Additionally, physicians specializing in infant health and development may also find incorporating this checklist alongside other screening and monitoring tools useful. These specialists may include:

Obstetricians
Neonatologists
Family doctors.

Finally, this checklist provides a useful tool for new parents to monitor their baby’s development, however, if you do choose to provide this tool to a patient, ensure they understand that there is a wide range of what is considered normal in babys’ development and that they know how to contact you if they have any concerns.

Why Is This Form Useful For Nurse Midwives

Don’t Rely on Memory

Our checklist includes developmental milestones for each age so you don’t have to commit them all to memory! Having a checklist with you at your visit can improve your confidence in the advice you give your patients about their child’s development.

Use as Structure for Check-Up

While this checklist can’t replace the comprehensive developmental screening, it can be a great tool for check-ups and monitoring a baby’s development over time. You may also choose to use the checklist items as a structure for your conversation in your visit, working through each item and

One Checklist for all Under-12 Months

This checklist can be used right up until the baby turns one, and if you want to really save time- just use the same checklist at each visit, filling out each section as you go.

Benefits of our Developmental Milestones Checklist

Split into Months

Babies go through a whole lot of changes in just their first year. As such, we have kept these developmental milestones separated into two, four, six, nine, and twelve months sections designed to be completed as the baby reaches each of these ages.

Separate Milestones Categories

The CDC separates these milestones into four different categories which we have reproduced here. These are:

Social/Emotional
Language/Communication
Cognitive
Movement/Physical.

By preserving these categories, you can not only compare the infant’s development over time but also within each separate category.

Add the Date for Each Section

It’s important to note when each checklist was completed, as often you will not see an infant for their two-month checkup exactly two months after their birth. As such, we have included space for the date for each section of the checklist.

Simple and Clear Layout

We have kept this checklist simple, with just the developmental milestones included. This is perfect for when you have already provided your client with resources on normal baby development, and just want a quick tool to monitor the baby’s development over time.

Store Electronically

Another benefit of this template is that it can be kept completely digital, allowing you to improve your data security and the accessibility of the checklist for others in your patient’s care team.

Commonly asked questions

This developmental milestones checklist can be used at many different stages of a baby’s development. In terms of when you should fill in this checklist, we recommend filling it in at or immediately after a visit with your patient and their infant. This ensures you don’t forget any of the checklist items discussed.

Absolutely! However, as we have kept this a basic checklist tool, it’s important you ensure your patient understands that it is okay if their infant is not meeting all the developmental milestones at the set times as there is a wide range of what is considered normal development. Additionally, your patient should know who to contact should they have any concerns about their baby’s development.

The developmental milestones included in this checklist were created by the CDC (Center for Disease Control), a United States public health organization and part of the US government.