Little Dreamers (Infants)

• An individualized environment which focuses on trust and personal bonding
• The introduction of sign language to facilitate early communication skills 
• Daily activities to encourage physical development
• Love, laughter and smiles!

A Guide To Infant Development

Here’s some of the specific achievements our staff are trained to look for and notify parents when met, along with the suggested age you might expect them to occur. Keep in mind that each infant develops at their own pace. Inability to meet these guidelines should not be considered a cause for concern:

Mobility

• Raising head and chest on stomach (3 months)
• Sitting without their head lagging (5 months)
• Transfering objects from one hand to another (6-7 months)
• Sitting without assistance (8-10 months)
• Crawling forward on belly (8-10 months)
• Getting from sitting to crawling (10-12 months)
• Walking two or three steps without support (10-12 months)

Visual Cues

• Following mobile objects (2 months)
• Watching faces intently (2-3 months)
• Tracking mobile objects with ease (4-7 months)
• Grasping for objects in front of them (5-6 months)
• Looking for fallen toys (5-7 months)

Language

• Responding by making sounds (4-6 months)
• Distinguishing emotions by tone of voice (4-7 months)
• Responding to simple verbal requests (4-6 months)
• Repeating syllables (5-7 months)
• Making simple physical gestures in response (8-10 months)
• Babbling specifically (e.g. "dada" or "mama") (8-10 months)

Cognitive

• Finding partially hidden objects (6-7 months)
• Exploring objects in different ways (8-10 months)
• Imitating gestures (9-12 months)
• Finding hidden objects easily (10-12 months)

Hearing and Speech

• Responding to sound (1-3 months)
• Smiling at the sound of voices (2-3 months)
• Cooing noises and vocal play (3 months)

Social/Emotional

• Beginning to smile socially (1-3 months)
• Enjoying play time (2-3 months)
• Interest in mirror images (5-7 months)
• Shyness around strangers (8-12 months)
• Showing preference for specific people or toys (8-12 months)