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Developmental Milestones: Caroline Can Catch!

I have been so behind lately, that I haven’t had time to record this pretty amazing milestone! Caroline can catch! I’ve been pretty impressed with her physical abilities. She’s not yet 2, and she has been able to jump and get both feet off of the ground for at least a couple of months now! I’ve written about her gymnastics class in the past, and she’s continuing to show her physical strength and just impress us all! She’s mastered the “bear crawl”, where she has to climb across a horizontal ladder. She does so with ease! She can hang on the bar and the rings for insane amounts of time, and she is simply put- very coordinated and very aware of her body and what it can do! She climbed up a ladder at the playground a few weeks ago as well. Month 23 really brought a lot of new skills for her!

So, it came as no surprise when I heard my husband yelling with delight when she caught a toy! She could just do it one day. It happened a few weeks ago, so Caroline was around 23 months old. We’d tried awhile back and the toy would just fall. She didn’t understand to put her arms out, yet. This time, she did, however, and she’s been catching ever since!

No, her butt is
not touching
the ground! 😉

I am always curious about developmental milestones and when they occur on average. The average means just that- it’s an average. Some children do these milestones prior to the average, and some after the average age. And, the reality is that there is no reason to worry if your child reaches these milestones slightly later, and there really isn’t any reason to jump for joy if they reach them sooner LOL! They just happen when they happen. With information readily at our hands, however, we all check in occasionally on when the milestones happen and silently compare our children to the averages…I’m guilty!

A few fun averages that I’ve round in my research:


– Can jump from the ground (28 months)
– Can undress (30 months)
– Can run smoothly (30 months)
– Can pedal a tricycle (3 years)
– Can catch a ball (3.5 years)
– Can self feed using a spoon/fork (3 years)

What’s good about having all of this information at our fingertips, is that we can catch developmental issues early, if we pay attention! The CDC has a great checklist by age. The reason I love this checklist is that it doesn’t just show the average age that your child should be reaching milestones. This checklist tells you what your child should be able to do at his/her age, and also highlights areas that may be of concern. It encourages you to “act early” and talk to your child’s doctor. It also appears to consider the full range of development, while bringing to light skills that, if not developed yet, may be insights to further testing that may be needed. Definitely take a look at this checklist for your go to guide so you don’t get overly concerned looking at averages elsewhere! I’ll admit, I still look at averages, but really just for fun!

According to the CDC’s checklist, at the age of 2 your child should be able to:

Physical movement:
Stands on tiptoe
Kicks a ball
Begins to run
Climbs onto and down from furniture without help
Walks up and down stairs holding on
Throws ball overhand
Makes or copies straight lines and circles

Language/Communication:
Points to things or pictures when they are named
Knows names of familiar people and body parts
Says sentences with 2 to 4 words
Follows simple instructions
Repeats words overheard in conversation
Points to things in a book

Click here to find the full checklist and read about even more skills including social/emotional, cognitive skills, and when to act early! For a more in depth version from the AAP, check out this link!

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