Twin Developmental Milestones
7 to 12 months
7 Months Old
- Likes to play peek-a-boo
- Sits without support
- Using voice to express emotion like happiness and frustration
- Can feed themselves with finger food
- Drags toys towards themselves
- Starting to crawl
- Starts to wave good-bye
- Response to their own name
- Passes toy from one hand to the other
- Is imitating many sounds now
- Vision is fully developed seeing colors and from a greater distance
- Has some interest in mirrors
8 Months Old
- Says mama or dada but not necessarily to the right parent
- Crawls
- Learning to stand with support
- May start pointing at objects
- Sucking and chewing on toys
- Turns head away when they have had enough food
- Is hopefully sleeping through the night
- Talks with babbles
- Dropping objects and pushing things of the high chair, testing gravity
- Has some or slight anxiety around strangers and when removed from a parent
9 Months Old
- Looks for toys they have dropped
- Forming word like sounds
- Picks up tiny things using the thumb and finger, the pincer grasp
- Has fun making lots of noise by banging objects together
- Goes from tummy to sitting position
- Beginning to recognize themselves in a mirror
- Wants to grab the spoon during meal times
- Stands while holding onto something and may start moving around the furniture
- Drinks from a sippy cup
10 Months Old
- Starting to understand the concept of object permanence. Playing peek-a-boo can help babies learn this idea of – just because you can’t see it doesn’t mean it’s not there
- Pulls to stand up
- Understands the word ‘No’
- Is now saying mama or dada to the right parent
- Points and uses gestures to indicate wants
11 Months Old
- Claps hands
- Interacts when sung to
- Stoops from a standing position
- Stands unassisted for a couple seconds
- Understands simple sentences and instructions like – come to mama
12 Months Old
- Learns one word besides mama and dada
- Uses exclamations like ‘oh-oh’
- Using more gestures like shaking head for no
- Helps you to dress them by extending arms and legs
- Finds hidden items
- Begins to use items correctly like brushing hair
- Recognize pictures that are named to them
- Posting – Puts objects into containers and takes them out again
- Loves opening and closing cupboard doors
- Possibly walking but can crawl really well
- Has fun dancing to music
- Understands simple instructions
- May have a favorite toy
- Pulls off hats and socks and unsuccessfully tries to remove clothing
- Will reject an item and push it away
- Can let an item go at will
- Likes books and trying to turn pages
- Starting to learn the concept of sharing
- Can recognize themselves in the mirror
- May start testing what they can get away with
- If walking they will explore and start climbing
It is important to understand that twins may not reach their twin baby milestones exactly as per the above development milestones, and that is also fine as there are a number of factors at play, but generally full term twins meet the milestones as above.
If you are at all concerned about the development of your children, or if you think your baby is considerably lagging behind in one or more developmental stages, then speak to your pediatrician and recommendations will be made from there.