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Suffolk Center for Speech

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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/

by Suffolk Center for Speech | with 0 Comments

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