[FEEDING] Infancy Milestones

Begins bottle- or breast-feeding with total sucking pattern

BIRTH/37-40TH WEEK OF GESTATION

Uses mixture of suckling and sucking on bottle (dependent on head position)

BIRTH/37-40TH WEEK OF GESTATION

Possesses incomplete lip closure

BIRTH/37-40TH WEEK OF GESTATION

Is unable to release nipple

BIRTH/37-40TH WEEK OF GESTATION

May lose coordination of sucking-swallowing-breathing pattern with increased head movements

1-2 MONTHS

Opens mouth and waits for food

1-2 MONTHS

Has better lip closure

1-2 MONTHS

Uses active lip movement when sucking

1-2 MONTHS

Anticipates feeding; recognizes bottle and readies mouth for nipple

3-5 MONTHS

Demonstrates voluntary control of mouth during bottle-feeding or breast-feeding

3-5 MONTHS

Loses liquid from lip corners

3-5 MONTHS

Is able to receive solid food from a spoon at 5 months

3-5 MONTHS

Uses suckling during spoon feeding; gags on new textures

3-5 MONTHS

Shows tongue reversal after spoon is removed

3-5 MONTHS

Ejects food involuntarily

3-5 MONTHS

Sucks from bottle or breast with no liquid loss and long sequences of coordinated sucking-swallowing-breathing

6 MONTHS

Suckles liquid from a cup with liquid loss

6 MONTHS

Coughs and chokes when drinking too much liquid from cup

6 MONTHS

Moves upper lip down to scrape food from spoon and uses suckling with some sucking to move food back

6 MONTHS

Gags on new textures

6 MONTHS

Opens mouth when spoon approaches

6 MONTHS

Uses phasic up-and-down jaw movements, suckling, or sucking when presented with solids

6 MONTHS

Moves tongue laterally when solids placed on side biting surfaces

6 MONTHS

Begins finger feeding

6 MONTHS

Plays with spoon

6 MONTHS

Suckles liquid in cup; loses liquid when cup is removed

7-9 MONTHS

Takes fewer sucks and suckles before pulling away from cup to breathe

7-9 MONTHS

Independently holds bottle

7-9 MONTHS

Feeds self cracker using fingers

7-9 MONTHS

Holds jaw closed on soft solids to break off pieces

7-9 MONTHS

Uses variable up-and-down movement while chewing; moves tongue laterally and jaw diagonally when solids placed on biting surfaces

7-9 MONTHS

Assists with cup and spoon feeding

7-9 MONTHS

Easily closes lips on spoon; uses upper and lower lips to remove food from spoon

10-12 MONTHS

Uses controlled, sustained biting motion on soft cookies or crackers

10-12 MONTHS

Chews with mixture of up-and-down and diagonal rotary movements

10-12 MONTHS

Feeds self independently using fingers

10-12 MONTHS

Likes to feed self but needs assistance with using spoon; inverts spoon before putting in mouth

10-12 MONTHS

Uses an up-and-down sucking pattern to obtain liquid from a cup

13-18 MONTHS

Shows well-coordinated rotary chewing movements by 18 months

13-18 MONTHS

Has well controlled and sustained biting movements

13-18 MONTHS

Practices self-feeding; becomes neater

13-18 MONTHS

Holds cup and puts cup down without spilling liquid

13-18 MONTHS

Efficiently drinks from cup

19-24 MONTHS

Has well graded and sustained bite

19-24 MONTHS