At birth to six weeks of age, your child should be able to:
- Stare at his or her surroundings while awake
- Momentarily holds gaze on bright light(s) or bright object(s)
- Blink at a camera flash
- Move his or her eyes and head together occasionally
From eight weeks to 24 weeks, your child should be able to:
- Begin to move his/her eyes more widely with less head movement
- Begin to follow moving objects or people (eight – 12 weeks) with his or her eyes
- Watch your face when being talked to (10-12 weeks)
- Begin to watch his or her own hands (12-16 weeks)
- Be able to look at his or her hands, food, bottle while sitting (18-24 weeks)
- Start looking for and viewing more distant objects (20-28 weeks)
From 30 weeks to 48 weeks, you may see that your child:
- Turns his or her eyes inward while inspecting hands or toys (28-32 weeks)
- Watches activities around him or her for longer periods of time (30-36 weeks)
- Looks for toys he or she drops (32-38 weeks)
- Visually inspects toys he or she can hold (38-40 weeks)
- Sweeps his or her eyes around room to see what is happening (44-48 weeks)
- Visually responds to smiles and voice of others (40-48 weeks)
- Sees objects and people more consistently (46-52 weeks)
From 12 months to 18 months, you may notice that your child is:
- Using both hands and visually steering hand activity (12-14 months)
- Visually interested in simple pictures (14-16 months)
- Often holding objects very close to the eyes to inspect them (14-18 months)
- Pointing to objects or people using the words “look” or “see” (14-18 months)
- Looking for and identifying pictures in books (16-18 months)
From 24 months to 36 months, you may notice that your child:
- Occasionally visually inspects an object without needing to touch it (20-24 months)
- Smiles when he or she views favorite objects and people (20-24 months)
- Likes to watch movement of wheels, egg beater, etc. (24-28 months)
- Watches his or her own hand while scribbling (26-30 months)
- Visually explores and steers his or her own walking and climbing (30-36 months)
- Watches and imitates other children (30-36 months)
- “Reads” pictures in books (34-38 months)
From 40 months to 48 months, you may notice that your child:
- Brings his or her head and eyes close to a page of a book while inspecting the book (40-44 months)
- Draws and names circles and crosses on a piece of paper (40-44 months)
- Can close his or her eyes on request, and may be able to wink one eye (46-50 months)