Foundations

Health and safety that support development.

Use these as conversation starters for well-child visits rather than as a checklist to pass. Your child's clinician should tailor all of it for prematurity, medical conditions, allergies, growth, feeding differences, and anything else specific to your family.

Why this page exists in a development guide.

Sleep, nutrition, vision, hearing, and safety are not a separate topic from development — they are the substrate. A child who cannot hear reliably cannot learn language on schedule. A child who never sleeps cannot consolidate what they learned that day. When a milestone looks delayed, the first useful question is often whether one of these foundations needs attention.

Six areas

What to raise, and when.

Each box is written to be read out loud in a 15-minute appointment. Bring the specific one that applies.

Sleep

For infants, use a firm, flat sleep surface and place baby on her back for every sleep — naps included.
Keep pillows, loose blankets, bumpers, wedges, and soft objects out of the infant sleep space. A fitted sheet and nothing else is the goal.
Use consistent, calming cues rather than expecting one perfect schedule. Sleep needs shift constantly in the first two years and a "regression" usually means a developmental leap, not a mistake.

Feeding

Start solids around 6 months when readiness signs are present; continue breast milk and/or formula as advised alongside them.
Seat and supervise children while eating, every time. Match texture and size to chewing skills, and cut round foods lengthwise.
Discuss allergens early with the pediatrician — sooner if there is severe eczema or a known food allergy. Deliberate introduction under guidance beats avoidance.

Movement & injury prevention

Prioritize supervised floor play and outdoor movement over any equipment. Containers delay the skills they claim to help.
Childproof before mobility arrives: stairs, furniture, cords, medicines, cleaning products, water, and anything small enough to swallow.
Use the correct car seat for her age and size, and keep her rear-facing as long as the seat allows — that is a safety decision, not a milestone one.

Teeth, hearing & vision

Begin brushing with the first tooth and establish a dental home by the first birthday.
Bring up squinting, an eye that turns, not responding to sound, or repeated ear concerns — hearing and vision are the most common quietly-missed causes of a language delay.
Keep well-child visits so screening, growth tracking, and immunizations stay on schedule.

Media & screens

Live interaction teaches more than passive viewing in the early years. This is the most consistent finding in the research.
If you use media, choose slow, age-fitting content and watch together when you can so you can narrate and respond.
Protect meals, play, and the hour before sleep from competing screens. Those three windows do most of the developmental work.

Body autonomy & safety

Use accurate names for body parts and teach that private parts are private. Correct terminology is a safety tool, not an awkward one.
Ask before tickling or physical play, and stop the instant she says stop — even when she is laughing.
Never require affection. Offer choices such as a wave, a high-five, or a hug, and let her decline any of them.

Bring these to the visit

Questions that get useful answers.

Vague questions get vague reassurance. Specific ones get a screening, a referral, or a concrete plan. Copy these into your phone before the appointment.

About milestones

“She is not doing this thing yet — can we do a developmental screening today?”
“She used to do this and stopped. What does that mean?”
“Should we use corrected age for her, given she was born early?”

About hearing & vision

“Can we check her hearing today? She does not always respond to her name.”
“I have noticed her eye turning sometimes. Should we see an eye doctor?”
“She has had three ear infections. Should that affect her speech?”

About feeding & growth

“Is she ready for solids, and how should we introduce allergens?”
“Mealtimes take an hour and end in tears. Is this a feeding problem or a phase?”
“Her growth curve changed direction. What are we watching for?”

About sleep & behavior

“She wakes five times a night at 14 months. What is normal and what should we change?”
“The tantrums last 40 minutes. Is that within range?”
“What does a screen-time limit actually look like at her age?”

You can call early intervention yourself.

In the U.S., under age 3, families can contact their state's early intervention program directly and request a free developmental evaluation — no referral from a doctor required. From age 3, services can begin through the local public school system. If you are told to "wait and see," you are still entitled to ask for the evaluation. The When to ask page walks through exactly how.