Points to show interesting sight
Typical Timing & Development Window
Visual Timeline & Milestone Benchmarks
What these numbers mean
The average age babies first begin showing early signs of this skill. Before this, it's simply too early — there's nothing to worry about.
The midpoint age: half of babies have reached this milestone by here, half a little later. It's a typical target, not a deadline.
How spread out the timing is. About two-thirds of babies achieve it within one standard deviation of the median (the shaded band, wk 59–69). Wide bands mean a normal range of variation.
A gentle check-in point. If your baby hasn't shown this by around here, it can be worth mentioning to your pediatrician — most often it's still perfectly fine, just later.
About this milestone
The toddler points their index finger at an interesting object or event (such as a dog walking by or a plane in the sky) to share the experience with a caregiver. This is known as protodeclarative pointing, indicating a major milestone in joint attention and social connection. It shows they want to share their curiosity and connect with you over a shared interest.
- 1. Look immediately where the toddler points, and respond with enthusiasm to share their interest ('Look at that big dog!').
- 2. Model this behavior by pointing to interesting things you see, encouraging them to look and share the sight with you.
- 3. Ask simple, open-ended questions about what they pointed to ('What is that dog doing?').
- 4. Point to pictures in a book, letting them follow your finger and share in the story.
- 1. Avoid ignoring the child's attempts to share interest; follow their pointing and respond.