Waves bye bye on gesture
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 45–51). 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 infant waves their hand up and down or side to side to say goodbye when prompted by a word or gesture. This indicates an understanding of non-verbal, symbolic gestures and social routines. It is a key step in early social communication and physical imitation.
- 1. Gently guide the infant's hand in a waving motion during departures, pairing it with warm praise.
- 2. Read books about hello and goodbye, modeling the waving motion for the characters in the story.
- 1. Avoid departing without saying goodbye; structured farewell routines are key for teaching this social gesture.