Milestones in motor skill development
The pace of a baby’s development is influenced by temperament, muscle development and many other factors.
Some children start walking at just over six months, while others are unable to walk unaided until they are closer to a year and a half old. Both scenarios fall within the time frame of normal development.
- When lying on their back, the baby grabs themself by the toes.
- The baby practises rolling from a supine to a prone position using both sides.
- While lying on their stomach, the baby leans on their forearms and starts to practice moving around their belly button in both directions.
- The baby grabs objects with one hand.
- In the prone position, the baby learns the skills needed to crawl lying down and on all fours by supporting themself with straight arms, which allows the whole upper body to rise up off the floor.
- Gradually, the baby will learn to crawl lying down and eventually on all fours, thus becoming familiar with their surroundings.
- In a supported standing position, the baby supports their full weight on both feet for a moment.
- The prone position allows the baby to practise the skills that they need to be able to sit independently. However, when the baby is playing on the floor, there is no reason to lift them into the sitting position.
- Once the baby is able to raise their upper back and hold their head steady, you can start practising sitting in a high chair for a few minutes at a time. When the baby is feeding, you can support the sitting position with a towel roll on the baby’s lower back and tummy.
- Gradually, the baby’s sitting balance develops and they start to use a wide range of sitting positions while playing.
- Pay attention to the position in which your baby sits. Examples of good sitting positions include full sitting, in which the legs point straight ahead, and cross-legged sitting, in which the legs cross in front of the baby. The W position, in which the feet turn backwards from the knees to form the letter W, rotates the hips and slows the development of various sensory and motor skills.
- The baby learns to stand up on their knees against a support and to push up with one knee to a standing position.
- In a supported standing position, the baby plays and explores their surroundings and learns to drop back onto the floor from the standing position in a controlled manner.
- The baby first learns to take side steps against a support and then starts to practise walking forward, e.g. by pushing a push cart or a small chair. The baby’s need for support in the standing position steadily decreases, and eventually the baby learns to stand independently without support.
- Typically, a child will learn to walk independently by the age of 16 months, but they will continue to practise and strengthen their walking skills long after that.
Support your baby’s motor and sensory development
Give your baby plenty of time in your arms, but also enough time on the floor and on different surfaces to rest and move around. On the floor, the baby gets to work against gravity and discover new things in their surroundings. You can put a towel roll under the baby’s armpits to support them in the prone position.
Provide your child with toys of different shapes and materials to support their finger and sensory development. The surfaces of toys should have holes or recesses that the baby can explore.
You can get your baby moving by offering them balls and toys with wheels. When the toy rolls away, the baby reaches for it.
When the baby starts moving about, you can place obstacles on the floor, whereby the baby will have to challenge themself when practising crawling lying down and on all fours. Cardboard boxes, nappy packs and different types of pillows are interesting obstacles for the baby.
As your baby’s first birthday approaches, they will start to take an interest in the objects you use in everyday chores. Imitation and symbolic play are important for the baby. You can therefore offer simple household items like wooden ladles, whisks and small jars with lids, as toys.
If you have concerns about your baby’s development
Babies learn different motor skills at very different stages. For many skills, the typical timeframe can span several months, or even around half a year.
At the maternity and child health clinic, we will monitor your baby’s reflexes, senses and development of motor skills. You can also raise any concerns yourself during an appointment. We will provide advice on supporting your child’s development at home – babies usually only need everyday things to learn skills.
If necessary, we will refer your baby for further examinations or e.g. to see a physiotherapist at your local family centre, who will examine the situation in more detail and provide home exercises to support your baby’s sensory and muscle development.
