When Do Babies Notice Their Feet & Toes?

Significance

• As your baby's physical coordination becomes more refined -- typically from 4 to 7 months -- he'll become captivated when he comes across parts of his little body that he didn't know existed. During those months, your little one should learn to grab onto his feet and toes and lift them to his mouth, according to HealthyChildren. You may even catch your baby sucking on his newfound feet.

Function

• Your infant will soon begin to understand that her toes and feet have much more value than merely something to grasp or stick in her mouth. For example, when you set your baby's feet on the floor it won't take long for her to figure out that her feet and legs help her bounce up and down or crawl. At around 8 to 12 months your baby will discover that she needs her feet and toes to lift up to a standing position.

Progress

• Bouncing, crawling and standing have strengthened your infant's leg muscles. The next "footstep" is typically "cruising" or practicing walking by holding onto your hands or an object -- such as a coffee table -- for support. Before long, your baby will have the dexterity and confidence to use his feet to walk on his own. Once your newbie walker gets into the swing of things he may start to walk backward, balance on one foot, stand on his tiptoes and eventually take off running, explains ZerotoThree, a website published by the National Center for Infants, Toddlers and Families.

Considerations

• It's not uncommon for babies to be born with flat feet, notes HealthyChildren. Excess flexibility in an infant's joints and bones cause feet to flatten when standing. Flat feet are usually a thing of the past by the time a child is school-age, as her arches develop and her feet lose some of their flexibility. Talk to your baby's physician if she has foot pain, sores on the inner foot, foot stiffness, is only able to walk in a side-to-side motion or has restricted up-and-down ankle movement.