Gross Motor Skills in Infants

Significance

• Along with other forms of developmental milestones, gross-motor-skill milestones help to tell parents that a baby is progressing normally. Gross motor skills--how an infant uses his larger muscles--include such activities as head control, sitting, crawling and walking. For a baby, mastering these gross motor skills means getting further from the ground and closer to walking independently.

The First Six Months

• During the first six months of life, expect big changes in your baby. As a newborn, you can expect your baby to lie flexed, barely lift his head and occasionally twitch his muscles. During the second and third month, baby's limbs begin to relax--first partway, then all of the way--and he can start to lift his head. By the end of the third month, a baby can roll from his back to his side. In the fourth and fifth months, babies can sit supported and roll from tummy to side. Expect your baby to assume a push-up position and try to reach for his toes by the end of the fifth month. In the sixth month, a baby may begin to sit by himself and in a high chair. The 6-month-old baby also can dig his toes into the ground to propel himself forward.

Six Months to a Year

• When a baby is 6 to 9 months old, expect him to sit completely erect and unsupported, crawl on his hands and knees, pull herself up to a standing position and pivot in a circle. From nine to 12 months, a baby will master crawling and can go from crawling to sitting. She will scale and climb furniture. In addition, she can crawl up the stairs, but not down. Expect the 12-month-old baby to stand without assistance and to take her first solo steps.

Expert Insight

• According to Dr. William Sears, author of "The Baby Book," when a child masters certain gross-motor-skill milestones is not nearly as important as moving through a progressive sequence of milestones. A baby will progress from sitting up, to pulling up, to standing up to walking; however, he may do these things at a different rate than other babies.

Considerations

• Expect some developmental milestones to come to a halt if your baby has a prolonged cold or illness. During this time, an infant uses all of his energy to heal and stay well. Sears says that after an illness, expect a baby to catch up quickly and make up for lost time.