How your baby gets on the move

I like to move it, move it!

Your baby’s first year is all about getting up and active so he can investigate and explore all the interesting things he can see around him. It happens in a series of stages…

Heads up…

Being able to hold his head up is the basis for all your baby’s movement milestones. At around 1 month he can lift it up just a little when he’s lying on his tummy (tummy time is essential for your baby’s development but always supervise him when he’s lying on her on his front and don’t put him down to sleep like that) and by 2 months he may be able to hold it up for a few seconds when you hold him in a sitting position. By 5-6 months he should be able to hold it up without wobbling but until he’s stronger, do always support his head when you’re carrying him.

On a roll…

By 2-3 months, your baby may be able to roll partway onto his side so don’t leave him lying on a high surface, such as his changing table or your bed. At 4-5 months he may be able to roll from his front to his back and by 5-6 months he’ll be able to do it in reverse.

Not every baby crawls. Some skip that stage altogether and others scoot along on their bottoms – it’s thought scooting is more likely if you have hard floor surfaces, such as floorboards, in your home

Sitting pretty…

Your young baby’s back muscles aren’t strong enough to support his head, hence he’ll tend to slump in his baby car seat or swing. But he’s getting stronger all the time and by 5-6 months he should be able to sit with support from pillows or a baby nest. By 8 months he’ll be able to sit without support and change position too.

Front crawl…

Once your baby can sit up it’s not long before he’ll start flinging his body forward onto his hands (be on hand to kiss it better as there will be times when he pitches forward onto his face). Once he manages to get himself into the traditional crawling position it may take him a few days to figure out how to coordinate his arms and legs to get crawling – you may see him rocking back and forth as he tries to figure it out. Once he does he’s likely to spend a few days in reverse before he masters forward motion. Encourage him by placing a toy just out of reach. It’s time to break out the stairgate and babyproof your house!

Stand and deliver!

Crawling may get your baby from A to B but chances are a lot of what he has his beady eye on is still out of reach. And that’s just the incentive he needs to start pulling himself up on the furniture into a standing position, which should start to happen by around 10-12 months.

Ages given are a rough guide only. All babies develop at their own unique pace. If you have any concerns about your baby’s progress, talk to your pediatrician.

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