During the first 18 months of their lives, babies are on the move, from wriggling on the changing mat to rolling, crawling, and eventually walking.

They go from being helpless to little people on the move. Research has shown that babies can move between 1km and 3km in a single day!

movement milestones

Dr Melodie de Jager, the founder of BabyGym, says: “The motor milestones are viewed as beacons of progress that enable the brain, heart and body to function properly. The quality of a baby’s development during these early months determines the quality of their emotional, social and intellectual development going forward. But remember, each baby is unique and develops at their own pace.”

She provides guidelines for when babies should reach each milestone, some of the motor skills they will need and activities you can do to help get your baby on the move.

Suckling

When: from birth

What happens:

• Babies learn to open and close their mouths and lips and breathe simultaneously, and cuddle up to mom.
• Due to their startle responses, babies have a rooting reflex when touched near the mouth.

If baby needs help: “Gently simulate contractions around the crown of the head by rhythmically and gently applying and releasing pressure before or during a feed,” advises Dr de Jager.

Rolling

When: 4–6 months

What happens:

• Babies need lots of tummy time, while stretching their bodies, waving their arms and kicking their legs.
• They develop some head control, push up on their arms and arch their back so they can roll from stomach to back.
• By 7–9 months, babies will develop stronger muscles and can roll from their back to their stomach.

If baby needs help: develop the core stomach muscles by lying them on your lap and smoothly pulling them into a sitting position. They will gradually start doing some of the work themself.

 Sitting and grasping

When: 4–6 months

What happens:

• Babies can gauge the space around them and reach for objects. As they gain head control, muscle tone and balance, babies can start sitting with support.
• At 7–9 months, they can grasp objects and maybe hold their own bottle. As they gain more balance and muscle tone, they can sit unassisted.
• Between 10–12 months, babies will learn to separate their thumb from their other fingers to pick up small objects and transfer them between their hands. They start learning to use a spoon or fork. They can also sit indefinitely and rotate.

If baby needs help: aid sitting by giving them plenty of rug time for rolling over, which will encourage them to support themselves on their forearms. For grasping, massage their hands and give them tummy time so they can place weight on their hands.

 Crawling

When: 10–12 months

What happens:

• Babies learn to push their heads and shoulders, then their hips and bums and then their whole body, off the floor. Forward and backward, rocking on all fours, also develops balance.
• Babies usually start by using their arms more than their legs and may go backwards or in circles before figuring out how to move forward.
• They develop cross-crawling (moving one arm and the opposite leg), and start pulling themselves up on objects or furniture.

If baby needs help: place a rectangular towel on the floor and put them on their tummy on the towel, with the ends sticking out on either side. Pull the ends upwards to encourage them to rise on all fours. Gently rock them back and forth.

Walking

When: 11–18 months

What happens:

• Over and above muscle development, babies will need a good grasp to start pulling up on objects. Dr de Jager notes that this is a complicated process, and only 60% dxcof babies walk by their first birthday.
• Babies start by cruising along, using the furniture to steady themselves. They may need some support and encouragement at first.
• They are then able to stand and eventually walk without help.
• Soon they can walk backwards and sideways, and then run and jump.

If baby needs help: place them in a kneeling position in front of a low, sturdy object. Raise their knee, keeping it straight above the ankle, and place their foot flat on the floor. Gently lift them so the weight shifts to the foot and slowly raise them to an upright position. Repeat a few times every day.

Read more about tummy time and floor time.

tips to get your baby on the move

• It is important for babies to reach and learn each milestone. De Jager explains that these milestones are like the foundation of a house. If a milestone is missed, developmental cracks may appear. “Preventing a developmental crack is wiser and far easier than fixing a crack.”
• When it comes to reaching milestones, “earlier is not better”, says Dr de Jager. “Earlier means less movement repetitions per milestone, meaning that the cement doesn’t quite dry before the next row of developmental bricks are stacked”.
• Don’t worry if your baby is late in reaching a milestone, but be alert. If they are late by more than a month, visit a therapist or doctor who is trained in assisting the development of babies.
• Most babies should have no problem reaching their milestones in sequence and within the general time frame. However, if there were some difficulties during pregnancy or in the first few months, then do activities that can help you “jump-start baby’s motor development”, says Dr de Jager.
• Ensure your home environment is safe for a developing and busy baby.

Find out how to choose the right shoe when baby starts walking.

movement and development

Visual perception

Babies are stimulated by sensory information in their environment and want to explore the world around them through touch, taste, smell and visual stimulation. As they explore and move, they build the visual perception skills needed for starting school.

Visual perception is all about brain processing: what they see, make sense of it, and then respond with adequate action and movement. Movement facilitates babies’ awareness and their orientation in space. Moving and playing indoors and outdoors will help babies learn how to focus, track moving objects and locate objects, boosting their visual perceptual skills. When children start going to school, their orientation in space and hand-eye co-ordination becomes the foundation for learning how to read and write.

Encouraging movement

Providing a sensory-stimulating environment encourages babies to explore using their senses. Use toys with different textures, colours, lights and varying heights. Schedule floor and tummy time to encourage free play and movement.

Here’s how:

• Place your baby on the floor in an open area with their sensory stimulating toys scattered around to facilitate reach and pursuit. You can even place a large mirror in front of them so they can see their own reflection and movements.
• Provide manual handling and guidance of movement. During tummy time, encourage your baby to lift their head to strengthen their neck and shoulder muscles by dangling a toy slightly above their head. Your baby will lift their head and attempt to bear the weight on their arms.
• Stimulate rolling by rolling your baby from lying on their tummy to lying on their side in a swinging action. This integrates memory of movement and builds postural control.

A baby on the move is a happy and developing one. To encourage movement, ensure they are comfortable by choosing the right nappy with the right fit for them.