Physical milestones

There are key developmental milestones that each child goes through during his first year, including sitting, crawling and shuffling.

• All milestones are reached in the same order and your baby will not usually go on to another milestone before the previous one has been mastered.
• The rate of development is rarely constant. It goes through periods where it is very fast (growth spurts) and it may then slow right down. So, while development is continuous, many children can take huge steps forward in a developmental spurt, and then slow down for a while.
• A primitive reflex or movement has to be lost before a baby can acquire a particular skill. For example, your baby has to lose the primitive grasp reflex before he can acquire the skill to grasp an object purposefully.
• Development always proceeds from head to toe. The first milestone to be reached is control of the head; control of the body then progresses downwards to the arms, then to the trunk and finally to the legs.
• When your baby is very young his movements are usually jerky. As he gets older the movements become smoother and more precise.
• A generalized activity very often makes way for a specific activity, so your baby at six months old may be making apparently purposeless leg movements that resemble walking, although they are quite different from the movements that your one-year-old child will actually make when he does start to walk.
• Development is measured not only in terms of what is done but how it is done. In other words, as your baby develops so do his skills.
• The brain and the nervous system control movement and co-ordination so your baby can only reach the milestones when the brain is ready. For instance, your baby will only learn to pick up a small object between his fingers and thumb when the nerve connections to the finger and thumb are fully developed.
• When a new skill is being mastered your baby may appear to lose a previously learned skill. This is simply because he is concentrating on the new one. As soon as it is mastered the old ones will reappear again.
• Milestones can be affected by your child's personality. Independent, determined children nearly always try out and practise new movements more than others so it's not surprising that they master them earlier. A friendly, outgoing child often has a strong desire to communicate with others and may develop speech earlier than other children. You can encourage both of these characteristics in your child by the way you behave towards him (see Speech).

The sitting milestone

Bear in mind that before your baby is able to sit up he has to develop sufficient strength in his neck, shoulders and trunk so that he can control his head and keep his torso steadily upright. He also has to learn how to balance himself so that he doesn't topple over every time he tries to pick something up or twist around to see what's behind him; most babies don't achieve this skill before the age of about eight or nine months.

Helping your baby to sit up

• From the age of about two months you can help your baby to learn to sit up by supporting his tummy and shoulders and by talking to him so that he momentarily tries to raise his head to look at you.

• By the time your baby is three months old he'll be able to control head, neck and shoulders but his back needs support because it's still rounded.

• At four months he'll be able to hold his head, neck and most of his back straight and all you'll have to do is hold on to his arms to keep his bottom steady and stop him bending too much at the hips.

Propping your baby up

From as early as six weeks you should include your baby in what's going on by propping him up with cushions in his pram or in a bouncing chair. With all of my children I found the bouncing chair the best way of propping them up. The chair is soft and so it moulds to the baby's rounded shape; it can be safely padded with soft pillows and cushions. But the baby must be strapped into it to prevent him slipping and his head must be supported with a cushion or pillow. Because the chair is so springy it responds to any arm movements and kicking and so your baby is encouraged to try to make things happen for himself. Never put a bouncing chair on a table or other raised surface in case your baby's movements “bounce” it off.

Safety tips when propping your baby up

• At about five to six months old most babies learn to roll over from their back to their sides and then from their front on to their back. Once your baby acquires this skill he must never be left lying anywhere except on the floor, in a space that you've cleared of all hard or sharp objects. You should never leave your baby alone anywhere.

• When your baby is propped up, surround him with cushions. By the age of six months, when only his lower back needs support, he should still be padded round the bottom with cushions.

• Never leave him propped up on a chair or bed - he should always be on the floor.

• At about seven months old, when your baby starts to sit up, but topples over many times while attempting to do so, you must surround him with cushions or pillows so that he comes to no harm.

• Beware of leaving lightweight cots, chairs or prams within his reach. Your baby could easily pull the whole lot over by grabbing on to a side of something unstable when he attempts to pull himself upright.

The crawling milestone

Before your baby can crawl he has to be able to get into the right position. He has to be able to straighten his body so that his legs are outstretched. He has to learn adequate control of his head and neck. He has to have the strength to push up on both of his arms so that his chest and head are clear of the floor.

It's difficult to specify at exactly what age a baby will start to crawl, so you should see the times on Milestones: birth to 6 months as stages more than ages. What's more, you shouldn't worry if your baby shows no interest in crawling. Some babies hate lying on their tummies and they are usually the ones who love seeing what's going on around them. They will probably leave crawling to a later stage; indeed, some babies never learn to crawl at all, but still go on to walk perfectly.

Helping your baby to crawl

While I am very much against teaching your baby to make orthodox crawling movements, you can encourage him to start moving forward from a lying or sitting position:

• The best possible way is for you to sit a few feet from your baby and to encourage him to come towards you, possibly using one of his favourite toys as an enticement.


• Help your baby whenever you think he needs it, particularly if he's getting tired and frustrated because his efforts are unsuccessful, and make sure that you always praise any efforts that he makes.


• As he becomes more adventurous you can help by placing a toy just out of reach so that he has to use all his own resources, including his determination, to get hold of it.

• Babies learn by mimicry from a very early age so once he starts trying to crawl it's not a bad idea for you to get down on the floor yourself and crawl as well.


• Slippery floors, although usually dangerous, can be encouraging for crawling babies because even the slightest movement is rewarded with forward motion.

The shuffling milestone

To move forwards your baby has to co-ordinate hand movements and knee movements, but initially he may find this difficult and may devise a unique shuffling movement to propel himself forwards and backwards. This can be anything from a sideways crab-like movement to a kind of shuffling on his bottom with one leg tucked underneath for leverage. It doesn't matter what kind of manoeuvre your baby works out - all are acceptable. The important thing is that he's mastered the art of moving; it's a great achievement and he should receive a lot of praise for doing so. Don't discourage your baby from any odd movements he makes, but rather let him discover how to control and move his body in his own particular way.

The crawling baby

Once a baby has learned the knack of crawling (or shuffling) he can pick up speed very quickly so he needs to be watched constantly. He'll also need a lot of room so that he can move about to the full extent of his capabilities. For this reason, and to encourage your child to be as curious and adventurous as possible, try to give him plenty of clear floor space. Your crawling baby is getting stronger every day so beware of anything that's rickety or fragile because he'll break it very quickly.

Your baby will also get much dirtier now, and will put any object he finds on the floor straight into his mouth so make sure that he doesn't go near pets' feeding bowls or rubbish bins. Your baby's knees will take quite a bashing so put him into overalls or trousers and try to ensure that the floor is very smooth or covered with something soft to prevent grazing; your baby doesn't need shoes and should go shoeless until he's walking.

Safety tips

• Never leave your baby alone.

• Remove furniture with sharp edges and corners.

• Remove anything breakable from a surface that is less than 1m (3ft) from the floor.

• Don't leave wires trailing across the floor.

• Cover electric points with safety plugs.

• Make sure that there are no electric switches less than 1m (3ft) from the floor.

• Put safety gates across doorways and at the bottom of the stairs.

• Try to keep the floor clear of small, sharp toys.

• Make sure all fires are guarded.

• Don't leave any cloths hanging from tables that a baby could reach up and pull.

• Make sure that all furniture and fixtures are sturdy and safely attached to the wall.

• Never leave anything hot on the table in the same room as your baby.

• Make sure that stair banisters are too narrow for a small child to squeeze through.

• Make sure that all cupboard doors are closed firmly and that the handles are out of a crawling baby's reach; if they aren't, lock them or seal them with masking tape.

• Make sure that all containers of poisonous substances are locked away or out of reach.

Dr Miriam Stoppard

New Babycare
Copyright © 2009 Dorling Kindersley
Text copyright © 2009 Miriam Stoppard

Posted 03.11.2010

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