When do babies motor skills develop

Young babies like to look at faces. A parent's face is very expressive and possesses contrast which encourages babies to focus and use their visual skills. Position your face about 12" from your baby's face.

Sing, talk and make silly faces! Choosing color As babies get to be months old they begin to enjoy objects with increasing color. Three-month-olds often like "cool colors"- lemon yellow, sky blue and lime green. Six-month-olds are getting ready for brighter colors - hot pink, red and orange. Exposing your baby to different and enriching visual environments If you usually have an infant seat in the den, try other rooms so your baby can have different views.

Play mats with different textures and touch and feel books offer different tactile experiences. Tie short pieces of colored yarn to each of their fingers so they can see and feel them moving individually. Make sure the yarn is snug but not too tight. Poking holes is the best way to help your child learn to use each of their fingers independently, so invest in some clay and let them poke to their heart's content. Babies this age understand dozens of words, so ask your child to perform tasks that challenge their motor coordination and understanding of cause and effect, such as squeezing a squeaky toy.

By Cammie McGovern. Be the first to comment! No comments yet. Close this dialog window Add a comment. Add your comment Cancel Submit. Close this dialog window Review for. Back to story Comment on this project. Tell us what you think Thanks for adding your feedback. Download the Checklist. Changing head direction can help prevent positional plagiocephaly flat head and positional torticollis, by encouraging baby to move their head and strengthen both sides of their neck.

When baby faces different directions as they lay, they also vary the direction they turn their head in response to a noise such as a parent entering the room. This strengthens neck muscles more evenly on both sides, and changes the places where baby puts pressure on their head as they lay. Learn More. Learn more about some ways to keep them moving every day. Sign Up Today. Children outgrow many of the behaviors that can interrupt motor development. Some common ones to watch out for include:.

What do typical and atypical development look like? Remember to always closely supervise your baby while she's playing with pillows.

Encourage your baby to pick up bites of cereal or soft fruits or vegetables. Show her how to do it and praise every successful snack. If you're not sure what kinds of foods to use, the FeedingExpert team is available to answer your questions at Thanks, but I'll stick with paper for now. The password you used to register does not meet our updated Password Policy. Please click on Send Link to receive a secure link in your e-mail to reset password.

This link will expire in 30 minutes. How to help develop your baby's motor skills. Which activities support baby's motor skill development?