Gross Motor development involves the larger, stronger muscle groups of the body. In early childhood, it is the development of these muscles that enable a baby to hold his/her head up, sit, crawl and eventually walk, run and skip.

Between the ages 3 – 6 months, your child should:

• Randomly move arms and legs
  
• Put hands near eyes and touch mouth
  
• Be able to lift his/her head up when on stomach
  
• Be able to put weight on arms when on stomach
  
• Move head from side to side while lying on back
  
• Hold head steady when held in sitting position
  
• Sit with little support at the waist
  
• Turn him/herself from back to side and tries to roll over
  
• Reach out for toys, using left or right hand and puts toys in mouth
  
• When on stomach, is able to keep head up, putting weight on arms and turn head from side to side
  
• Stand when held, bend knees and support weight with legs
  
• Touch knees and feet with hands when lying on back
  

Between the ages of 6 – 9 months, your child should:

• Start rolling back to front and visa versa
  
• Be able to sit by her/himself
  
• Be able to pivot and creep on stomach
  
• Start standing stiff legged while holding onto furniture
  

Between the ages of 9 – 12 months, your child should:

• Be able to crawl over and around objects
  
• Start to cruise around furniture
  
• Move from sitting to lying down
  
• Pull to stand while holding onto furniture
  
• Walk with 2 hands held
  

Red Flags for Gross Motor Development (0-12 months)

If you notice or are concerned about some of the following things about your baby, you may want to talk to your physician or another health professional.

• Baby’s head is flat
  
• Baby doesn’t turn his/her head to both sides
  
• Baby feels stiff
  
• Baby is not meeting developmental milestones
  
• Baby uses one side of his/her body more than the other
  
• Baby’s skills are regressing
  
• Something appears wrong with baby’s legs and/or feet
  

If you have concerns about your child, please feel free to contact us to speak to a professional. You can also make a referral to our program at anytime.