Your baby grows so much within the first year and every little movement is a big win! Exploring the pediatric developmental milestones will provide you with a guideline to monitor your baby’s development. So let’s take a look at the fine and gross motor developmental milestones your baby will experience in their first year of life!
Let’s start by reviewing the difference between fine and gross motor:
- Fine motor: The movement of small muscle groups (i.e. fingers, wrists and hands)
- Gross motor: The movement of large muscle groups (i.e. coordination of arms, legs, and torso)
Now let’s break these milestones down month by month:
1 month
Fine motor:
- Baby’s hands are fisted near their face
Gross motor:
- Baby will start to raise their chin when lying on their tummy
- They are able to turn their head when lying on their back
2 months
Fine motor:
- Baby can bring their hands to the middle of their body
- They will start to open their hands briefly
- You will see them holding their hands together too
Gross motor:
- Baby will start to lift their chest up when lying on their tummy
- Baby is now able to move both their arms and legs
- Their head will bob when you hold them in a sitting position
3 months
Fine motor:
- Baby will start to bring their hands to their mouth
- They will continue to open their hands more
- They will start to bat at objects near them
Gross motor:
- Baby will prop themselves up on their forearms when lying on their tummy
- You will see your baby start to roll on their side
4 months
Fine motor:
- Baby will begin reaching for objects
- They bring their hands and objects to their mouth
- Their hands will be open most of the time
Gross motor:
- Your baby can now hold their head steady without support
- They will start to roll from their tummy to their back
- You will see them push onto their elbows and forearms when lying on their tummy
5 months
Fine motor:
- Baby will grasp objects with their palm
- They can transfer objects from their hand to their mouth, and back
- They can reach and grab dangling rings
Gross motor:
- Baby can sit with your support at their pelvis
- Baby can now roll from their back to their tummy
- Your baby will develop the protective reflex to put their arms out front when falling
6 months
Fine motor:
- Baby will move objects from one hand to the other
- They can hold two objects simultaneously
- They will start to feed themselves easy foods (i.e. crackers)
Gross motor:
- Baby will bear weight through their hands when on their tummy
- They can sit unsupported for brief periods of time
- You will see them lean on their hands for support when sitting
7 months
Fine motor:
- Baby will start to grasp objects using the side of their palm near their thumb and their first few fingers on that side
Gross motor:
- Your baby will bounce when you hold them
- They can now sit steadily without support
- They develop the next protective reflex of putting their arms to the side when falling
8 months
Fine motor:
- Baby can bang a spoon after a demonstration
- They can hold their own bottle
- Baby will use a scissor grasp to pick up cubes
Gross motor:
- Baby can get into sitting by themselves
- They will start to use their arms to move themselves forward, but their legs and tummy will remain on the ground
- They can pull themselves into kneeling
9 months
Fine motor:
- Baby can now play with toys while sitting up
- They will use fingers to “rake” food towards them
- They will grasp with their thumb, index, and middle fingers
Gross motor:
- Baby will start to “stand” on feet and hands
- They can pull themselves to stand
- They will start to “bear” walk using all four limbs
10 months
Fine motor:
- Baby will have a clumsy release of cubes
- They will grasp objects with the pads of their thumb and index finger
- They can now use their index finger to point
Gross motor:
- Your baby will be cruising around holding on to furniture with both hands
- They can stand while you hold one of their hands
- They can now walk while you hold both of their hands
11 months
Fine motor:
- Your baby can now throw objects (watch out!)
- They can stir using a spoon
Gross motor:
- Baby will pivot while sitting
- They can now cruise around using one hand to hold on to furniture
- They can now walk while you hold one of their hands
12 months
Fine motor:
- Baby will grasp objects using the tips of their thumb and index finger
- They can finger feed themselves by pinching food with their thumb and index finger
- They can hold a crayon and scribble after a demonstration
Gross motor:
- Baby can now stand well with their legs apart and arms outstretched
- They develop the next protective reflex of putting their arms back when falling
- They are starting to take some steps independently
