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Please turn on JavaScript and try again. Important Phone Numbers. Top of the page. Sensory and Motor Development, Ages 1 to 12 Months. Topic Overview Sensory and motor development is the gradual process by which a child gains use and coordination of the large muscles of the legs, trunk, and arms, and the smaller muscles of the hands.
Babies' motor development generally follows a typical pattern: At 1 month of age, babies' neck muscles are not developed enough to support their heads for prolonged periods of time. Babies can lift their heads only briefly when lying on their stomachs. Limb movements are influenced by newborn reflexes , such as the startle reflex, which makes a baby throw out his or her arms and spread the fingers in response to a loud noise or other sudden, unexpected stimulus.
By 6 weeks of age, newborn reflexes begin to fade and the baby's strength and coordination improve. By age 3 months, your baby can control his or her head movements. Put your baby on his or her tummy during awake periods and closely supervise.
Allowing your baby to exercise and move in this position helps develop head and neck muscles. Around 4 months of age, babies gain control and balance in their head, neck, and trunk. Most babies can balance their heads for short periods when in a stable position. Around this same age, your baby starts playing with his or her hands and grasps your finger on purpose, rather than as a reflex.
If you find that your baby's torticollis is not improving with stretching, talk to your doctor. Your baby may be a candidate for muscle-release surgery, a procedure that cures most cases of torticollis that don't improve. Larger text size Large text size Regular text size. What Is Infant Torticollis? What Causes Infant Torticollis? A baby with torticollis might: tilt the head in one direction this can be hard to notice in very young infants prefer looking at you over one shoulder instead of turning to follow you with his or her eyes if breastfed, have trouble breastfeeding on one side or prefers one breast only work hard to turn toward you and get frustrated when unable turn his or her head completely Some babies with torticollis develop a flat head positional plagiocephaly on one or both sides from lying in one direction all the time.
How Is Infant Torticollis Diagnosed? Your doctor will do an exam to see how far your baby can turn their head. How Is Infant Torticollis Treated? Helping Your Baby at Home Encourage your baby to turn the head in both directions. Here are some exercises to try: When your baby wants to eat, offer the bottle or your breast in a way that encourages your baby to turn away from the favored side. When putting your baby down to sleep, position them to face the wall.
Since babies prefer to look out onto the room, your baby will actively turn away from the wall and this will stretch the tightened muscles of the neck.
Remember — always put babies down to sleep on their back to help prevent SIDS. During play, draw your baby's attention with toys and sounds to make him or her turn in both directions. Don't Forget "Tummy Time" Laying your baby on the stomach for brief periods while awake known as " tummy time " is an important exercise. Here's how to do it: Lay your baby on your lap for tummy time. Position your baby so that his or her head is turned away from you. Then, talk or sing to your baby and encourage him or her to turn and face you.
When can baby hold her head up? By Christin Perry. Image: Shutterstock. Baby Head Control Milestones by Month. This position naturally lends itself to practicing baby head control in your 1—2 month old. Lay baby tummy-down on an activity mat and get on the floor next to your infant. Notice how baby lifts head and turns toward the sound of your voice when you talk to baby or share toys. Do this for two- to three-minute intervals and gradually increase the amount of time each week.
Try using an exercise ball as a variation on tummy time. Lay baby across an exercise ball and slowly roll it back and forth while keeping a hand on baby at all times, of course. Baby will enjoy the gentle motion, and it may even help with newborn gas pains too.
Lay baby on his or her back and gently pull baby up by the hands, hold for a second or two and lower baby to the ground. Always supervise this position. Sit baby upright in your lap as you play and read together. Holding baby facing outward or laid over your forearm can also help develop strong neck muscles. By this age, babies are becoming much more engaged with their surroundings.
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