How Your Baby’s Gross Motor Skills Should Develop

Gross motor development is a critical part of your baby’s early growth. It lays the foundation for everything from crawling and walking to running, jumping, and even fine motor skills like writing or feeding.

My name is Poonam, I’m an occupational therapist at Joy and Laughter Developmental Therapy. Today, we’re going to talk about how your baby’s gross motor skills should develop.

What Are Gross Motor Skills?

Gross motor skills involve your large muscles that help you to do different activities like running, walking, crawling, and jumping. Comparatively, fine motor skills involve your smaller muscles (typically your hand muscles), which help you in different activities like eating, buttoning, writing, zipping, and many more.

In order for fine motor skills to develop, we first need to work on strengthening our larger muscles, our core muscles, our balance, our posture, and our coordination.

What Key Movement Skills Should Your Baby Develop?

As a baby is born, they develop their gross motor skills right from birth. Human beings are the only mammals who cannot walk, run, nor swim as soon as they are born. So, there is a hierarchical order of development that children have to go through.

From Birth to 2 Months: Head Holding

The first milestone is head holding. When babies are born, they need to learn to hold their head, especially once they start doing tummy time and rolling over. This happens between birth to two months.

3 to 6 Months: Rolling Over

The next stage is learning to lie on the tummy and roll over from side to side. Babies typically start rolling from left to right and right to left between 3 and 6 months.

6 to 9 Months: Sitting

Then babies learn to sit up. They first learn to sit with support. They could be supported against a ball, against a pillow, against the wall, against mom or dad if they’re sitting on their lap. And then they start learning to sit unsupported. And that happens within six to nine months.

By the end of 8 to 9 months, baby should be sitting independently; and that’s why the milestones spread out across months, because they have started to learn that skill and then they slowly master that skill.

8 to 10 Months: Crawling

Crawling is a major milestone. It helps build the arches of the hands, shoulder stability, and core strength. It’s like a mini push-up where the baby supports themselves on all fours without falling.

And it’s a great stage for them because all this time, they were just laying on their back or laying on their tummy or sitting in one place, but now they get to move around. It’s the most fun stage for them.

10 to 18 Months: Standing and Walking

All this time, your baby was sitting or crawling; but now they get to stand and look at their environment all around them. Now they’re standing tall, and that’s such a great thing for them. They start standing with support, such as holding a chair or holding onto the couch, because their muscles are still developing. Their muscles are still getting strong, they’re learning to put weight on their feet, which they hadn’t done for all these months.

Soon after, they’re going to start standing without support. Then they learn to sit down safely, either by landing on their bum or by kneeling down.

Walking develops between the ages of 10 to 18 months. And again, kids learn walking sideways first, where they will hold on to furniture and start walking side to side. Then they will start walking while holding your hands. Then they start walking holding one hand, and then they’re walking without any support and then they start running.

Why It’s Important Not to Skip Milestones

Sometimes children skip crawling and go straight to walking—but we still encourage them to crawl. Crawling is important for developing:

Bilateral coordination (using both sides of the body together)
Weight-bearing on hands and knees
Body awareness (understanding where their body is in space)
Balance and upright control
Hand development, including strengthening the arches and stabilizing the shoulders

All of this supports future fine motor skills, like handwriting and self-care tasks.

Don’t Rush the Process

Sometimes we push our kids hard to develop all these gross motor skills as fast as possible, but we really need to give them time to master those skills. Learning a skill is different from mastering a skill. Yes, you can hold your kids when they are just sitting and try to help them walk and be like, yay, my kid is walking with support.

But is your child really ready for that? Has your child developed their leg muscles strong enough to bear weight, to stand upright? Or are they using compensatory techniques by using other muscles, like having their knees really hyper extended so they can stand? And it’s not a good thing to put all that pressure on your child because the muscles are not fully developed. They could end up having a fear of standing or falling, and they might try to avoid that skill.

Sometimes we may give a child a walker to learn to walk, but that could also lead to poor core strength and poor body coordination.

How We Evaluate Gross Motor Development

At JLD, we have physical therapists who do standardized tests like the Peabody Developmental Motor Scales to evaluate their gross motor skills and help the children achieve those age appropriate skills.

Peabody is used for kids from birth to 5 years and 11 months; and when they pass that age, we have other standardized tests for higher age groups. But right now, since we’re talking about babies from birth to one year, this is the most commonly used test by PTs and OTs for gross motor skills and fine motor skills.

What Babies Really Need to Grow

More than anything, babies need:

Floor time and tummy time
Opportunities to explore their environment
A consistent daily routine (including naps and meals)
Interaction with parents, grandparents, and siblings
A healthy diet
Adults who model movement, play, and behavior

What they don’t need is constant screen time. In fact, we recommend no screen time for children under 2 years old. Instead, focus on real-life engagement, play, and sensory experiences.

Contact JLD Therapy for Personalized Support

I hope this helps you. If you have any other questions, give us a call, email us, check our blog, our website. Thank you so much for your time. Have a great day. Bye.

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Schedule an Evaluation with Our Experts Today

Ready to get started? Our expert pediatric therapists are ready to help your child overcome their challenges so they can experience life full of joy and laughter. All you have to do is reach out, and we’ll get started with play-based therapy that works.

Give us a call at (408) 337-2727 or fill out the contact form below to schedule an evaluation with our team, and let’s make childhood fun again!

Ms. Jennifer
OTR, Founder and Executive Director

Jennifer received her Master’s Degree in occupational therapy from San Jose State University, after double majoring in occupational therapy and psychology for her undergraduate program. Jennifer has been working with special needs children since 2005 both as a therapist and as a respite care worker. She has experience in working with children across the developmental spectrum and from 1-22 years of age. While Autism has been her primary area of practice she also has hands-on experience in working with children with down’s syndrome, cerebral palsy, epilepsy, Tourette’s, Dyslexia, ADD/ADHA, sensory processing disorders, mental retardation, and other developmental delays.

Outside of work Jennifer enjoys camping, hiking, cake decorating, outdoor adventures, and spending time with her family.

Languages: English, Spanish, American Sign Language (ASL)

Specialty Areas: Autism, Feeding, Swallowing, and Pediatrics Advanced Certifications: Physical Agent Modalities (PAM), Swallowing (SWC), SPD Pro 1 Certification

Certifications & Continuing Education Jennifer has participated in that are often highly sought after by clients and mentees. Handwriting Without Tears (HWT): Is a nationally recognized handwriting program that helps children gain the skills needed for both print and cursive writing. HWT draws from years of experience and research which helps provide developmentally appropriate, multi-sensory tools and strategies to help children learn the skills for handwriting. Children are taught handwriting skills using interactive materials and activities that help promote the skills needed for handwriting. Visit https://www.lwtears.com/ for more information.

Jennifer has received level 1 certification in this program. Sequential Oral Sensory (SOS) Feeding Solutions: A feeding program that incorporates the principles and practices from multiple disciplines including psychology, pediatrics, occupational therapy, dietetics, and speech-language pathology. The SOS program incorporates sensory, motor, oral, behavioral, learning, medical, and nutritional factors to create a comprehensive program for each child. The SOS program has over 20 years of success for helping infants, children and adolescents learn to eat. For more information visit https://sosapproachtofeeding.com/sos-certification/.

Jennifer has taken beginning and advanced course work in this approach.SCERTS Model: The SCERTS model is a research-based multidisciplinary framework that helps to address many of the problems faced by a person with ASD. The SCERTS model aims to build a child’s skills in “Social Communication”, Emotional Regulation”, and “Transactional Support”. The SCERTS model aims to help children learn and spontaneously react in a variety of settings. To learn more visit their website. The Son-Rise Program for Autism: The Son-Rise program teaches a specific and comprehensive system of autism treatment and education designed to help families and caregivers enable their children to dramatically improve in all areas of learning, development, communication, and skill acquisition. For more information visit https://autismtreatmentcenter.org/.

Jennifer learned this program second hand while providing intensive intervention with a child who’s family received specific training from the options institute.Zones of Regulation Curriculum: The Zones curriculum uses a cognitive-behavioral approach to teach children to become more aware of and independent in controlling their emotions and impulses, by managing their sensory needs and improve their ability to problem solve conflicts and share. For more information visit their website at http://www.zonesofregulation.com/learn-more-about-the-zones.html. Jennifer has received first-hand training on this approach by the therapist who developed the curriculum.

Integrated Listening Systems: The iLs system helps to train body/brain integration through a staged approach, starting with the fundamentals of sensory integration and extending through more complex cognitive functions. The iLs program is based on “neuroplasticity” and the fact that the neuronal connections can be improved. For more information on this program visit https://integratedlistening.com/. Jennifer has received certification in the use of iLs for home and clinic use.

STAR Model: The STAR Institue for sensory processing disorders provides treatment, education, and research for children, adolescents and adults with SPD. The STAR Institue provides clinicians with a unique opportunity to receive ongoing education to develop advanced clinical reasoning and treatment skills for individuals with sensory processing.

VitalStim: VitalStim is the only FDA-cleared treatment for NMES (neuromuscular electrical stimulation) treatment for dysphagia. This modality is specifically designed to improve the mechanisms of the swallow. Visit https://www.ciaoseminars.com/home/vitalstim/ for more information. Jennifer is certified to provide treatment using the VitalStim+ system.”

Ms. Shivali
Physical Therapist

Shivali’s journey with kids began over 15 years ago, where she’s been fortunate to witness their incredible growth as a Physical Therapist. After graduating in 2009, she established her own practice in India, nurturing a deep understanding of individual needs and fostering a supportive environment.

Relocating to Virginia in 2013, Shivali embraced new challenges. She thrived in an outpatient Functional Movement based setting, collaborating with Speech, Occupational, Developmental therapists as well as movement aides and assistants to provide a holistic approach to her therapeutic interventions. Her passion for supporting families flourished as an Early Interventionist for Fairfax County, where she valued the importance of natural environments, parental participation and individualized care to support children and their families meet their functional goals. She worked as an Assistive Technology manager to handle all the therapeutic equipment for the county therapists and patients. Shivali brings a wealth of experience to her practice, having dedicated her career to supporting children from infancy through young adulthood. She has a deep understanding of diverse developmental needs, including those facing children with Delayed milestones, Torticollis, Down syndrome, Plagiocephaly, Autism, Sensory Processing Disorder, ADHD, ADD, Muscular Dystrophies, Cerebral Palsyand genetic abnormalities. Her approach is multi-faceted, drawing from a range of evidence-based therapies such as Total Motion Release, DIR Floortime, Kinesio Taping, Learning Without Tears to name a few to create personalized treatment plans that foster each child’s unique growth and development.

The summer of 2022 brought the family to sunny California, where Shivali currently dedicates her expertise to supporting children within a school district and with Joy and Laughter.

Beyond the clinic, Shivali cherishes her role as a mother to two vibrant daughters. Together with her husband, they embrace adventures, exploring new parks and hiking trails. A culinary enthusiast, Shivali delights in creating healthy and exciting meals for her family. And for a touch of self-care, she enjoys crafting her own skincare products for her family and friends!
Shivali is thrilled to bring her passion, experience and playful spirit for pediatric therapy to JLD, empowering children to reach their full potential.

Ms. Jennifer
Speech Language Pathologist, Feeding Specialist

Since earning her Master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology from the University of Arizona Jennifer has specialized in pediatric feeding and swallowing disorders; working in hospitals, clinics and home health settings. For over 10 years she has been evaluating and treating children, newborns to adolescents, with a variety of disorders including, premature birth, autism spectrum disorders, Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder, tongue and tip tie, cleft lip and palate, organ transplant recipients and medically fragile children. She has transitioned medically fragile infants and children from tube feedings to oral feedings and advised physicians on feeding tube removals. She has completed training in the “Get Permission Approach to Feeding Therapy”, “Beckman Oral Motor Protocol,” and “Tethered Oral Tissues Specialty Training.” Additionally, she has specialized training in the underlying medical causes of feeding and swallowing disorders and in assembling and working with an interdisciplinary medical team to address often overlooked medical issues. She conducts training with local medical professionals to provide education on pediatric feeding and swallowing disorders. She uses a whole-body approach when assessing and treating feeding and swallowing disorders.

Jennifer is a certified infant massage instructor and utilizes these skills to teach family massage techniques that improve parent-child attachment, muscle activation, and digestion. She also enjoys and has experience in providing pediatric speech and language evaluations and therapy to children with a variety of special needs including those who have a tracheostomy tube, are medically fragile, born premature, have developmental delays, autism, down syndrome, cerebral palsy, cognitive disabilities, chromosome abnormalities, drug exposure, tongue thrust, etc. Jennifer has advanced proficiency in American Sign Language and has employed this skill to improve the communication within D/deaf and hard of hearing families and hearing families who want to use a total communication approach. She is TOTS certified as well.

Jennifer and her husband have three young children. They all love riding bikes, hiking, and exploring California together. She is scuba certified and loves traveling back home to Florida to dive in the warm water.