Further Reading

Your baby will have been watching and moving their hands with more control recently, and you will probably have seen them hold objects towards the outside of their hand using one or two fingers to hold it in place. Now they will curl all of their fingers around an object and hold it towards the centre of their palm – this is knows as a ‘palmar grasp’.  

You'll see the plantar grasp reflex in your baby’s feet, right from day one. When you put your finger at the base of your baby’s toes, they will curl as if they are trying to grasp your finger. 

Why does it happen?

Your baby’s hand movements may have initially seemed to lack control, but now, you might notice that they can bring their hands together in the centre of the body. This is them 'crossing the midline'.   

Your baby is born into a complex social world and needs to learn quickly how to engage with it, how to respond to the actions of others, how to direct people towards fulfilling their needs, and how to build relationships.^[1] That's a whole lot of learning! Thankfully, your inventive baby will find many ways to engage with you and other people around them.

Your baby has explored ways of using movement to attract your attention and has learnt that you will respond to them. Now, they are beginning to explore a wider range of ways to initiate interactions, testing your responses, and comparing these to the responses of others. 

Your baby might not have been sure about bathtime and nappy changing at first – they would be unfamiliar and involve lots of new sensations. As they become used to these routine activities, your baby will begin to engage with you during these times as they provide a chance for you to focus on each other and enjoy reciprocal interactions.  

You'll have noticed your baby moving their arms and legs in a random, jerky way, then, as their muscles and control developed, seen these movements becoming smoother and seeming more controlled. Now, you will notice that your baby is starting to move with a particular purpose in mind, perhaps moving their arm towards a toy, or moving in excitement when you are close to them.  

During those first tummy times, your baby won’t have been able to hold their head in the centre and will have turned their head to one side. As their neck muscles became stronger, you'll probably have seen them hold their head in the centre with their arms tucked under their body offering some support. Now look closely and you'll see them use their arms for support and lift their head briefly when they're on their tummy.

They're getting stronger all the time!

You will have seen that your baby is becoming stronger and has been able to hold their head in the centre of their body when lying on their back and lift their head briefly when on their tummy. Now, their neck muscles are getting stronger and they will start to tilt their head upwards when lying on their back too. 

Your baby has gradually been developing control of their head, being able to hold it in the centre when lying on their back or tummy and holding it more steady as you hold them. Now, if you pull them gently from lying to sitting they will mostly be able to keep their head straight with only a slight lag of their head as they are pulled upwards.^[1]  

Your baby has been kicking their legs and starting to push against objects that are close to them. By doing this, they are gradually gaining whole body coordination and muscle strength. Now that they have more control of their head, they might like to be held upright sometimes and take some weight on their feet as you hold them.