Rolling over. Sitting up. Crawling. First steps.Those are the milestones we tend to wait for, celebrate, and take a million pictures of. And for good reason—they’re exciting!
But long before those big moments happen, your baby is working on dozens of smaller skills that are helping make them possible.
That little kick during a diaper change? The reach for a favorite toy? Rocking back and forth on hands and knees? It all matters.
Kicking and Playing With Feet: Building Strength From the Start
Those sweet little baby kicks aren’t just random movement. Kicking and playing with their feet helps babies strengthen their legs and abdominal muscles, move their hips, and is the beginning of developing total body coordination.
All that early movement against gravity helps lay the groundwork for bigger skills later on, like rolling, crawling, standing, and eventually walking.
Reaching: More Than Grabbing a Toy
Put a favorite toy just within reach and watch how much work goes into getting it! Reaching encourages babies to shift their weight, engage their core, coordinate their eyes and hands, and eventually reach across their body.
Sometimes the best play really is that simple.
Bringing Hands Together
When babies begin bringing their hands together at the middle of their body—or reaching for their feet—they’re developing body awareness and learning to coordinate both sides of their body.
These early skills become important for everything from crawling to playing with toys and feeding themselves.
Weight Shifting: Learning to Move From Here to There
Before a baby can roll, crawl, or transition between positions, they have to learn how to move their weight from one side of their body to the other.
You may notice this during tummy time when your baby shifts onto one arm to reach for a toy. That’s a little movement doing some very important work!
Pushing Up: Getting Stronger
During tummy time, babies gradually learn to push up onto their forearms and eventually their hands.
This helps strengthen the shoulders, arms, back, and core—all muscles they’ll need as they work toward sitting, crawling, and exploring their world.
Pivoting: Getting Ready to Go
Before crawling forward, many babies become experts at turning themselves in circles on their bellies.
It may not look like they’re getting very far, but pivoting helps develop coordination, strength, and the ability to shift weight from side to side.
Rocking: Almost Ready for Takeoff!
When your baby gets onto hands and knees and starts rocking back and forth, crawling may be getting closer.
They’re practicing bearing weight through their arms and legs, finding their balance, and coordinating their body before figuring out how to move forward.
Celebrate the Little Things Too
Development doesn’t happen all at once. It’s built through thousands of little movements, attempts, wobbles, and discoveries. So while you’re waiting for that first roll, crawl, or step, don’t forget to celebrate everything happening along the way.
Those little movements? They’re building something big.
And as always, every child develops at their own pace. If you have questions about your baby’s movement or development, the team at Milestones at Play is here to help. Sometimes a little guidance can make a big difference as your child works toward their next milestone.
