Your baby’s motor skills include those needed to move and discover the world.

0-3 months physical development is usually broken up into two groups called fine motor skills and gross motor skills.

Fine motor skills refer to smaller movements (think hands and fingers) and gross motor skills refers to large muscle movements (whole body strength and coordination).

All children develop differently so know that if your baby is not doing the exact same things as another baby, that is ok.

However, if you are concerned about your little one’s development always seek out the Early Intervention program in your area for a free screening or evaluation.

In this post I will give you information about what motor skills look like and how to encourage motor skills in babies from birth to three months.

Are you looking for baby activities that will encourage development? Try these simple ideas to have fun with your infant and encourage baby milestones.

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0-3 Months Physical Development Includes:

Baby Lifting Head: What does baby head control look like?

Your baby starting to lift their head is a sign that they are gaining strength.

You may notice this while they are resting on you or when they are held at your shoulder.

When your baby is laying on the floor or a play mat (like this one) for tummy time they may start to bring their head up as well.

From birth on up you will seem them be able to hold it up for longer periods of time.

They will also start to turn it from side to side in order to see what is around them.

Baby Kicking Legs and Flailing Arms

You will notice your baby kicking, moving, and stretching their legs and arms from the very beginning.

When on their backs they may show excitement to a toy or a person by moving all of their limbs.

As they get older they will start to push up with their arms while on their tummy.

All of these movements require coordination and strength which is a lot of work for your little one!

They may seem a bit uncoordinated at first but with time they will learn to move their muscles more meaningfully.

RELATED POST: Best Baby Toys for Fine Motor Development

When do babies start tracking objects with their eyes?

Your little one’s vision is blurry at first but becomes more clear throughout the first year of life.

Your baby will use their eyes to take in information about their world and process their surroundings.

Your baby will start look at colorful items in the first few months and then gain the ability to track an item both vertically and horizontally.

They will start to move their arms and hands near desired objects or toys that they find interesting.

Click HERE for an example of a toy that would work well for this!

How You Can Encourage 0-3 Months Physical Development:

The Importance of Tummy Time for Development

Tummy time is essential for building and strengthening muscles throughout your baby’s body.

Make sure your child is awake when doing this and well supervised.

Start with just a few minutes at a time to see how your baby tolerates it.

Watch their cues and if they are not a fan, just use shorter increments throughout the day.

By doing tummy time consistently you are preparing your little one to roll over, crawl, and even walk someday!

You can entertain your little one by lying in front of them so they can see your face.

Take this opportunity to talk, sing, or read a book to your little one (this encourages language, cognitive, and social skills as well)! Click here for more tummy time tips!

Provide Visual Stimulation for Baby

Hold toys or interesting objects up for your baby to see.

Try different toys such as rattles or balls to see which ones they like the best.

You may notice they even respond to different colors!

Hold the object about 8-12 inches away from your infants chest, as this is where they can see the best.

Move the object slowly across their line of vision to see if they follow it.

Use Play to Encourage Infant Fine Motor and Gross Motor Skills

Just playing with your baby will help them to develop and refine their motor skills.

Shake a small rattle in front of them and watch for their response.

Do their eyes widen? Do their arms and legs stretch out in excitement?

Watch their responses to find out what they like and what they don’t.

(These rattles work great!)

Everything is new to a baby, so look around your environment and explore something new with them.

Gently place a rattle into their hands and let them grasp it, or let them grasp your finger!

During bath time let them try and grasp the wet washcloth as this is something new and interesting to them.

Enjoy this time with your little one and see the world through their eyes!

Expecting mom? Click HERE to set up your baby registry today!

How to Encourage 0-3 Months Physical Development

Find out simple ways to encourage 0-3 months physical development in your infant during play time and daily routines.

Active Time 5 minutes

Total Time 5 minutes

Materials

Instructions

When baby is laying on their back take a rattle and slowly move it in a line both vertically and horizontally in from of your baby's eyes. Watch to see if they try to track it visually as you move it.
Give your baby lots of supervised tummy time throughout the day. Start with short increments of only a couple of minutes at a time and watch their cues. Make sure to give your baby frequent breaks as this position requires a lot of strength.
During bath time take a wash cloth and gently place it inside their palms. This allows them to explore a new texture.

Notes

Try out this baby activity ideas throughout your daily routines.

Recommended Products

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Would you like to learn about the other areas of development? Check them out in the list below!

Social Development

An easy way to be PREPARED for you next well-baby visit is to download the PDF below! It is FREE and PRINTABLE.

Grab your FREE Milestone Guide HERE.

Those first three months can be a little sleep deprived and busy so use this to easily track all of those exciting milestones in your baby’s first year

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Kayla ONeill

Kayla O’Neill has a master’s degree in education as well as a bachelor’s degree in special education with an emphasis in early childhood education. She has been working as a developmental therapist with babies and toddlers in early intervention since 2012. She is also a mom with two young children.

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Skye

Thursday 25th of May 2017

I love these posts! The first 3 months is often about surviving the adjustment to a new baby and a new (crazy) normal! Your posts help to show all the important development that is taking place during this time! ?

betterwithbabies

What a great resource for new moms! I was always looking for a guide with details in those early months. So much changes so fast!

Yes they do! Newborns are growing and changing so fast they can be hard to keep up with! :)

babiestobookworms

Wednesday 24th of May 2017

Love how you explained these. Tummy time is so beneficial and important for kids! My daughter wasn't a huge fan of it, so we had to come up with different ways to make it fun.

Yes all kids are different....some love it and some hate it! Good for you for finding ways to make it more enjoyable for your daughter...it is so important!

Sam

This is a great resource, my daughter is well passed this but I enjoyed keeping up with different milestones so I knew what to expect.

Baby Motor Skills: Everything You Need to Know About 0-3 Months Physical Development