skip to Main Content

Quick Guide: Gross Motor Skill Milestones For Your Baby

Bringing a new baby home, whether it is your first or fifth, is very exciting!  As they continue to grow, you may be wondering, is my baby reaching all of their gross motor milestones on time?

Below is a quick guide to gross motor skill milestones that you can use to see if your baby is on track.

AgeGross Motor Milestones
0-2 monthsOn their belly:
-Turn head to right and left
-Raise head upright to 45 degrees
On their back:
-Kick feet, alternating right and left
3-6 monthsOn their belly:
-Raise and maintain head upright to 45-90 degrees
-Propping up on their elbows
-Begin pushing through their hands to lift chest off ground
On their back:
-Bringing feet to mouth
-Bringing and keeping their hands to midline to play with toys
-As an adult pulls on their hands to help them sit up, they can keeping their head in line with their body
Other Milestones:
-Sitting with support
-Rolling from belly to back – can go to the right and left
-Rolling from back to belly – can go to the right and left
By 6 months-Sitting unsupported for around 1 minute
-Good head control in all positions – belly, back, being held and sitting
6-9 monthsOn their belly:
-Reaching for toys
-Pivoting in a circle to find toys
Sitting:
-Sitting unsupported
-Transition from laying on floor to sitting independently
-Transition from sitting to laying on floor independently
Other Milestones:
-Crawl on their belly – “army crawl”
-Transition into hands and knees position (but do not crawl forward yet)
-Using their arms to pull up into sitting position
10-12 monthsOther Milestones:
-Crawl on hands and knees
-Pulling up to stand using furniture
Standing:
-Stand with hand support and begin to bend knees and bounce
Walking:
-Walking along furniture while holding on
-Walking with hand-held assistance from an adult
12-18 monthsStanding:
-Standing without support
Walking:
-Taking steps independently
Other Milestones:
-Lowering themselves from stand to sit with control using hands on furniture/objects for support
-Maintaining a squat position to play with toys
-Creeping up stairs on hands and knees
-Playing with balls – beginning to throw and kick
By 18 monthsWalking independently

If you are going through this checklist and your baby is hitting their milestones before the month range, that is great!!  However, if your baby may be behind on their milestones, there is no need to panic!  When should I begin to seek help, you ask? After looking at the list and noticing that your baby is behind 3 or more months on most/all of their milestones, it is recommended that you make an appointment with a physical therapist. A physical therapist that works with kids can help your baby improve their gross motor skills and catch them up on their milestones! If you feel your baby may benefit from an appointment with a physical therapist, click here to schedule.
-Kelly Steiner, PT, DPT

Back To Top

Patient Reviews

LLA Therapy

Patient Reviews

Crystal Scheibe

Facebook
Great place, glad we found them. Been going to Medina over 2 months now and he loves Lauryn and Kyler. Wish they had more ABA therapy places available... live in Wooster and long drive everyday.

Karrie Swan LaRock

Facebook
My 11 year old son has dyslexia and has made noticeable gains in working At LLA THERAPY. Katie is strong in her approach toward him and also keeps him comfortable enough to perform well. We will continue visiting both the Fairlawn and Hudson offices and recommend them highly.

Ron Monroe

Facebook
My 9 year old just completed about 9 months of weekly speech sessions (due to his stuttering) with Matt Hagge at LLA and we are thrilled with the experience and results. What I thought might be a negative (what kid really wants to go to speech class?) was made very positive by Matt, and my son never hesitated or complained when we talked about class. He really enjoyed it and really took what Matt taught him to heart. His speech has been greatly improved and we definitely recommend LLA. Thank you so much!

Heather Dougherty-Pantoja

Facebook
My son’s Occupational Therapist, Jess, is an amazing OT! She gives practical tips on working with my son at home and school!

Terri Apgar

Facebook
I cannot say enough good things about LLA Therapy. My daughter was a client of Teal Simmons’ for approximately 2 years and was just released from speech therapy! She was diagnosed with Apraxia in 2015 and worked with Teal twice a week. Through Teal’s application of PROMPT therapy, my daughter had age-appropriate speech after one year. All of the staff we interacted with at LLA were absolutely wonderful. They really care about what they do and making sure your child achieves their goals.

Kelli Geisler Davisson

Facebook
LLA Therapy has been an excellent experience for my son as well as my family! My son always asks, "When can I go see Ms. Jeannine again, is it Monday??" He has also made huge gains in only 5 months! I would highly recommend LLA and have already shared my experience with friends looking for services!

Victoria Hansford-Price

Facebook
We are so grateful for our Speech Therapist Ms.Teal. We have seen a great improvement with our sons confidence and communication abilities since we have started "Prompt" therapy. What we love the most about LLA and Ms. Teal is that Kohl feels comfortable and relaxed which has played a critical role in his progress. Thank you Ms. Teal for all you have done.

Laura Lee Hogsett

Facebook
They have helped in numerous ways. Speech, OT and behavioral. I've had numerous compliments on my son's progress thanks in very large part to LLA. I would recommend LLA before I recommend our local children's hospitals, though they are good, they don't have the staff that LLA does.

Amy Furukawa

Facebook
We had a great experience with Matt Hagge at LLA! Our Middle School age son was becoming very conscious of his voice, which is nasal due to a cleft palate. Matt helped him to better form his sounds and project his voice in a way that makes the unavoidable nasality less noticeable.Our son is more confident and outgoing & even took on a speaking role in the church play. Matt has the perfect personality to relate with our son, and we would recommend him to anyone needing speech therapy services!

Jessica Havalotti

Facebook
LLA Therapy has been an excellent experience for our daughter. I would highly recommend LLA. Miss Grace was so amazing and I can't believe how quickly our daughter showed improvement. Thank you!
Read More