Gross Motor Skills To Expect

Intermediate floor play & tummy time.

Expected Age Range: 2-3 months, or so.

Your baby is learning to know what to expect when playing on the floor. They should be able to tolerate it better, with fewer modifications, and for longer periods of time. Playing on their back, side, and tummy continues to be where they are developing their gross motor skills. This is what you can expect to see in each position:

On Their Back

• More consistent attempts of visually tracking your face, or a high contrast image or object, to the left and right sides.

• Random and spontaneous squirmy movements of arms and legs.

• Sweeping attempts to reach objects, without successfully making contact with or grabbing the object. 

• Sporadic and unsuccessful attempts to bring hands together. They are starting to bring their hands from their sides closer toward midline.

• They are able to turn their head comfortably in both directions, equally. 

• Your baby’s head should rest in midline, or slightly tilted to the side. Their head should not tilt to one side more frequently than the other. 

On Their Side

• Your baby continues to need help to attain and maintain side lying. They should be able to tolerate it comfortably on both sides. 

• Their arms comfortably rest together in front of their body.

• When you remove the support, they roll onto their back.

On Their Tummy

• They place their arms farther away from their body.

• Their legs continue to straighten.

• They may begin to press their hands down into the floor to push their shoulders very slightly off the floor.

• They briefly lift their head up about 45 degrees, usually with some bobbing.

In supported standing

• Your baby may begin to weight bear through their feet when you hold them up in supported standing.

• At first, they will only accept weight through their feet for brief moments.