Rolling, Crawling, Walking: Helping Baby Get Up & Go

Here's how your baby learns to get from here to there.
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Heads Up

At first, an infant is content to lie in his crib and just wiggle his little limbs all over. But by his first birthday, he has learned to put his body in motion, and you'll be surprised by how your baby has learned to coordinate and control his movements. Once toddlerhood begins, you may find it hard to remember when this mini dynamo ever sat still!

But baby's abilities don't develop overnight. She'll put a lot of hard work and patience into mastering these motor skills. And as her muscles continue to grow and develop, your little explorer will be spurred by the curiosity to investigate every corner of her room and eventually the whole house. So it's never too early to begin babyproofing.

Heads Up

Baby's quest to gain control begins from the head down. The development of your infant's neck muscles is the first big step in her overall body control. In the first few weeks, your newborn's neck may seem floppy. But if you place baby on her stomach, she'll practice lifting her head for a few moments at a time -- even when she's just a few weeks old. Around the 3-month mark, baby will begin to turn her head from side to side to look at you or a colorful toy. These movements help strengthen baby's neck muscles. By 4 months, your little one should be able to hold up her head while she supports herself on her elbows.

Next:  Roll with It

 

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Comments
Comments (29)
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leesonjessie1 wrote:

My 11 month old son is walking with object that he can push, like bucket and boxes. He can also stand alone for a good minute, but has yet to venture as far as taking a step by himself. He will get there when he's ready. He's not behind by any means. My 2 nephews were born 2 days apart. One walked at 10 months the other not til 14 months. Crazy how different kids are.

12/28/2011 09:47:26 PM Report Abuse
trelisaw wrote:

my son is 11 months and he all over the place he is not walking, but he is crawling and pulling up

8/10/2011 09:15:08 PM Report Abuse
amiegamache wrote:

I have 3 children and all are very different. One walked at 9 months, one at 14 months. My infant who just turned 7 months is pulling herself up into a standing position. With #3 I can't help but wish she was a little more stationary. Also, I've found that genetics play a big role in IQ and ability - just because she may walk early doesn't mean she's a little Einstein - but perhaps she'll be athletic like her Dad and biggest sister. . .

4/11/2011 08:03:24 PM Report Abuse
ayaanag wrote:

My daugher just turned 4months old and she started to hold her head up and try to roll but i want to know if its normal for a 4months year old tryna to stand

3/23/2011 01:38:55 PM Report Abuse
rosemaryramos26 wrote:

MY DAUGHTER IS 9 MONTHS AND 3 WEEKS OLD SHE STAND SUP AND HOLDS ON TO WHAT EVER SHE CAN GET HER HANDS ON THAT IS SAFE FOR HER TO HOLD I WONDER WHEN MY BABY IS GONNA LEARN HOW TO STAND ALONE AND ALSO LEARN HOW TO WALK I CANT WAIT SHE BE 1 YEARS OLD IN THE NEXT 1 MONTH IN A HALF WOOHOOOOOOOO

2/17/2011 01:53:22 PM Report Abuse
cassie_hanning_2010 wrote:

My baby is 1month old and he was holding his head up at a week old and all ready rules over on his back from his side.and he was 4weeks early.He thinks he is a big boy.he even treys to push him self up with his feet when im holding him on his belly.

11/15/2010 11:09:04 AM Report Abuse
jovanique wrote:

My twins were born 3 weeks early and will be 1 year in July... They have excelled past doctors expectations with growth and development. Both have been walking for the past 2 months and are running around as of now...

6/30/2010 06:20:54 PM Report Abuse
snaponrm wrote:

Our baby are individuals; we all learn and develope in our own time. My daughter who is 10 months old, my third child, still has trouble rolling over - I think it's due to her BIG belly LOL. But she does pull herself up and crawls. I make jokes all the time about what is she going to do when she does start to walk and falls down - will she be like turtle on it's back. LOL Don't worry, you will wake up one morning and be amazed at how much your little one has learned over night.

5/5/2010 01:51:19 PM Report Abuse
bartlett_mom wrote:

My baby is 2 months old by date of birth but was 2 weeks early from due date. The doctors think he has a "developing" problem b/c he will not hold his head up when he is on his elbows. I see the other comments and I think he is doing great considering he can hold his head up when I am holding him. These comments has really picked up my spirits! Thank You...

4/29/2010 04:51:49 PM Report Abuse
barbararose89 wrote:

My daughter held her head up for 20 seconds the day she was born. First rolled over at 3 weeks. can hold herself up on her elbows now when on her stomach and she's not quite 6 weeks yet. My nephew was WAY later then all of this..all babies are different..MOST will be like you/your partner when you were babies. My mom told me I was the same way..I took my first steps at 7 months without help..crawled between 3 & 4..we're all different..just love that they aren't getting into everything yet! :)

4/24/2010 12:17:46 AM Report Abuse
anonymous wrote:

my three month old is not grasping anything nor reaching for objects is this a bad sign

3/20/2010 10:05:05 PM Report Abuse
emileenicole09 wrote:

My baby was holding his head up the day he was born...and is now three months old and rolled over yesterday. But my niece is 3 years old...she didnt start really doing anything until she was 5 months old...and started to roll over. She didn't sit up until she was 8 months old...but shes developing fine, its strange how differnt children can be.

3/19/2010 10:32:44 AM Report Abuse
wwwmzlombera wrote:

My Lily thinks shes all grown! She doesn't like to lay down to much but loves to be propped on a pillow. She holds her head up so good and pushes her feet to try to stand when I hold her.

2/25/2010 01:43:30 AM Report Abuse
jmatthys2 wrote:

Don't worry if you are a mom of a late crawler/walker. My daughter was a very late crawler and walker. She did it after all the given ranges for those milestones. I admit I was in a panic. But, my pediatrician assured me that their was nothing to worry about. She was just a cautious baby and hadn't been motivated enough to move. She also said some babies just seem to focus on one skill area at a time. My daughter was definitely focusing on talking! Her vocabulary is huge!

2/24/2010 12:30:22 PM Report Abuse
cecic21 wrote:

My son just turned 11 months and just started crawling about three weeks ago, son't worry. All babies reach milestones at different stages.

2/16/2010 09:08:19 AM Report Abuse
amirking577 wrote:

my baby hadil is now one year and five monthes ,she did not do any of the milestones or even heads up how can i help her , i feel very tired for just thinking about here

1/31/2010 06:01:32 PM Report Abuse
lissagill wrote:

My son is 8 mths today and he isnt getting into a sitting position by himself and he isnt crawling. My daughters were doing those things around the 5 and 6 months mark. So that makes me believe all babies are differnet in their developments. As long as we are working with them they will progress at their selecive pace.

1/21/2010 01:11:44 AM Report Abuse
kkemerer1209 wrote:

My baby will be 8 months in a week and she's not sitting up yet. My first was crawling and sitting up by 8 months. I know you're not suppossed to compare babys development with other children, but it has me worried that she's behind for her age

1/12/2010 05:12:51 PM Report Abuse
amyjo2020 wrote:

Don't worry about that precious 7 month old. Give her at least 2 more months to crawl before you get worried!

1/10/2010 03:10:48 PM Report Abuse
melisa.caballero wrote:

my baby is 7 months and one week and she's not crawling yet is that normal

1/5/2010 10:13:35 AM Report Abuse
esaybah wrote:

breastfed babies are super babies trust me i know cause i have 5 of them.

12/24/2009 08:57:05 AM Report Abuse
cnhay5 wrote:

It's sounds like it's pretty normal. My son was rolling over both ways and from belly to back and back to belly by 3 months and he started sitting up on his own without support by 5 months. All babies are way different though! He is trying to crawl and scootch himself around and you can tell he wants to move so bad. hehe!

10/21/2009 02:28:48 PM Report Abuse
aprilrenee77 wrote:

all children develop on different timelines. i can't believe anyone would attribute normal development to a formula.

10/20/2009 09:13:57 AM Report Abuse
lrose231 wrote:

I cant believe someone thinks her babys motor skills are attributed to the formula, then what are breastfed babies Super Babies?

10/13/2009 12:49:27 PM Report Abuse
meganleighlynn wrote:

my daughter just fully rolled over from stomach to back and is 3 months today. she never has even rolled onto her side. is that normal?

10/8/2009 09:03:56 PM Report Abuse
anonymous wrote:

my son is also three months and he has been holding his bottle since he was 2 and a half months old and he just finally got rolling today. I think we just have advanced babies!

10/7/2009 07:06:22 PM Report Abuse
DANADOWIS wrote:

my son is 3 and a half months old and is rolling from side to back.when will he roll all the way?

10/5/2009 04:15:01 PM Report Abuse
laters_alligators wrote:

My daughter is 8 weeks old and is already holding her head up to look at what she can see, doing push ups and wanting to stand as I'm holding her. My Partner says she takes after him because silly him thinks he is part machine. LOL Any HOOO. My daughter is my second child and my first son did not do this. I believe it to be the Enfamil Lipil DHA prenatal vitamins I was taking and Enfamil formula she is drinking.

10/3/2009 11:21:43 PM Report Abuse
Josh.Glover23 wrote:

my daughter just turned 3 mon and is already rolling over and holding her bottle,is this normal

10/2/2009 02:22:25 PM Report Abuse
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