Gross & fine motor development in the first 2 years
Keeping an eye on your preemies development can help you determine a little help might be necessary. To determine preemie developmental milestones we compare them to that of a normal birth milestones.
It’s amazing how quickly babies grow and develop! The tables below highlight some important general developmental milestones. Although these tables give an average age at which milestones are achieved it is important to realise that even babies born at term achieve these milestones at varying ages. For preemies, you should always correct for their prematurity.
Gross and Fine Motor Development the First 2 Years
Gross motor development refers to the major actions and muscles that help infants move around in the environment, such as crawling, standing, and walking. Fine motor skills, on the other hand, refers to small movements and muscles, such as reaching and grasping. Have a look at the following information for typical development of these skills. You should talk to your paediatrician if you have any concerns about your preemie's development.
| Motor Skill in the First 2 Years |
Average Age Achieved |
Age Range in Which 90 Percent of Infants Achieve the Skill |
| When held upright, holds head erect and steady | 6 weeks | 3 weeks – 4 months |
When on tummy:
|
2 months | 3 weeks – 4 months |
| Rolls from side to back | 2 months | 3 weeks – 5 months |
| Grasps cube | 3 months, 3weeks | 2 – 7 months |
| Rolls from back to side | 4½ months | 2 – 7 months |
| Sits alone While standing with support, accepts entire weight with legs |
7 months | 5 – 9 months |
| Crawls | 7 months | 5 – 11 months |
| Pulls to stand | 8 months | 5 – 12 months |
| Plays pat-a-cake | 9 months, 3 weeks | 7 – 15 months |
| Stands alone | 11 months | 9 -16 months |
| Walks alone | 11 months, 3 weeks | 9 – 17 months |
| Builds tower of two cubes | 13 months, 3 weeks | 10 – 19 months |
| Scribbles vigorously | 14 months | 10 – 21 months |
| Walks up stairs with help | 16 months | 12- 23 months |
| Jumps in place | 23 months, 2 weeks | 17 – 30 months |
| Walks on tiptoe | 25 months | 16 – 30 months |
These milestones represent overall age trends. There are individual differences in the exact age at which each milestone is attained.(Bayley, 1969, 1993; Berk, 2008)
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One of the greatest minds in history, Albert Einstein was born preterm.
