Early skills development
All babies develop at different rates. The information below aims to give you ideas to help your baby develop skills through play and exploring the world around them.
Your baby will then start using walls and furniture to get around. This is referred to as cruising. As your baby becomes more mobile make sure your home is completely baby proof and all furniture is secure.
Exploring my world
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Physical development
If your baby is unable to bring hands forward, a towel can be used to provide extra support. Place this behind their shoulders and under the thighs.
Once baby is more active and can bring their hands forwards to explore/play, the towel will not be needed.
Social and emotional development
Talk to your baby and encourage them to look at you.
This helps baby to be supported in a curled up position and their head in the middle.
Communication and cognitive development
Sing a song or lullaby Play Peekaboo!
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Communication and Cognitive Development
Bring your hands behind baby's shoulders to help them bring arms forwards. Encourage them to bring hands together, touch your face, hands or clothes. You can also introduce a soft toy for them to explore.
To help you baby bring their hands together you can use a rolled up towel behind their shoulders to help bring their hands forwards to grab toys.
Physical Development
A baby gym can be used to encourage reaching and grasping for toys. Place the gym over baby’s tummy. Encourage them to reach and play with both hands.
As your baby sleeps and travels on their back for a lot of the time during the day/night then they should use other positions for play and not just on their back.
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Physical development
This helps to develop muscles needed for sitting and crawling.
Tummy time should be carried out when your baby is alert, awake and happy.
Hold your baby on your chest or over your shoulder facing you. This will encourage them to lift their head and look around.
A blanket can be rolled up and placed under baby’s chest for extra support
Use bright toys to encourage your baby to reach out. This will help them to prop on their arms and lift their chest
Communication and cognitive development
Encourage eye contact by getting down at baby’s level. This is a great time to sing songs, copy sounds and encourage baby. This is a great time to sing songs, copy sounds and encourage babble.
Social and emotional development
Use a toy mirror, babies love looking at faces!
Song ideas
"Wind the bobbin up... wind the bobbin up"
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Physical development
A rolled towel placed behind baby will give extra support, and stop them rolling backwards.
A toy will give them something to look at and explore. Try placing this at the level of baby’s chest.
Help your baby to roll by placing a toy to the side and just out of reach. Encourage them to reach for the toy. Support at the hips to guide them to roll onto tummy.
Communication and cognitive development
This is a great position to copy noises,sing songs and encourage babble.
Talk to your baby. Try counting 1...2…3 to help them anticipate rolling.
Play mats and toys will help your baby explore different colours textures and sounds.
Social and emotional development
Join in! Let baby see your face. This will help them feel more secure.
You can use mirrors so that you can talk to your baby and you can see each others faces.
Lots of smiles and encouragement will help your baby feel secure.
Song ideas
“There were 10 in the bed and the little one said….roll over….roll over”
“Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.”
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Physical development
To encourage learning to sit up, sit your baby between your legs and rest her hands on your knees.
Encourage your baby to look at you bringing their chin and head forwards as you sit up rather than leaving their head behind them.
Encourage baby to reach forwards for a toy or to prop on their arms bringing toys up on a book or pillow/or cushion helps your baby to sit up and lean through their hands.
Bubbles can be used to encourage reaching forwards and to develop sitting balance.
Your baby leaning through their hands is important to develop to assist with moving from position to position.
Communication and cognitive development
Activities that include anticipation. For Example .. ready, steady ..go! or 1…2..3!
Rear facing pushchair can help communication and allow you to interact with your child.
Song ideas
"Horsey Horsey” with baby sitting astride your leg.
"Row row row your boat” with baby sitting on your lap.
On the move
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Physical development
Help your baby move through side lying to sitting pushing up through his/her hands. Let them do as much as they can themselves.
Encourage your baby to come into upright sitting by using toys and encouraging him/her to reach.
Communication and cognitive development
Rattles and toys that make noises encourage looking around.
Social and emotional development
To improve social interaction place a mirror in front. Alternatively a second person to encourage play.
Song ideas
In this position you can sing ‘row, row, row the boat’ supporting them at the shoulders and later hands held.
To help develop your baby’s balance you can sing ’horsey horsey’ with them sitting astride your leg.
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Physical development
Encourage independent sitting without support to develop balance. Over time your baby will be able to sit for longer periods of time on his/her own.
In sitting place some toys in font of your baby to encourage them to reach forwards and play.
To progress sitting balance motivate your baby to stretch out for toys that are further away. Place pillows around them in case they lose their balance.
Communication and cognitive development
Play mats and toys will help your baby explore different colours textures and sounds.
By building blocks or placing toys in a bucket in this position it will encourage your baby to sit tall.
Blow bubbles when your baby is in a stable sitting position. If they catch one, they will see and feel it pop. This will help them learn about cause and effect.
Social and emotional development
Lots of smiles and encouragement will help your baby feel secure.
Song ideas
“Wind the bobbin up….wind the bobbin up” or "twinkle twinkle little star".
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Physical development
Place a toy in front and to one side of your baby, when they reach forward guide them over onto their hands and knees.
Using your leg to support them under their tummy is a good way of Introducing this position.
Encourage an independent crawling position. Try assisting your baby at the hips and then slowly reduce the support.
Try and keep this crawling position whilst playing with toys to encourage weight shift through hands and knees.
Communication and cognitive development
Feely books/sensory books (music, textures colours) can be used to put weight through alternate hands.
Social and emotional development
Use a toy mirror, babies love looking at faces!
Lots of praise and encouragement will help your baby feel confident.
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Physical development
Once your baby can achieve an independent crawling position, encourage him/her to pick up and place toys in a bucket.
You can also position toys away from your baby so they have to crawl to get it. Now it is time to baby proof your house!
Use a moving toy to motivate your baby to crawl.
Communication and cognitive development
Place their favourite toy across the room to encourage them to look for it and crawl towards it.
Social and emotional development
Encourage your baby to crawl to you. Lots of smiles and praise.
Song ideas
‘Horsey horsey don't you stop, Just let your feet go clippety-clop’
Off the floor
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Physical development
Place a toy at a higher level i.e. on a small table/sofa cushion on the floor.
Encourage your baby to use their hands to play whilst propping up on their knees. Make sure their knees are directly under hips.
At a sofa level, place toys out of reach to your baby's right and left to get them to bring their weight over to one side.
Guide your baby to bring one foot forwards. They may need a little lift under their bottom to assist them into standing.
Communication and cognitive development
Place all favourite toys up high to encourage them to pull up into standing.
Use musical instruments at a higher level i.e. banging a drum/xylophone to get your baby's interest. This will encourage them to come into standing.
Social and emotional development
Use sound story books in kneeling, encouraging them to turn pages and push buttons.
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Physical development
Standing with support (parents holding both hands) standing holding onto furniture.
Progress your baby’s walking by encouraging them to cruise between stable objects or furniture that are within close proximity.
An ideal place to learn to cruise (walking along furniture) is at the sofa or couch. Encourage your baby to get into standing with their favourite toy on the couch, then start to shift the toy to the right/left.
When they are nearly ready to walk, they will drop one hand and start to walk with their body pointed in the direction they are stepping.
Communication and cognitive development
Cruising sideways along furniture using toys to get their attention and take some steps. Once your baby is more confident they will be able to cruise forward facing, with one hand on the furniture.
To improve confidence you can try passing them toys from behind so they get used to letting go of the furniture with one hand.
Simple phrases like “Where is your toy?” or “Bring your toy” could help to encourage your baby to cruise around the furniture.
Song ideas
Sign “if you are happy and you know it clap your hands”… to encourage them to let go of the sofa.
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Physical development
You can encourage your baby to maintain their balance by standing or kneeling in front of them.
Initially you may need to support your baby in standing by holding their hands or supporting them around the waist. Gradually reduce the support so they are standing independently.
Turn balancing into a game. Help your baby to stand up and count how long they can stay up before they tumble. Give them praise after each attempt.
Communication and cognitive development
Once your baby is more confident in standing try playing games that involve both hands i.e. put your hands on your head, point to your ears, hands on tummy etc.
Social and emotional development
Motivate your baby to keep their balance by giving them praise, clapping and smiling.
Song ideas
Encourage your baby to maintain a standing position by talking to them or sing a song.
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Physical development
By placing toys on the floor when your baby is in standing will encourage them to squat to pick the toy up. This will help your baby to increase his/her balance
Using heavier/larger objects to pick up will improve their balance and stability.
Communication and cognitive development
Place toys on the floor that your baby could stack, post or drop into a basket at a higher level. Encourage them to squat down and pick up the toys then reach up high to complete the task.
Social and emotional development
Encourage your baby follow simple tasks i.e. asking them to collect certain toys from the floor.
Song ideas
Sing “heads, shoulders, knees and toes” to encourage them to bend down.
Walking and beyond
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Physical development
Start by encouraging your baby to walk to the edge of the couch. Direct their attention by placing toys on furniture nearby.
To progress your baby’s balance and stability it may be easier for them to walk barefoot when practicing at home.
After a while the baby will be moving confidently between both pieces of furniture. Slowly move the furniture further away to increase the distance they need to walk.
Communication and cognitive development
Encourage the baby to reach toward the toy, grasping onto the nearby furniture.
Gradually your baby will become more confident to take some steps away from furniture.
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Physical development
Walking with push and pull toys may help your baby improve their confidence when up on their feet. They may walk with a wide base of support to help them stabilise.
To achieve more stability you can place heavy books on top to slow the trolley down/dolls pram.
Communication and cognitive development
Encourage your baby to push the trolley. You may need to help them guide the trolley at first.
Be careful on wooden floors as the trolley may run away from them. They may also find it harder to push on carpet.
Social and emotional development
You can encourage your baby to collect toys/items for you and put them in their trolley.
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Physical development
When supporting your baby to walk guide them from their hips or hold their hands lower down rather than above their head.
As your baby becomes more stable on their feet try giving them less support, making them work to keep their balance
Progress walking by loosening your grip or offering one hand only, rather than two. From there try bridging the gap with a teddy or a hoop.
Communication and cognitive development
Avoid wearing shoes inside so your baby can feel their feet on the floor and experience different textures.
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Physical development
Your baby may walk with their hands up in the air and feet wide apart. This helps them to gain stability and balance. By passing them a toy or a ball to hold , it will encourage them to bring their hands down and challenge their balance further.
By walking on uneven surfaces or over objects this will improve your baby's balance and special awareness.
Trying to climb up stairs will help your baby improve their coordination and strength.
Social and emotional development
Encourage walking between two adults making sure they have their balance first. Give them praise when they take some steps independently.
Other things to think about
Baby equipment
Your baby will need to go in a car seat, baby seat, or other type of baby equipment at some time during the day.
We recommend that you avoid leaving your baby in a baby seat for longer than 30 minutes, unless you are travelling. This is because they restrict your baby from moving freely.
We also recommend that the use of baby walkers and door bouncers is limited to no more than 15 minutes at a time. Equipment that supports a baby in a standing position does not help your baby learn to walk. It can give an unnatural experience of standing and has been shown to be unsafe.