02/09/2024
Fine motor development in infants between birth and 4 months involves the gradual progression of hand and finger movements, crucial for later skills like grasping and manipulating objects. Here are the key milestones:
1. Newborn (0-1 month):
• Reflexive grasp: Infants exhibit the palmar grasp reflex, where they automatically close their hand around an object placed in their palm. This is not a voluntary movement but a reflex.
2. 1-2 months:
• Hand opening: The palmar reflex begins to fade, and infants start to open their hands more frequently, especially when at rest.
• Increased awareness of hands: Infants may start to look at their hands, bringing them into their field of vision, although coordination remains limited.
3. 2-3 months (see picture)
• Hands to mouth: Infants begin to bring their hands to their mouth, an early sign of hand-eye coordination.
• Bilateral movement: Both hands often move together, and infants may begin to bat at objects within reach, though their accuracy is still developing.
4. 3-4 months:
• Voluntary grasping: Infants start to grasp objects placed in their hand more deliberately, although their grip is still weak and typically involves the whole hand rather than individual fingers.
• Exploring with hands: Infants start to explore objects by bringing them to their mouth, using their sense of taste and touch.
Throughout these stages, an infant’s fine motor skills are closely tied to their visual development, and the progression of these skills is a foundation for more complex motor abilities that will develop later in infancy.
