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                      Amazing Baby

              handH    handA    handn   handd    hands
                                                   Newborn
             Hands are closed into a fist for much of the time. The grasp
             reflex activated with touch to the palm makes the baby
             automatically grasp your thumbs tight enough to be lifted up.
             This reflex diminishes over the next 4 to 6 months.

               newbornfist  newbornbabyclaspinghands  newbornflexedarms newbornarmsheld  buddyfisted      

                                      
                                                   One Month
               During the first two months the baby reacts to stimuli by moving
             the whole body. Hands are often fisted and gradually spending
             more and more time open.
                     
                      fist onemonthreachingtoy   onemonthonblanket  onemonthclasped  nateonemonth

                      onemonthflexed  onemonthsitting  fistonemonth threeweekscrying

                          

                                                  Two Months

              Boppy pillows or cushions help support the baby while on the
            belly.Bearing weight on a surface provides sensory stimulation
            to the hands.


  
                  handopening  twomonthhand twomonthsprone
                  twomonthbabyinblue  twomonthsflexed twomonthsbook
                  twomonthsincarriage  twomonthssitting
                                              


                                                 Three Months

           Between two and four months babies can maintain a grasp on an
           object that is placed in their hands. Developing head control
           enables the baby to hold his head up while on his belly.


                    natesnake   nakedbaby  threemonthsthumbsucking  threemonthsclasping

                    threemonthspainting   threemonthsprone
                   threemonthyellowstripe  threemonthhand   threemonthgrasping                                                  
                   
           
                 
                                                Four Months

         Babies discover that they can bring the hands together at the
         middle of the body to clasp and play with feet.  Babies begin
         reaching with both hands.

          fourmonthhandinmouth pointingfourmonths fourmonthsredsweater fourmonthsproneheadup  

          fourmonthsonbelly fourmonthsfootplay

          fourmonthsbottle fourmonthsbabyinred fourmonthsbabyonstomach                                   

                     
                                               Five Months
    Babies may hold onto an object more with one hand while patting
   it with the other hand.  The object is grasped inside the palm. The
   baby's head is stronger and she can hold it higher and support her
   body on the forearms while on her belly.

    fivemonthspronewithtoy fivemonthsspoons  fivemonthsclaspinghands fivemonthssitting  
   
    fivemonthsinswing fivemonthspullingtoy fivemonthsmaniptoy  
   
    fivemonthssittingwithtoy fivemonthsproneonelbows fivemonthsinbabyseat  
         
                 
 
                                               Six Months
     While on the belly the baby can hold up her chest and head, extend
    her arms and hold herself up on her hands. Babies can sit with support
    or independently to play with toys. Babies reach, grasp and manipulate
    toys in different positions, start to reach with one hand and transfer an
    object from one hand to the other.

    greendial targetbaby sixmonthstruckplay spoonfifty sixmonthshandtoy

    bluerattle  sixmonthssitting sixmonthseating sixmonthsbookplay sixmonthssittingwithtoy

    sitmonthssitgrasptoy sixmonthseatingcracker sixmonthscrawling sixmonthsbabycup        
                     
                                                 Seven Months

  Toys are held in the palm. But the baby begins to use the thumb side
  (called the radial side) of the hand more. The index and middle fingers
  and thumb press the object into the hand. Babies will begin to use both
  hands to pick up larger objects and one hand to pick up smaller objects.

  sevenmonthtwinssitting  sevenmonthscar  sevenmonthsholdingfoot  sevenmonthsholdingtoyinmouth

  sevenmonthsgraspingmidline sevenmonthsyellowtoy  sevenmonthsunwrappingstring sevenmonthsunwrappingpaper sevenmonthsringstack sevenmonthsstuffedredtoy

        
                                                                           Eight Months
    Between eight and nine months of age, the "digital radial" grasp
   develops.  Smaller objects are held between the index and middle
   fingers and thumb,rather than in the palm. 

    spoonhandseightmonths ballhandseightmonths eightmonthsspaghetti eightmonthswalkingtoy

    eightmonthspiano eightmonthsrattle eightmonthsduck  eightmonthstoys
    eightmonthshammar eightmonthsmanipulationtoy
             
                                         Nine Months

  Babies gradually develop the ability to pick up smaller and smaller
  objects and isolate the index finger to push buttons and point.


  ninemonthstoy ninemonthsgraspingtoy ninemonthscrawl ninemonthscupandpole ninemonthsclapping
  ninemonthsreading ninemonthsnesting ninemonthspiano ninemonthsmanipulationtoy 

                 
                                                    Ten Months
 Babies first develop the inferior pincer grasp, using
 the side of the index finger and thumb.

tenmonthsfood tenstandingbycarriage tenmonthsonhands inferiorpincergrasp 
pinceronsmallfood tenmonthswithtruck tenmonthswithtoys tenmonthswithblocks 

                                              
                                                     Eleven Months
 Finger isolation skills continue to develop to point to pictures
 and push small buttons. Babies love to imitate  hand movements
 such as waving good-bye and can learn simple sign language. 

        elevenmonthscrawling elevenmonthscupplay elevenmonthsmessycupplay elevenmonthscontainerplay
        elevenmonthssittingwithtoy elevenmonthspointingtoy elevenmonthsbrushingteeth elevenmonthsintoybox
        elevenmonthspointinginbook elevenmonthswithpaper     
          
                                 
                                                  Twelve Months
    By one year of age babies can pick up tiny pieces of cereal
   using a neat pincer grasp. This involves the pad of the index
   finger and thumb. They are also starting to manipulate toys
   in a more complex ways such as rolling a car.

   bigcup twelvemonthclasped oneyearballoon twelvemonthstruck twelvemonthsbrushingteeth

   twelvemonthsorangelever twelvemonthseatingcake twelvemonthsonphone twelvemonthsices twelvemonthscheerios

    

                                                 Thirteen Months
    Babies love to fill and dump using storage containers, sand
   pails and bath toys. Coordination develops to turn pages
   in a cardboard book.

   thirteenmonthsholdingrock thirteenmonthspointingthirteenmonthscrawling thirteenmonthspopuppalshands thirteenmonthseatingbread
   thirteenmonthstwocars thirteenmonthscheerios thirteenmonthsdumping thirteenmonthsturningpages thirteenmonthssandplay           
       
      
                                                 Fourteen Months
  Eye-hand coordination develops to place rings on a stack,
  nest cups, put large pegs in a board and place shapes in
  form boards. Messy play continues to teach about touch,
  textures and  manipulation.

  fourteenmonthslegos  fourteenmonthsringstack  fourteenmonthsmessyhand  fourteenmonthspiano 
  fourteenmonthstelephone fourteenmonthsholdingobjects fourteenmonthsbeadtoy fourteenmonthspainting fourteenmonthshose
  fourteenmonthsnestingcups fourteenmonthseatingcarrot 

       
                                                  Fifteen Months
 Babies are busy using objects both in pretend play and
 functionally. They use a spoon, brush, crayons, throw a ball,
 toy telephone and put on glasses. Coordination improves
 to use hands together (such as when opening and closes glasses).

fifteenmonthsglassesclosed fifteenmonthsglassesopening fifteenmonthsglassesopen fifteenmonthsrattle fifteenmonthsball
fifteenmonthsbell fifteenmonthsdrawing fifteenmonthslegos fifteenmonthsskipole fifteenmonthsfork fifteenmonthscoloring

      
                                                   Sixteen Months
   Skills improve to stabilize with one hand while manipulating
   with the other hand.

  sixteenmonthsmanipulationtoy sixteenmonthspencils sixteenmonthsturningpage sixteenmonthscube sixteenmonthsmouse
       
                                                   Seventeen Months
    Fine-motor control develops to hold several small items in the
   hand at one time. Many toddlers use one hand to manipulate
   more than the other. However, children do not develop a hand
   preference until older.

   seventeenmonthstyping seventeenmonthsnestingcups seventeenmonthsredball seventeenmonthseatingpeach seventeenmonthsdriving
   seventeenmonthsdining seventeenmonthswatering seventeenmonthsinsertingcard seventeenmonthsmagnadoodle
     


                                                                                                            
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