Grasping enables your baby to play. It is also the first step to feeding himself, writing, reading, drawing and taking care of himself. Your newborn has the innate ability to hold things . However, it may take him about a year to be able to be able to pick up and securely hold things in his hands. By 3 months, your baby will be intensively learning his grasping skills and improve as the months go on.

How babies learn the skill of grasping

Newborn to 2 months : Newborns are born with a grasping reflex. When you touch the palm of a baby , he will curl his fingers around yours. These movements are involuntary for about the first 8 weeks.

3 months : Your baby cannot hold items accurately. She will be attempting to reach for items such as toys.

4 to 8 months : The baby is still developing the grasping skill. At 4 months, he is about to hold large items like building blocks. However it will be a while before she is able to hold small items. Around 4 to 8 months, the baby will try to pick up finger foods and put them in his mouth. He is not ready to hold a spoon steadily. It is a good idea to make sure that your home is child proof against small items that can choke the child.

9 to 12 months : Your baby is able to pick up objects with a little help. He will start showing preference for which hand he wants  to use. However you won’t be able to tell if he is right-handed or left-handed until age 2 or 3. He will also learn how to pick small items with  his thumb and fore finger. Soon he will be able to use a spoon to eat. You will need to show him how to use it and let him give it a few tries at every meal.

How to help your baby develop the grasping skill

You can help the baby by putting a colorful object or toy out of his reach and encouraging him to grab it.  Give the baby  objects he can easily grab . Dont put the object too far away to frustrate the baby.

When your baby is learning his  pincer grasp  ( picking up objects with thumb and forefingers), encourage him to pick up soft foods such as cooked carrots and peas.

Around 18 months , as the baby develops his skill, he will realise he can place many objects he grasps into one thing. You can help him by giving him lots of objects to put in an empty container.

When should i worry ?

By 2 or 3 months, if your child shows no interest in any toy placed infront  of him, cannot grasp an item by 3 months or doesn’t attempt to pick up any object by 3 to 4 months, talk to his pediatrician. You should  note that premature babies reach milestones at a later time that their peers.
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