Your little one is just reaching the 3-month mark, and you’ve never seen a baby so excited by their ability to grasp onto things. Every time they see your hairbrush, they squeal in excitement. Every time the cat runs into the room, they try to grab onto his tail. And now that they’re able to pick up their own food, feeding them has become a bit of a challenge!

Grasping is a basic reflex that babies have from birth. A reflex that allows them to develop core skills such as eating, brushing their teeth, writing, reading and drawing. As a baby gets a little older, they become much more able to grasp things with both hands and will develop the coordination to hold small things securely.

As a parent, it can be helpful to understand more about your baby’s grasping, how it might develop, and what you can do to encourage them to reach out and grasp objects.

So, let’s start with a guideline as to how you can expect your baby’s grasping to develop.

How will my baby’s grasping develop?

Newborn to 2 months. At this very early stage, your baby should be able to curl their fingers around yours when you place your finger in their palm. This is a natural reflex which your baby has no control over, which will likely disappear by the time they are 5 or 6 months old.

3 months to 4 months. At 3 to 4 months, your baby’s muscles and hand-eye coordination will be starting to develop. This means that they will actively try to reach out and grab for things. However, they won’t have much control over their grip at this point. Buying something like a baby gym might be a good idea when your baby is at this age, as it can be great entertainment for them and will give them an opportunity to practise grasping at interesting objects.

4 months to 8 months. At the age of 4 to 5 months, your baby should have moved on to being able to pick up large objects like building blocks. Then at 6 months, they should master their hand-eye coordination, be able to pick up a toy and pass objects from one hand to the other. You might also find that they like to shake things that make a noise.

9 months to 12 months. Once your baby reaches 9 months, they should be able to pick up objects with minimal effort and will find enjoyment in picking things up and giving them to you. They will also probably enjoy banging objects together loudly. Once they reach the 6-month mark, it’s a good idea to give them finger foods to try, as this will further the grasping skills they have already garnered by this point.

We’ve delved into the timeline of how your baby’s grasping might develop, but we know that you’ll probably be wondering what you can do to encourage your baby’s grasping abilities over this time.

So, here are some tips!

How can I encourage my baby to reach and grasp objects?

Trying out finger foods. Finger foods are a fantastic way to help your baby work on their pincer grip. Encourage them to pick up foods such as sliced bananas and cooked carrots, and you’ll find that they will naturally move on to using a fork or spoon when ready.

Put a toy or colourful object slightly out of reach. Your baby will find colourful toys and objects interesting, so putting them slightly out of reach will be a good way to encourage them to practise their grasping. Try out objects such as plastic rings, soft blocks and little books – objects they can grab easily.

When does my baby start grasping?

On our Baby Development Journey, we look at when your baby will start grasping.