6 to 18 months
The period from 6 to 18 months is crucial for developing gross motor skills. Parents often notice significant changes as their baby begins to sit, crawl and eventually walk. However, some children may show delays in reaching these milestones.
Typical development
| Gross motor skill milestones | Age range for start of skill |
|---|---|
| Sitting | 4 to 7 months old |
| Crawling | 7 to 9 months old |
| Cruising | 8 to 10 months old |
| Walking | 10 to 15 months old |
If a child is not walking independently by 18 months, they are considered delayed in their gross motor skills. These delays can impact other areas of development, including speech and social skills.
Common parental concerns
- Your child is not sitting up by 7 months.
- Your child is not crawling by 9 months.
- Your child struggles to stand or cruise along furniture.
- Your child is not walking by 15 months.
- Your child has difficulty with balance and coordination.
Common conditions that may contribute
Common conditions that could contribute to delayed gross motor skills in infants aged 6 to 18 months include:
Treatments that may support
Treatments that may support infants aged 6 to 18 months old with delayed gross motor skills include:
What to do when you are concerned.
See your Family Doctor to discuss your concerns about your infant, they may then
refer you to a Paediatrician or a Paediatric Physiotherapist to assess your child. Here
at Sydney Kids Physio, you do not need a doctor’s referral to see one of our Expert
Paediatric Physiotherapists. Just reach out to us:
@sydneykidsphysio on Facebook
@sydneykidsphysio-neeshagan on Instagram
The importance of Special Needs referral and support.
ntensive Early Intervention Paediatric Physiotherapy is vital for children with special needs to improve their movement and achieve their full potential. Early therapy can prevent the “snowball effect” of frustration and social isolation, helping children develop their gross motor skills and integrate successfully into social and school environments.
Information for parents
As parents, you know your child best. If you feel and see something happening in your child which makes you worry or concerns you, trust your gut instinct. Even if the medical professionals, friends, family and well wishers say to you that “you are overreacting and paranoid”, it doesn’t hurt to speak to a trained and experienced Paediatric Physiotherapist about your concerns for your child.
Here at Sydney Kids Physio, our Expert Paediatric Physiotherapists have been helping families and children since 2006. We see babies as young as 1 week old, including premature babies who might actually be 0 weeks old for corrected gestational age, to assess their gross motor skills development to make sure that babies aren’t delayed in their gross motor skills because of underlying neurodevelopmental conditions. The most common reasons why babies are delayed include low muscle tone, undiagnosed developmental delay, Cerebral Palsy and rare genetic disorders. Early Intervention Paediatric Physiotherapy can effectively manage and treat these neurodevelopmental conditions to help babies achieve their best potential and prevent secondary complications such as behavioural tantrums due to frustration, muscle contractures and neurological scoliosis.
The common misconceptions we see in the community are parents are told their baby is just small and so they are weak or that their baby is just lazy and they will move when they are ready to move. In reality, Paediatric Physiotherapy can help babies improve their core strength, balance and coordination to help babies learn to roll, sit, crawl and walk by 18 months old.
If you are concerned about your baby’s gross motor skills development, reach out to Sydney Kids Physio to speak to one of our Expert Paediatric Physiotherapists. You don’t need a doctor’s referral to see a Paediatric Physiotherapist in Australia. Take advantage of our 15 minute FREE PHONE CONSULTATION.
We're only ever a phone call away.
Information for specialists
As Paediatric Physiotherapists, we are often working closely with General Practitioners, Paediatricians, Neurologists, Orthopeadic Specialists, Paediatric Occupational Therapists, Speech Pathologists, Dietitians, Feeding Therapists, Psychologists, Behavioural Therapists, Optometrists, Behavioural Optometrists, Orthotists and Podiatrists to help little ones achieve their best potentials.
Unfortunately, there are still many healthcare professionals who are unaware of what Paediatric Physiotherapists can do to help children with neurodevelopmental conditions improve their gross motor skills to achieve their milestone. The common myth that Healthcare professionals have about Physiotherapy is that a child has to be 2 years old before they can be considered to be delayed in their gross motor skills to need Early Intervention Paediatric Physiotherapy. In reality, even premature babies and newborns as young as 1 week old can benefit from Early intervention Paediatric Physiotherapy.
The issue with delays in a child accessing Paediatric Physiotherapy services is the missed opportunities to help a child achieve their gross motor skills milestones within normal chronological age range and at times resulting in a child not being able to walk. Early Intervention in the first 3 years of life takes advantage of brain neuroplasticity to change the developmental trajectory of a child with neurological conditions.A child is never too young to start Paediatric Physiotherapy.
If you are a Medical Professionals seeing a baby who seems to have poor head control, low muscle tone, high muscle tone or is missing their gross motor milestones, it is worthwhile referring them for Neurodevelopmental Physiotherapy to promote their gross motor skills.
Reach out to Sydney Kids Physio to speak to one of our Expert Paediatric Physiotherapists about your concerns about the child you are seeing to find out if we can help improve their gross motor skills to allow them to increase their social participation with their peers and family. Together we can help more children build great foundations for bright futures.
We're only ever a phone call away.
Welcome
The Dream Team
It takes a village to raise a child, and that saying is never more true when you have a child with Special Needs. At Sydney Kids Physio, you can be assured that our team is committed to helping you equip your child with the skills they need to achieve their best potential.
Our Team led by Neesha Gan, an Expert Paediatric Physiotherapist with over 26 years of Physiotherapy experience, lives by our core values to deliver Expert Knowledge with Empathy, Respect and Transparent Communication. We understand that the journey of parenting is a lifelong journey filled with the greatest joys and the deepest sorrows which can be overwhelming and daunting at times. We have walked that journey together with thousands of families, and we believe that working together, we can and must create great foundations for bright futures. We look forward to being a part of your family’s journey.
