Most babies are not able to open their hands freely until they reach 3 months. Babies first grasp objects in the palm of the hand with a whole-hand movement. It takes many months before they can pick up an object with the thumb and forefinger. Legs and Feet Legs and feet are the most helpless of the baby's body parts. To begin with, the legs are drawn up in the prenatal position.
Legs also make automatic creeping or swimming motions.
The legs and feet are the last body parts to be controlled by the infant. For example, a baby sits alone and grasps objects with his or her hands long before learning to walk. The main part of the body is called the trunk. The trunk will double and redouble in size several times before a baby reaches adulthood. In newborns, the control of the trunk must wait until the brain matures.