Most mammals are on their feet within days, but human beings are much more vulnerable in the first 18 months and nowhere near as capable of looking after themselves.

In the first few weeks a baby is pretty uncoordinated and shows few signs of purposeful control over her movements. Her muscles are weak and undeveloped and her head is extremely large and heavy in proportion to the rest of his body. In the beginning your baby cannot support her own head and her little muscles tend to keep her in a curled up position. Eventually by kicking her legs and moving her arms, your newborn’s muscles will strengthen and as her limbs grow and become stronger he will gain more control over his actions.