Does Faster Movement Mean A Smarter Baby?

Are FASTER motor milestones better?

No. They’re not.

There truly is a natural wide variation in movement skills like rolling, crawling & walking. There is HUGE variation between people (babies included!) in their neurology, biology, temperament, connective tissues, sensory processing… and even cultural practices of how young babies are positioned.

Does this mean we shouldn’t care about movement?

Not at all! Motor skills are the foundation of brain development. Positive environments & lots of movement opportunities are really important. But even with all this - the natural variance in ages will still exist.

 

So EARLIER skills don’t mean smarter babies?

It is absolutely true that motor skills are interconnected with cognitive skills. And it is true that government & generic advice can, at times, downplay the importance of motor skills.

BUT to claim EARLIER skills = HIGHER intelligence is misinformation.

It shows a deeply flawed understanding of neurodevelopment & research (read: pseudoscience & fear mongering).

The research looking at future cognitive skills does NOT come from typically developing babies who learn motor skills within the typical range. Cognitive differences or difficulties are a much more complicated picture - these might be babies who have a clinical delay, sensory or movement difficulty, or a developmental risk factor. Even then, motor milestone age is not clearly correlated with cognition.

In summary

✅ DO go ahead & nurture your babies motor development 🧠

✅ Seek support EARLY if you’re worried about movement or progress - your instincts matter & age is not a perfect measure

✅ Be careful with bold statements about milestones and intelligence