At what age should you expect an infant to start reaching for toys?

Infants typically begin to show reaching behavior for toys around the age of 4 to 6 months. During this developmental stage, their motor skills and hand-eye coordination are advancing significantly. They start to have better control over their arms and hands, which allows them to reach out toward objects that are visually interesting or stimulating.

By the age of 4 months, infants may begin to bat at hanging toys or attempt to grasp them but may not have the precise control needed to reach successfully. It is at around 6 months when this skill becomes more refined, and they actively reach for and grasp toys, demonstrating both interest and intentionality in their movements. This reaching for toys is also part of their exploration of the environment, supporting cognitive development as they begin to understand the relationship between their movements and the outcomes of those movements.

Other options represent developmental milestones that occur either earlier or later than this typical range for reaching behavior. Infants younger than 4 months may not have developed the necessary coordination, while those older than 6 months might be focused on other skills, such as crawling or manipulating toys in more complex ways. Thus, the timeframe of 4 to 6 months is critical for the development of reaching for toys.