Rakes food towards self
Typical Timing & Development Window
Visual Timeline & Milestone Benchmarks
What these numbers mean
The average age babies first begin showing early signs of this skill. Before this, it's simply too early — there's nothing to worry about.
The midpoint age: half of babies have reached this milestone by here, half a little later. It's a typical target, not a deadline.
How spread out the timing is. About two-thirds of babies achieve it within one standard deviation of the median (the shaded band, wk 33–39). Wide bands mean a normal range of variation.
A gentle check-in point. If your baby hasn't shown this by around here, it can be worth mentioning to your pediatrician — most often it's still perfectly fine, just later.
About this milestone
The infant uses their entire hand in a sweeping, claw-like motion (raking grasp) to bring small pieces of food or toys closer to themselves. This motion indicates emerging control over the hand and fingers as a unified unit. It is the primary developmental stepping stone toward the precise pincer grasp.
- 1. Encourage the infant to sweep their hands across a textured mat to gather flat, colorful felt shapes.
- 2. Play on a tray with safe, edible 'sensory bins' (like puffed rice cereal) to encourage raking and sorting.
- 3. Model the raking motion with your fingers on the high-chair tray, showing them how to pull items closer.
- 1. Do not use hard, round foods (like whole grapes or raw carrots) that pose a severe choking hazard.
- 2. Avoid wiping the infant's hands or tray constantly during a meal, as this disrupts their sensory exploration and focus.