how do babies know how to move their arms and legs????

Question: how do babies know how to move their arms and legs????

Asked by jesscharlie to Fiona, Jane, Joanna, Michelle, William on 18 Jun 2010 in Categories: General.
- Michelle Murphy answered on 16 Jun 2010:
  
  Hey
  I think we just talked about this in the live chat
- Jane Henry answered on 16 Jun 2010:
  
  Human babies do not initially, they move legs and arms randomly, it takes them a while to learn what to do to get and arm or leg to move, and coordinate them sufficiently to be able grasp and walk.
- Joanna Brooks answered on 16 Jun 2010:
  
  Hi! In very young babies moving their arms and legs is largely a reflexive action – this means it is automatic and they don’t really control it – the brain just sends messages to the arms and legs to move in response to changes in the environment (maybe their mother walked into the room for example).
- Fiona Randall answered on 18 Jun 2010:
  
  Hi 🙂 I already answered this question. Have a look in my old answers.
- William Davies answered on 18 Jun 2010:
  
  Impulses from the brain pass to the muscles of the limbs and cause them to move. The brain can influence this movement even why it is not fully formed (this is why babies kick in the womb). It is important for mammalian babies to move around early in life so that they can get to the mother’s nipple in order to suckle

Question: how do babies know how to move their arms and legs????