What putting their hands together opens up for your curious baby

Your baby has noticed their hands and has been exploring moving them in different ways. Now they can bring their hands together and will hold one hand with the other, exploring movements as they grip and move their fingers. 

Finding their helping hand

Your baby’s understanding of the world develops through exploring using their senses, they will bring together information from their senses to understand themselves, other people and objects.  

Your baby will now be able to bring their hands together in the centre of their body. This is a significant development as it allows your baby to explore objects with both hands as their fine motor skills grow. In the future, they will use each hand differently as they develop their control, so one hand will be a ‘helping hand’ while the other is used to manipulate tools and objects; for example, when using scissors the ‘helping hand’ will hold the paper while the other hand is used to hold the scissors and cut.  

Using scissors is a long way off, but now your baby is starting to develop their awareness of their hands as they explore and develop ways of moving. Your baby’s exploration of their hands is part of the journey towards using their hands for a range of skills.  

What happens when your baby holds their hands together?

When your baby holds their hands together they will receive information from what they see and feel and from their joints as they move.^[1] The areas of the brain linked to these different senses will build and strengthen connections and also connect to areas concerned with controlling movement.  

Your baby’s movements will help to build the strength and the muscles in their hands and fingers, but also help them to control their movements and develop their awareness of their hands.^[2]

Greater hand control will lead to more discovery!

Your baby will gradually develop more control of their hands and be able to pick up and explore smaller objects. They will use their fingers to explore objects as well as to put objects into their mouth. 

As their physical skills develop, they will be able to pick up and put down objects, they will need lots of time moving and exploring to develop these skills over the next few years.  

References:

[1] Addyman, C (2020) The laughing baby: The extraordinary science behind what makes babies happy.  London: Unbound.  

[2] Cech, D.J., Martin, S.T. (2011) Functional movement development across the life span. 3rd edn. St Louis Elsevier.