While your baby plays, whether this be on their tummy, back or perhaps more recently when sitting, they’ve been finding out how to use their arms and hands to reach for and pick up objects. Their arm and hand movements are now becoming more controlled and planned, and this is due to developments in both their visual skills, muscles and coordination.
Lots of day-to-day playful tasks are now becoming more manageable for your baby. Their improved coordination and control allows them to move their hands and place them where they are needed.[1] This is going to be so helpful for them when playing and finding out about finger foods!
These new, more controlled movements happen because of a few different things:
- The muscles in your baby’s arms are developing, meaning they can adjust the position of their hands and arms to more successfully reach for and grab. All the playtimes they had trying to swipe for dangly objects above their head is paying off now!
- Your baby’s arm movements no longer come from their shoulder; they are beginning to gain more movement from their elbow[1] and wrist. This gives them more flexibility with their movements and makes them better able to position their hands.
- Their wrist is becoming more responsive, so if the back of their hand touches an object, they now have greater control over their elbow and wrist to adjust the position of their hand to grab it.
- Their hand-eye coordination is significantly better, allowing them to control their arm with increased spatial accuracy while placing their hands.
- Through lots of repetitive movements, they’ve gained knowledge about hand and arm positioning, as well as the force of the movement.[1] To get here, they’ll have made many errors and missed their intended object several times, but with each miss, an understanding of their own action systems grew.[1]
You might see your baby using their arms and hands differently when they play in different positions, as this affects how well they can reach.
When your baby plays on their tummy or back, they often use both arms to reach out for objects as it’s easier for them to keep their balance. When they start to sit, they tend to use one arm to reach and grab.[2]
Offering your baby lots of opportunities to play on their front, back and sitting up allows them to test out the full range of their new adaptive reaching skills.
References:
[1] Sugden, D., Wade, M. (2013) Typical and Atypical Motor Development. Mac Keith Press.
[2] Philippe, R. (1992) Self-Sitting and Reaching in 5- to 8-Month-Old Infants: The Impact of Posture and Its Development on Early Eye-Hand Coordination. Journal of Motor Behavior.