If you have a newborn baby around and you’re wondering when is the right time to give him or her their first rattle… for now, you can relax. There’s still a long way to go before your little one will be ready to reach out for a toy and have fun playing with it.
WHY IS THAT?
Well, think about what happens when YOU want to reach for a cup of coffee.
It seems simple because we have mastered this movement to perfection, nevertheless… it is still quite a complicated process…
The first thing you have to do is to locate the object you want to reach. When you judge the distance between yourself and the cup, and judge the weight of the cup (Is it heavy? Is it full?)… then, your brain… imagines and plans the movement.
But there’s no need to panic! 😀 The brain does it so quickly that the action is planned before you even have a chance to blink. 😊
WHAT DO I MEAN BY “PLANS”?
Exactly that! After all, the cup is at a certain distance and so you have to reach out your hand precisely enough to touch the handle – not too near and not too far… not too fast, but not too slow either… When lifting it, you have to adjust the strength with which you do it – after all, a completely different amount of strength is needed when the cup is empty than when it is overflowing…
When you finally bring the cup close to your mouth, you need to slow the movement down at the right moment, otherwise you may spill coffee everywhere or your upper teeth will suffer.
IT’S A LOT, ISN’T IT?
Of course, every day we perform hundreds of such movements without even thinking about them. We have good control over our bodies and our brains have enough information about the outside world to learn, by trial and error, that a mug of coffee is heavier than an empty cup and it’s usually best to grab it by the handle to avoid burning yourself…
HOW DOES THIS INFORMATION APPLY TO NEWBORNS?
Newborn babies come into the world with very little muscle control. Infants have little control over their bodies, so most of their movements come from reflex reactions. The main drivers for infants are food and sleep. That is why newborns usually don’t show any interest in a rattle and… they have every right not to. 😊
The first three months of life are a period of adaptation in which babies learn how to function, how to find themselves in this new world and… how to deal with their bodies outside of Mom’s belly. This is a challenging task….
The ability to reach for a toy will come in time.
Also, have you ever heard about the so-called “Missing Fourth Trimester“?
“IN TIME” – BUT WHEN EXACTLY?
When considering the topic of reaching out for a toy, it is worth remembering that in order for babies to be interested in a rattle at all – firstly, they need to locate it. 😀
The ability to focus on an object or on the face of a person leaning over appears at the end of the 1st month of life. But month old babies are more likely to pay attention to various sources of light or contrasting objects (which doesn’t mean that these are the only items we should show to our little one 😊).
At one month, no toy could ever be more appealing than a face, especially the EYES, of a parent leaning over the baby…
In the 1st month of life, babies can fix their eyes on an object shown from a short distance (about 10 inches) and not in the midline of their body, but from the side. (In the first months of life, babies are not able to keep their heads in line with their torsos.)
Gradually, babies learn to follow an object with their eyes. To make it easier for them, it is helpful to show a toy from the side and then SLOWLY move it horizontally in the direction of the body’s midline.
THE THIRD MONTH OF LIFE
In the 3rd month of life, babies are able to place and keep their heads in the midline (although babies can turn their heads from side to side, they are able to keep them straight for a long time) and they are working on converging the vision of both eyes together.
That is why a 3-month-old baby is able to look at a toy that is in the body’s midline for a longer period of time.
At the end of the 3rd month of life, children can follow an object horizontally (within the range of 180 degrees) with their eyes. They also try to look up and down, thus starting the skill of bringing the eyes down to their feet, which is very important when it comes to integration and development of cooperation between muscle groups.
As the DISTRIBUTION of muscle tension changes, babies’ torsos and shoulder girdles become more stable and their hands start to relax. Just like the head, the hands gradually reach the midline of the body – and children start to bring them together in front of the chest and put them in their mouths.
Putting fists in the mouth is a significant step in babies’ developmental journey.
Bringing the hands together in the midline of the body, putting them in mouth, hitting objects, touching their own body… all of it provides babies with important information, which is the basis for developing consciousness, building body schema, and learning about different relations taking place outside of Mom’s belly.
When we put a toy in a 3-month-old’s hand, he or she will be able to hold it for a while, but will probably do so without taking a special interest in the object: “There is something in my hand – it’s fine,” “There isn’t anything in my hand – also fine.” 😊 The child doesn’t quite understand what to do with a rattle and very often – when he or she bends their wrist – it falls out of the hand.
This is usually the time when parents begin to wonder if everything is alright with their baby… Shouldn’t my baby already show a keen interest in such an object at this age? After all, rattles are for babies. 😊
But there’s no need to panic. 😊 It’s probably not the right time yet. The 3rd month of life is, first and foremost, about working in the midline, learning new things about the body, focusing on an object, and following it with eyes.
Babies, after noticing a toy, focus their sight on that toy. Then, with the use of arm movements, they start to reach their hands towards the toy and even hit it, but they are not able to consciously grasp it.
THE FOURTH MONTH OF LIFE
In the 4th month of life (the period of strong symmetry), babies get better at controlling their bodies – they improve the coordination of their right and left sides. We may even notice their movements change from being random to purposeful, aimed at achieving a given outcome 😊.
Babies, who prop up on their forearms, have stabilized their shoulder girdle so much that while lying on the back, they are able to extend their straight arms upward – into space, against the force of gravity. A stable torso provides children with a good core for making more and more isolated movements.
Of course, there’s still a long way to go before the body will coordinate movements properly. Everything takes time.
In the forth month, babies begin to watch their hands (this has always been one of the most adorable developmental stages for me 😊), put them in their mouths, point them towards a toy, and try to grab and hold it. Not every attempt is successful.
At this point in life, babies cannot manipulate objects. Their movements usually do not look graceful, but quite the opposite – too forceful. Because these children cannot yet calculate the needed speed and moment to grab the toy, they may, instead of grabbing a toy, just hit it.
Initially, babies are more successful reaching for a toy shown above their chest, but with each passing day, they perfect the ability of “bringing the eyes down.”
In time, babies reach for their bent knees and look at them.
By reaching for the thighs, knees, and then the shins, children work on external rotation of the shoulders, which also means lowering the shoulders. 🙂
The ability to look down means there is good cooperation between muscle groups.
In the 4th month of life, children can grab a toy, providing that the toy is brought to the baby’s hands. (The toy touches the hand on the side of the little finger in a way that makes it possible for the child to grab it with his fingers – the so-called “elbow grasp.”)
THE FIFTH MONTH OF LIFE
At the age of 5 months babies can grasp objects more deliberately. Hand-eye coordination gets better and better. Children wanting to grasp an object, locate it with their eyes, open their palms, and adjust their position to reach the item.
Children who used to reach BOTH hands towards an object, now can reach for it with only one hand, provided that the object is shown distinctly from the side.
At the age of 5 months, children start to grasp objects more willingly, move them into their field of vision and observe them. However, the efficient manipulation of objects still requires more practice and time and… more stability in the shoulder girdle.
Despite what it may seem, these are really difficult tasks.
First, we need to control our body position. Second, we have to extend our arms up, against the force of gravity… In order to manipulate a toy, we need small, precise movements of our fingers… closing and opening our palms… Phew… There are so many things to control….
Luckily, the motivation is high because after all, a toy is a really interesting thing. 😊 It makes noise, it spins… It’s very intriguing, isn’t it? 😊
With each passing month, babies continuously improve their skills.
In the 6th month of life, babies are able to knock objects held in both hands against each other and they also search with their eyes for an object that has disappeared from their field of vision. What is more, their grasp becomes more and more precise…
But I will talk about that some more in the near future, as for now I’m not sure if any of you have even made it this far. 😊
SUMMARY:
– While the ability of focusing eye sight on a toy shown from the side, but not from too far away, appears quite early in life (it should already be visible at the end of the 1st month of life), reaching out for a toy is a much more challenging task.
– In the 3rd month of life, children bring their hands together in the midline of their bodies, play with them, and put them in their mouths, but a toy that is put in their hands falls out of it after a while.
– The 4th month of life, babies work hard to reach their arms out into space and working against the force of gravity. Babies watch their hands and bring them closer to a toy that is shown at their chest level. Children are also able to grab an object if it touches their palm on the side of the little finger, but they mostly hit with their hands against the object. They are not yet able to consciously relax their grip, manipulate objects, or move toys from one hand to the other.
– In the 5th month of life, children can consciously grab an object and observe a toy that is in their field of vision, however, they have little control over the object and lack precise finger movements to manipulate it.
– In the following months, babies continue to improve their skills. 😊
SOME INTERESTING FACTS
- In order to successfully grab objects, children need to: fix their eyes on the object, sufficiently stabilize the torso and the shoulder girdle, control the head, and have symmetry, a sense of the body’s midline and… good motivation. That’s why working on reaching for a toy should begin with these elements. In my e-book about fun playtime activities with a child, you can find more information about working on visual focus, sensing the midline of the body, and playing in different positions to strengthen the body.
2. Placing your hand on the baby’s torso can help them reach their hands towards a toy.
3. At the beginning, it is a good idea to show a toy from the baby’s side at eye level and then slowly move it towards the midline of the body.
4. It is worth remembering that bringing the eyes down is a helpful ability when it comes to improving cooperation between muscle groups. For this reason, we should start with showing a toy at the baby’s chest level, then slowly “bring it down,” and eventually show it to him above his belly button.
5. When planning playtime with your baby, remember not to create too many situations in which the child “pulls” a toy towards him or herself. It is important for the baby to work on PUSHING off the ground, working in the upward direction, against the force of gravity… Of course, we should allow our baby to succeed, but we also need to keep in mind that it is the PUSHING movement that helps the baby build central stability of the body.
6. If your baby still struggles with opening up his or her palms, it’s good to try out large, but lightweight toys (like a beach ball) when planning your activities. Large toys can also be helpful in increasing flexibility of a tight shoulder girdle. In that way, your child will be forced to open up his or her palms, to hold something. Babies like to hold the face of a parent too. 😊
That’s all for now 😊 Although, I realize that this blog entry is only the humble beginning of the topic.
You may also be interested in:
You don’t need any toys for fun playtime activities with your baby! Check out my E-book on great ideas for play and development from the moment of his birth to the first steps!
Sources:
- Bly, Lois (1995). „Motor Skills Acquisition in the First Year:” Therapy Skill Builders.
- Dosman, Cara F., Andrews, Debbi, Goulden, Keith J. (2012). Paediatrics & Child Health, vol. 17 (10): pgs. 561–568.
