Rocking, Rolling, and Other Fun Stuff — The Quest for Balance!

6 October 2021 0-3 months 4-7 months 8-18 months Moving Around Muscle tension Rolling over

Here’s a question for you… What do you think about FALLING?

As adults, we have rather negative connotations with this word — like me falling off a horse when I was trying to learn how to ride, or when I overestimated my skills while rollerblading. 😉 For us, falling may be associated with a feeling of failure, but… is it the same for children?

Are falls an unavoidable part of the learning process?
Should we allow falls to happen, or should we keep our child from falling at all costs?
Why do falls happen, and what do they have to do with development?

We’ll get to these points in a moment, but for now I’d like us to realize one (sometimes not so obvious) thing:

Improving the sense of balance is not just a task for children when they start to stand upright and walk — this process starts much, much earlier.

(I hope you’ll get to the end of this post, because I’ve prepared something really fun for you and your baby!)

Let’s take a closer look:

Generally speaking, balance is the ability to be active and to control the body while functioning within the force of gravity. Isn’t this something babies do long before they even get on their feet?

Just being aware of this fact is significant, because, thanks to this, we can pay attention to what kind of stimuli we give our baby during daily activities. We can also learn to observe our child even better, and notice any of his or her struggles from a wider perspective.

As a result, we can simply enjoy the little things we see in our child’s development; and, if we notice something that may be worrisome, we are able to respond early enough.

BALANCE

Postural (balancing) Reflexes start developing in infancy; and the Vestibular System (the sensory system in the ear that plays a huge role in maintaining one’s balance and spatial orientation) at the moment of birth is the most developed sensory system. This is because its formation begins at a very early stage of fetal life, and throughout pregnancy it is intensively stimulated — not only by the child’s movements, but also by the movements of the mother’s body.

The moment of birth is the moment when the baby’s world changes dramatically.

A soothing dim light is replaced by light that is too bright; the coziness of a small place is replaced by space that is huge and open; hearing Mom’s heartbeat is no longer possible; and a warm, humid environment is replaced by dry and cool air. Even eating and breathing feels different.

But that’s not all: There is also something that has not been experienced before (at least, not in this form) — something that initially poses quite a challenge…

Any guesses as to what this is?

This “something” is the FORCE OF GRAVITY. The whole trick from now on will be to stop it from being an obstacle that hinders proper functioning and, instead, to transform it into a ally with which we get along really well and feel safe.

The beginnings:

The nervous systems of babies coming into the world are not fully developed. Therefore, new babies are not yet able to control their bodily movements and are not yet aware of their place and localization in space. They are also unable to coordinate their movements or to make them on purpose. They are completely dependent upon us, and their activities are dominated by a series of primary reflexes that fade away over time.

So how is it that within a few months or so these helpless little creatures are able to stand on their own two feet and go out into the world?

In a nutshell:

As their nervous systems mature, babies become more and more active; and their individual sensory systems start to work together much better. Because of this, babies are then able to discern a coherent image of themselves and the surrounding world. When higher levels of the central nervous system start to take control over their activities, they become much better at planning their actions. This improved control allows them to decrease the support base on which their two little feet will stomp.

How does this look from the PARENTS’ point of view?

Maintaining physical balance in the first months of life seems to be impossible for the child. When lying on the back, the baby is too unstable; but when on the tummy, the “heavy” head will weigh down the rest of the body and the baby may turn over onto his or her back. Is it a good thing if this happens too often?

Over time, infants start to gain control over their head movements, and begin to “organize” their activities at the midline of their bodies: to join hands in front of their chests, and to play with them and to put them into their mouths. Because of this, babies learn their body scheme and its limits; and they gradually learn to control their bodily movements while working within the force of gravity.

Soon, the child is not only able to focus on a particular object, but is also able to follow that object with his or her eyes. Initially, the movement of the eyes are closely connected to the movement of the head; but, as time passes, that changes and children learn to follow an object with their eyes without moving their heads.

At the end of the first six months of life, the primary postural reflexes (which until now kept the child’s body in place when lying down), give way to the so-called righting reflexes. The Righting Reflexes provide the child with opportunities to have even more experiences with the force of gravity, and they prepare the little one to attain the lifted body positions.

One important righting reflex is when the child, turning from back to belly, tries to make the top of his or her head the highest point — all while keeping the line of sight parallel to the ground.

When we see our baby doing rotations like this, it’s good to note whether or not the head moves to this position with the same ease when rolling both ways.

Another important reflex which we can easily notice in 6-8 month-olds is the Parachute Reflex. Its appearance proves that the integration of the senses of sight, balance, and space is proceeding well. This reflex is necessary for children to be able to assume the “all fours” and sitting positions — as well as to crawl.

More or less at the same time, we may notice the manifestation of the so-called Equilibrium Reactions. Now the child is not only able to control the position of his or her body, but also begins to cope with a situation when his or her balance is somehow disturbed. In a nutshell, we are entering the NEXT LEVEL!

From now on, and in every position that the child assumes, he or she will be improving critical balance skills. And, even in circumstances when the body’s center of gravity significantly fluctuates, the baby will be better and better at controlling the situation.

Okay, but why do we need to know all of this?

To tell the truth, we don’t really NEED to know that much about all of this because nature has cleverly figured it out for us… and most things simply happen on their own. The child has a natural, built-in drive to develop, move, and experience the world.

However, despite all of this, I think it’s really worth diving a little deeper into this particular topic. Why?

Firstly, because we live in a 21st century setting; which, in many ways, does not provide what our little munchkins actually need…

Secondly, the vestibular system is not ONLY about balance!

Due to the fact that it works in cooperation with other sensory systems and is connected to many areas of the brain, the benefits of its adequate stimulation — and the consequences of any possible defects — go far beyond the ability to maintain balance.

For example, did you know that disturbances in the functioning of the vestibular system can manifest themselves in the form of various difficulties at school in later years? A child whose vestibular system does not function properly may have trouble performing the seemingly simple activities of everyday life. He or she may seem clumsy, may have emotional difficulties, and may even have low self-esteem.

Indeed, at first glance the connections here are not that obvious…

But if we look at it closely…

Will a child with disturbances in the functioning of the vestibular system (ie: a child who doesn’t fully understand his or her “place” in the physical world and the interdependencies between objects) be able to slow down at the right moment so as not to bump into a door frame?

Will lacing shoes, writing, doing arts & crafts, etc. be easy for such a child if spatial relationships are rather difficult for him or her to understand?

Wouldn’t the child seem a little clumsy if he or she couldn’t properly judge how high a curb is – or how to avoid stepping into a puddle?

Will the series of failures and difficulties that the child encounters cause his or her low self-esteem?

And that’s the point.

As you can see, this topic is extensive…

OK, but how can I make use of this information?

HERE ARE 3 PRACTICAL TIPS:

CARE & PLAY – Balance training begins much earlier than when a baby makes his or her first attempts at standing, so it is good to pay attention to the kind of experiences we give the baby… from the moment of birth. Baby-Friendly Care that doesn’t interfere with natural development – or properly selected playtime activities – are a fantastic opportunity to easily provide our baby with important developmental opportunities.
PRACTICE – In order to integrate with other senses, the vestibular system needs experience – it needs MOVEMENT, so we shouldn’t limit the child’s spontaneous activity. We also should pay attention to the equipment that our baby uses… A mat, for example, is a really good surface for practicing balancing skills; as it gives the child an opportunity to “fight” against the force gravity in many different scenarios.
MOVEMENT – In fact, our every interaction with the child – be it carrying, rocking him or her in our arms, or walking around the room – provides a certain kind of stimulation. But it’s also good to remember to move in many different directions… and, while rocking the baby, rock him or her from side-to-side, up and down, and diagonally. We can also try gentle rolling or changing the pace of our movements.

How does all of this relate to falling?

Well, none of us was born a master of body control. It takes time and experience to be able to cope with a situation when bodily balance is disturbed.

But, we can get better at it by… practicing!

That’s why it’s okay to let your child fall down if you ensure that it happens under safe conditions (although I’ve stopped kidding myself that it won’t give me a heart attack every time).

Only then, after gaining some experience, the child will gradually learn how to CONTROL his or her body better, how to adjust the tension of individual muscles, and how to… get out of trouble.

Rome was not built in one day! So, how can we require perfection from the very beginning?

The role of experience is extremely important.

Of course, I haven’t exhausted the topic yet; but, before we move on to some really FUN playtime ideas for you, I still have a few interesting facts to share:

FUN FACTS:

The period of a child’s life inside the mother’s belly is very important for the development of the vestibular system, which is why – for mothers who are recommended to rest a lot during pregnancy – it’s good for the mother to use a hammock or a rocking chair.

Even when your child is not very active and doesn’t show a lot of interest in exploring the world, he or she needs vestibular stimulation – so you should remember to provide it. Of course, you don’t have to swing your baby from wall to wall, or jump to the ceiling on a jumping ball: Simple things like carrying, rocking, or rolling your baby in different directions are of great value.

We know that children whose vestibular systems were adequately stimulated at the beginning of life show rapid development of motor skills.

Gravitational security: The feeling that the force of gravity is something constant, that we can feel confident about it, “find ourselves” in it, and learn the relations between our surroundings – is the absolute basis for healthy and balanced development.

NOW SOMETHING SPECIAL FOR YOU — PLAYTIME!!!

Playtime is great for practicing balance! From baby-friendly care, to rocking & rolling, to crawling under and over an obstacle — these are what babies (or rather, our senses) like best!

Have a great time!

You may also be interested in:

This was just a foretaste! You’ll find many more ideas for fun, developmental playtime activities with your baby — from birth to first steps — in my e-book: