Child development is a process. One that seems to be pre-programmed. As a result, our babies gradually get to the upright position and go out into the world on their own feet.
In theory, healthy, developing babies should go through all of the stages of development without our help to achieve their goals.
However, this is not always the case. Sometimes, even children with no neurological deficiencies have trouble reaching the next milestone. Why is that?
To answer this question it would be good to take a closer look at the EXPERIENCES that a child goes through. Remember that we, as parents, have a real and direct influence on those events! 😊
It is well known that in order to have harmonious development, a child needs a VARIETY of experiences. However, it is not always obvious what that variety exactly should be. Do parents know how to implement it and what to pay special attention to?
If you take a closer look at child development, you will quickly notice that babies first achieve head control, then they stabilize their shoulders, torso, hips, and legs. Usually, children first manage to control the body parts that are located close to the core, than those that are further away. For example, a baby can first move his or her entire arms, whereas precise hand movements come later.
These are the so-called developmental directions.
One thing you can’t avoid when speaking of variety of experience are the PLANES in which a child moves.
I know, the word “PLANES” may not encourage further reading, but don’t worry! I’ll do my best to keep it interesting. 😉
When a little person is born into the world, what dominates is the flexion position. Bending and straightening (like lifting the head while lying on the tummy) are movements performed by a baby in the simplest of planes that divides the body between left and right (the SAGITTAL Plane).
THE SAGITTAL PLANE
The Sagittal Plane is an invisible plane that runs through the midline of the body between left and right. When children work in this plane, they primarily bend and straighten.
However, as you probably guessed, working in the Sagittal Plane alone is not enough. Since child development is characterized by fluidity, variety, and complexity there must be something more. There must be — and there is! 🙂
When babies start to experiment with rolling to the sides and then over onto their tummies, they work in another plane. This is the FRONTAL Plane.
THE FRONTAL PLANE
You can imagine it as an invisible plane. It runs exactly through the center of our body dividing the front and back. When moving in this plane, we move our torso from side to side. You can see it well in a baby who tries to roll to the side or onto the tummy.
You can observe then not only the side bending of the torso, but also the so-called Righting Reflex – the top of the head wants to be the highest point in the body and the eyes tend to be parallel to the ground.
Is that all? Is working in these two planes enough for a child to be able to move efficiently in the future and change positions effortlessly?
Absolutely not! The missing plane to complete the picture is the TRANSVERSE Plane. Usually, babies start using this plane around the age of 6 months.
THE TRANSVERSE PLANE
This is where torso rotations happen. They allow movements to be complex and varied. Thanks to torso rotations, toddlers are able to easily perform so-called transfers, meaning changing the position of their bodies from lower to higher and vice versa, and also in the future… to move efficiently. Torso rotations allow the child to cross the midline of the body and separate the work of the shoulders and hips in relation to each other.
Let’s take walking as an example. If you walk without rotating your torso, the whole movement looks quite stiff. You transfer your center of gravity by bending your torso sideways. When you rotate your torso, your steps become smooth and elegant. 🙂
WHY SHOULD ANYONE CARE? – DOESN’T IT HAPPEN BY ITSELF?
Yes, of course! It should happen BY ITSELF. However, sometimes what we as parents do, does not encourage our children to fully and freely explore the world and test the possibilities offered by their own bodies.
WHAT DO I MEAN BY THAT?
The first thing that comes to mind is everything that might limit your child’s mobility and make his or her body position forced in any way. It’s a bit like in the case of hips – it is not without reason that an important aspect of dysplasia prevention is giving the hips full freedom of movement, because only then can they develop properly. 🙂
What may limit a child’s mobility? First of all, I am thinking of modern baby equipment that prevents your baby from freely changing positions when lying down.
For an infant, prolonged immobilization, despite the fact that it looks quite innocent, can have negative consequences. When a baby stays in a car seat, a bouncer, or a rocker for too long, changing the body’s position is basically impossible. Besides, gravity often makes the baby slide down, which puts an unnecessary load on one side of the body. Such babies have their heads tilted to one side and their torsos bent. This certainly does not help achieve body symmetry or build stability of the torso. Moreover, it may result in flat head syndrome — positional plagiocephaly.
In THE BABY BOUNCER – HOW TO KNOW IT’S NOT DOING ANY HARM I wrote more about this.
Of course, if you go on a road trip or when you use a bouncer sporadically (for only 15 – 20 minutes a day), there is no need to panic. If most of the time your child has plenty of opportunities to freely explore the world, nothing should worry you. 😉 Such usage of a car seat or a bouncer should not harm a healthy, developing child in any way.
If, on the other hand, your child struggles with some difficulties, it is advisable to ensure the best possible position in the car seat. When it comes to the bouncer, I recommend getting rid of it completely.
WHAT SURFACE IS THE BEST?
Varied, of course. Babies should be able to test their abilities on a variety of surfaces that differ both in terms of firmness and texture. However, in the long-run I recommend something relatively hard, not too slippery, and easy to keep clean (foam mats work quite well).
Remember to alternate movements whenever you carry, lift, or play with your baby. For example, when lifting your baby, first roll him or her onto the side and then lift — remembering to alternate sides. This helps enforce your baby’s body awareness.
I call caring for your baby the right way Baby-friendly care.
When it comes to playtime, keep in mind what stage of development your baby is in, what he or she is currently learning and working on. Only then, will you be able to plan adequate playtime activities for you and your baby!
Thanks to a broad range of experiences, a child receives diverse feedback. The baby’s brain analyzes and processes all of the information, to finally come up with a whole picture.
Sounds reasonable, doesn’t it?
BETTER LATE THAN… LATER
Sometimes, I receive messages from stressed parents. They suspect that they could have unintentionally contributed, if not to the creation, then to the perpetuation of their child’s unhealthy habits …
Is there anything that can be done about it?
Yes, of course! 🙂 I do not think that any parent would deliberately do something to harm their child. These “mistakes” happen most often when we, as parents, do not fully realize that what we do with our babies can have a real impact on their development. That’s why it’s never too late for a good change! After all, we have our entire lives ahead of us! 😉
A LITTLE BIT OF GOOD NEWS AT THE END
Before you start looking for serious pathologies in your child do not forget the basics. Remember about variety, providing a sense of security, the importance of the three planes. Last but not least, let the child freely explore the world as well as his or her own body – its possibilities, but also its limits. 🙂
So… let’s get moving!
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AND… how are you doing with playtime ideas? If from time to time you cannot think of anything fun, take a look here! 😀
