Is Your Baby a Leftist?
At around 12 weeks of age, babies move both of their arms when you offer an object. Yet by 16 weeks of age, most babies reach out for objects with the left hand…..
But at 24 weeks (6 months) they are back to the two-handed approach. Hmmm….
At 28 weeks, a mere month later, babies will again show a preference, and it is ususally the right hand. You ready for this? The switching back and forth continues.
Fascinating. Dizzying. Some experts say that hand preference isn’t fully determined until the age of eight.
What does it all mean? It means the best thing you can do is support this process of allowing your child to do what feels right and authentic to her.
When she is new, help her hold an object (a rattle, or even better — your finger) in her otherwise empty fist. Gently place your finger at the edge of her fist, then work your way in a massaging motion toward the palm of her hand. Later, she’ll catch on and happily participate in this kind of skin-to-skin contact. She’ll even seek it out, or make it part of her nursing routine.
Next step: Holding objects in both hands at the same time. At least until her first birthday, make it a point to offer toys to her at the middle of her body, or midline. Although hand preference may appear to switch back and forth, it won’t be set for many years and many skills to come.
Toys of different textures or shapes offer your baby endless intrigue. Offer a variety of safe (non-choking, non-allergen) items for her to explore. She’ll taste them, she’ll drop them (she won’t look for them at first — good thing you’re there to retrieve them for her!) – and she’ll choose her favorites. Pay attention to her choices, and try to imagine what appeals to her about the items she likes to touch. You may learn an insight to your child that will serve you well years into the future.
As she grows, provide plenty of opportunities to use her hands in many ways. Play pat-a-cake with her, for her. Then play it again (if she wants to, and she’ll usually want to). What seems like a lot of repetition to you, seems like stimulation and reinforcement to her brain. Toward the end of her first year, age-appropriate musical toys are a great tool for upper body development, coordination, as well as brain-boosting creative play.
Read more Motor Development posts
Carly Jennings | Motor Development | 
| No Comments
»