Supporting Your Child's Development
- drdebmarin6
- Apr 27, 2023
- 2 min read
When it comes to child development, less is more. We are told we need to buy all these contraptions, jumpers, bouncy seats and playswings! Not only do these things clutter our home, but they can actually delay and interfere with the neurological development of our little ones. There’s a couple reasons for that:
1.) Quite often, these devices are introduced to the child too early. Parents are eager to bust out new toys to see how their baby likes them! When this happens the child will often skip learning critical movement patterns that lay the foundation for more complex movements. When comlex movements are introduced before a child is ready for them, it can actually delay their development.
2.) They spend too much time on them. A hands free device that leaves your baby occupied?! Sign me up! Unfortunately, this isn’t the best thing for the baby. Imagine going to the gym for a few hours a day and doing only bicep curls the entire time. Your bicep muscles would be over developed and fatigued and your legs, well, they’d look like chicken legs. That’s the same thing that happens when a baby is placed in the same device several times throughout the day
The best thing for your baby is to allow them to learn and develop movements themselves. Start by putting them on their belly (whether its on your or on the ground). When they are ready for it, put them on the floor and let them move around! Play with them. Gently roll them back and forth. Spread their favorite toys around and let them move to get them. When they are old enough to walk, put pillows and blankets on the floor and let them maneuver over them. This helps develop the muscles of the feet and ankles and gets them used to different textures under their feet. The playground is a developmental heaven! There’s a reason kids love it, and that’s because their developing nervous systems crave it. See what you can do to mimic your kids favorite playground activities at home. What types of movements does your little one love?
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