The grasp reflex was so sweet! She would hold your finger for hours, but did you notice she could not let go at will? She only broke out of that reflex when another reflex took over and changed her movement pattern. Now that the grasp reflex is gone and he can grasp and release when he wants to, he has much more control over his little world.
Look closely at how he uses his hands and you will probably notice some other new skills
- He is reaching for items by fully extending his arms away from his body. This is a great skill because he can also use it to communicate to you that he wants something. If you do not see this yet, try holding toys or a bottle a few feet away until he reaches one or both hands for it before you just hand him a toy or give him the bottle.
- She orients her hand differently depending on what she is grabbing. If she is reaching for a ball, she will hold her hand in a way that her fingers are more open to grab a sphere verses a slim toy for example. If you do not see this yet, give her lots of practice with different size and shaped toys.
- He is turning toys over in his hands to inspect visually and feel with both hands. If you do not see this yet, help him turn toys in his hands so he can feel and see both sides.
- She may be crossing mid-line. Bringing one hand across her body to reach for a toy that is beside her. This is an important skill that shows us that both sides of her brain are working together nicely. If you do not see this yet, place toys to her left and right so she has to reach for them.
- She is able to shift her weight to the other side and lift her hand from the floor to use it to play.
- She is switching objects from one hand to the other. If you do not see this yet, offer him a toy while he is holding one but hold it near the hand that already has a toy in it so she has to transfer the toy to the other hand to grasp the new toy.
- She is using finer pinch grasps to pick up small items such as cheerios. If you do not see this yet, give her more opportunities to self-feed small pieces of food.
- He is holding a toy in each hand. He will sometimes even clap them together. If you do not see this yet, offer him more than one toy and model hitting two toys together then say “your turn.”
References:
Fox, S. (1999). Baby Steps: Exercises of Baby’s First Year of Life. Berkley Publishing Group.
Leach, P. (1997). Your Baby & Child. Random House.