Besides the fact that they were built to do so, there are a great many reasons why infants need to move. The truth is, even though their movement capabilities are extremely limited when compared with even those of a toddler, movement experiences may be more important for infants than for children of any other age group. And it's not all about motor development either.
Thanks to new insights in brain research, we now know that early movement experiences are considered essential to the neural stimulation (the "use-it-or-lose-it" principle involved in the keeping or pruning of brain cells ) needed for healthy brain development.
Not long ago, neuroscientists believed that the structure of a human brain was genetically determined at birth. They now realize that although the main "circuits" are "prewired" (for such functions as breathing and the heartbeat), the experiences that fill each child's days are what actually determine the brain's ultimate design and the nature and extent of that child's adult capabilities.
An infant's brain, it turns out, is chock-full of brain cells (neurons) at birth. (In fact, a one-pound fetus already has 100 billion of them!) Over time, each of these brain cells can form as many as 15,000 connections (synapses) with other brain cells. And it is during the first three years of life that most of these connections are made. Synapses not used often enough are eliminated. On the other hand, those synapses that have been activated by repeated early experiences tend to become permanent. And it appears that physical activity and play during early childhood have a vital role in the sensory and physiological stimulation that results in more synapses.
Neurophysiologist Carla Hannaford, in her excellent book, Smart Moves: Why Learning Is Not All in Your Head, states: "Physical movement, from earliest infancy and throughout our lives, plays an important role in the creation of nerve cell networks which are actually the essence of learning."
She then goes on to relate how movement, because it activates the neural wiring throughout the body, makes the entire body - not just the brain - the instrument of learning.
Gross and fine motor skills are learned through repetition as well - both by virtue of being practiced and because repetition lays down patterns in the brain. Although it hasn't been clearly determined that such early movements as kicking, waving the arms, and rocking on hands and knees are "practice" for later, more advanced motor skills, it's believed that they are indeed part of a process of neurological maturation needed for the control of motor skills. In other words, these spontaneous actions prepare the child - physically and neurologically - to later perform more complex, voluntary actions.
Then, once the child is performing voluntary actions (for example, rolling over, creeping, and walking), the circle completes itself, as these skills provide both glucose (the brain's primary source of energy) and blood flow ("food") to the brain, in all likelihood increasing neuronal connections.
According to Rebecca Anne Bailey and Elsie Carter Burton, authors of The Dynamic Self: Activities to Enhance Infant Development, whenever babies move any part of their bodies, there exists the potential for two different kinds of learning to occur: learning to move and moving to learn.
Still, recent evidence indicates that infants are spending upward of 60 waking hours a week in things - high chairs, carriers, car seats, and the like!
The reasons for this trend are varied. Part of the problem is that more and more infants are being placed in childcare centers, where there may not be enough space to let babies roam the floor. Or, given the number of infants enrolled, there may be little opportunity for caregivers to spend one-on-one time with each baby. This means, in the morning, an infant is typically fed, dressed, and then carried to the automobile, where she's placed in a car seat. She's then carried into the childcare center, where she may spend much of her time in a crib or playpen. At the end of the day, she's picked up, placed again into the car seat, and carried back into the house, where she's fed, bathed, and put to bed.
Even when parents are home with baby, they seem to be busier than ever these days. Who has time to get on the floor and creep around with a child? Besides, with today's emphasis on being productive, playing with a baby would seem almost a guilty pleasure! And if the baby seems happy and safe in a seat placed conveniently in front of the TV, in a bouncer hung in a doorway, or cruising about in a walker, then what's the harm? It's a win/win situation, isn't it?
In fact, it isn't. Being confined (as one colleague says: "containerized") affects a baby's personality; they need to be held. It may also have serious consequences for the child's motor - and cognitive - development.
Other trends in today's society having an impact on infants' opportunities to move are the inclination to restrict, rather than encourage, freedom of movement and the misguided belief that early academic instruction will result in superbabies. (In 1999, 770,000 copies of infant software - "lapware" - were sold!)
Humans are meant to move and play. The inclination - the need - is hardwired into them. Babies, in fact, spend nearly half of their waking time - 40% - doing things like kicking, bouncing, and waving their arms. And while it may appear all this activity is just for the sake of moving, it's important to realize a baby is never "just moving" or "just playing." Every action extends the child's development in some way.
Rae Pica is a children's physical activity specialist and author of Your Active Child: How to Boost Physical, Emotional, and Cognitive Development through Age-Appropriate Activity (McGraw-Hill, 2003). Rae speaks to parent and education groups throughout North America. Visit her and read more articles at http://www.movingandlearning.com.
Thanks to Christine for sharing this picture of Cai-Anthony.
Add your child's face to the gallery
More Wordless Wednesday posts at About.com
More Wordless Wednesday Posts from other bloggers
...
Is it metal fragment week or something? Earlier this week, Strawberry Nesquik was recalled due to aluminum fragments and now 1-ounce bottles of Infants' Mylicon Gas Relief Dye Free...
I was just reading an article in the Standard-Examiner about exercising while pregnant. Two experts were quoted on how breastfeeding moms keep more weight on than formula-feeding moms. ...
Here are 15 spectacular sites I happened upon this last week that I found informative, funny, real or otherwise enjoyable that you might also enjoy checking out. Feel free...
Thanks to BCSHOTTS for sharing this picture of Wentzle.
Add your child's face to the gallery
More Wordless Wednesday posts at About.com
More Wordless Wednesday Posts from other bloggers
...
How you long to give your baby a real bath and that umbilical stump just won't cooperate. I get questions like "Why hasn't it fallen off yet?" all the...
That's right. November is the time to celebrate that ooey-gooey, stick-to-the-roof-of-your-mouth treat -- peanut butter. There are a lot of reasons to love peanut butter. It's a...
Thanks to Teresa for sharing this picture of Kaya.
Add your child's face to the gallery
More Wordless Wednesday posts at About.com
More Wordless Wednesday Posts from other bloggers
...
One of the easiest and safest ways to carry your child around is via an infant carrier or baby backpack. Of course, if you plan to take advantage of a backpack it is vital that you follow some key safety tips and recommendations.
When I had my firstborn I thought I new everything there was to know about raising children. I had read all the books, interviewed all my friends, come from a family full of 'wise' people? you get my meaning.
I remember very clearly the first day we brought our oldest daughter home from the hospital. Lucky for me my husband is a car seat technician, so I had no worries that we had installed our Graco infant carrier correctly.
To the uninitiated parent, buying a car seat for your child can seem technical at best. There are a dozen terms designers and retail stores use to describe car seats, their various accessories and features.
There is nothing more fun than getting your baby used to the water on a warm sunny day. If you are trying to acclimate your baby to the water or just teaching the basics of kicking and splashing, you will want a quantity of baby pool floats available.
It doesn't make sense does it? You do everything possible as a new parent to keep your baby healthy and happy. So why is it, your baby decides to start screaming inconsolably right around dinner time? Just when you need it least.
Are YOUR Stuffed Animals DIRTY? Stuffed animals and dollies can lead a hard life, if they're loved. Whether they sleep with you, tag along to play dates or Day Care, play hide and seek in the back yard, or just cuddle up by the TV sharing your snacks, they can really get dirty.
Baby slings are one of those things that have been in existence for thousands of years but have only just recently made a comeback in modern society. It's hard to imagine how previous generations of mothers manage without something like baby sling carriers to help them carry their babies.
Some parents have the shock of hearing their young child start stammering as a toddler. I am somebody who runs a speech centre in Birmingham, England, I now help people to achieve fluency.
You have a baby shower planned for a friend; you have organised the invitations, and sent them out to everyone on the list. You have even planned the food that is going to be available at the shower.
Congratulations! You're a new parent and you've brought your precious, beautiful baby into the world. You want to shout from the rooftops that you have this wonderful bundle of joy and you are so proud! You have seen or heard about online birth announcements before, and realize that they are a quick, easy, and no hassle way of spreading the news of the birth of your precious baby.
Even though it's a popular shower gift, you may want to choose a specific type of diaper bag, either because you've learned through experience what works and what doesn't, or your friends and relatives have given you tips on what to look for or avoid.It's pretty elementary to figure that you're going to need room.
When you have already made the decision not to use cloth diapers, your next decision will be how to choose a diaper pail for disposable diapers.To some degree, cloth diapers will give off less odor than disposables, because they are not as absorbent, and parents often rinse out some of the urine, and dispose of solids by using liners for their cloth diapers.
Installing a car seat correctly is the most important thing you can do to protect your child or newborn if you are in a crash. If you ever doubted how important a car seat is you'll change your mind once you realize the shocking facts about automobile accidents.
