Newborns have a huge number of reflexes that are present at birth. Grasping is one. The newborns wrap their tiny fingers around anything that comes in or put in their hands. At the time, the baby is two months old, this reflex action begins to disappear. Baby’s fists, which used to be always clenched up together, start opening up. The baby may also try to grab things that are within his/her immediate reach, such as his/her mom’s clothing or hair. He/she may also try to explore these things and try to put them in the mouth, after grabbing them. This is the time, when small things such as buttons, bright colored pills and coins should be kept out of their reach, otherwise they may try to pick it up and swallow them.
Right after your child is born, up to a period of two months, he/she would start to grab things. The baby would drop the things within a few seconds after holding them, because the grasping skills are not refined at this stage. When you touch your child’s palm gently, he/she will curl his/her tiny finger around yours. These movements are inherent in the newborn and would continue to be involuntary for the first eight weeks post birth. Your baby would clench in his/her fist during this stage. He/she would also begin to open and close his/her fist at this time. The infant would even try to grab soft objects such as stuffed animal.
By the time, your baby is three months old; he/she would develop the skill of eye-hand coordination. After noticing things your baby would like to hold, he/she would attempt to grasp them. During this stage, lay your child on a soft mat. Let him/her swipe at attractive things hanging above him/her. As the child grows one month older, he/she would try to pick up larger objects such as plastic blocks, although he/she would be unable to hold a tight grip. This is because the finger dexterity is still not developed in the baby. When the infant is five to six months old, he/she will close their fingers and grasp an object placed in his/her hand. Even if something strokes your baby’s palm, he/she would immediately close his/her fingers in order to grasp, which is called the palmar grasp. This grip can be strong at times. The baby may also release their grip suddenly. Just touch your kid’s palm - he/she will curl his/her fingers around yours.
Pincer grasp is a developmental milestone for the infants. When your little one is nine months old, he/she would learn the pincer grasp or the ability to pick up very small objects, between the index finger and the thumb. In fact, it is the foundation of the activities such as coloring and eating. As part of your child care role, the best way to inculcate pincer grasp in your child is to give him/her soft, lightweight objects with different and interesting textures. Make sure that the things you give your toddler, in order to explore them, are not hazardous.
