It’s no small task, making sure your baby is hitting all their milestones while working, possibly taking care of other children, and hopefully remembering to drink enough water. Fine motor skills development links your baby’s brain and body, helping them develop both cognitively and physically. So, we’re outlining some simple and creative ways to set your little one up for success when it comes to their fine motor skill growth.
Start small by putting toys like rattles in your infant’s palm and then wrapping your hand around theirs to grasp it. This is a great way to help your baby learn how to interact with the objects around them. Learning to hold and eventually shake a rattle helps babies develop essential muscles in their wrist, hand, and fingers that will help them with later stages of fine motor development. These little muscles eventually contribute to big milestones like holding their own utensils and grasping crayons for their first precious doodles.
Finger painting, playing with food, poking around in clay — oh my! That’s right, put a beach towel down and let it happen. It may go against every instinct in your body, but we’re promoting messy playtime with a purpose here. Let your little one make you a piece of abstract art to help stimulate their self-expression and creativity. Toys and products with novel colors and textures are a great way to keep babies interested and learning. Bring more color into their bedtime routine with our new Doodle print, part of the Daydream Collection; art no longer needs to be just a daytime activity.
A key element in any infant’s motor skills development is consistent sleep. Unfortunately, if you think it’s difficult for you to catch some z’s, it’s even more complicated to figure out a baby’s sleep cycle and ensure regenerative sleep. But before you start wondering how in the world to get your restless little one to sleep soundly, there are lots of tips and tools to help new mamas and papas through the sometimes rough nights of early parenthood. Gently weighted Zen Sleepwear helps your baby get back to deep sleep when wake-ups happen, for longer sleep at nighttime and naptime.