The 10 phases of baby physical development are:
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1. Shoes
Our somatosensory system (how we sense the physical sensations of our internal and external world), composed of mechanoreceptors, thermoreceptors, pain receptors, and proprioceptors, is negatively impacted when babies wear shoes. Developing a strong and sensitive somatosensory system during the first year of life is vitally important to our lifelong health. Making sure your baby is barefoot as much as possible when doing tummy time, rolling, crawling, playing, and walking will ensure your baby develops a well functioning somatosensory system.
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If you are going to put shoes on your baby, find the most soft-soled and flexible shoes you can find, and whenever your baby is at home on the floor to play, let them be barefoot. Some of the better soft soled baby shoes are Robeez, Bobux, FitKids, and Vivobarefoot. Look for shoes that are flat (no heel), flexible (in all directions), and have a wide toe box. Try to limit stiff soled shoes to photo shoots only!
2. Car seats
Try to avoid long car rides, multiple trips in the car a day, and carrying your baby in their carseat. Keeping your baby in their carseat can be convenient if they are sleeping, but know that sleeping in a carseat is not good for your baby's spine. Know that your baby will develop into a stronger, healthier, and happier baby the less time they spend in a carseat. |
3. Baby floor seats and support pillows
Any device that helps your baby sit up before they can do it by themselves without support is harmful to their physical development. It is hard to resist the urge to get your baby sitting up, but don't rush perfection. Your baby and mother nature have the perfect plan figured out and don't need our devices to help them. Let your baby have lots of tummy time, floor time, and crawling time, and they will develop strong capable muscles that will allow them to sit up unsupported by themselves when they are ready. Any device that helps your baby sit up hijacks their physical development. | |
4. Baby saucers and activity centers
The more time your baby spends in a baby saucer or activity center the worst your baby's physical and cognitive development is likely to be. The movement your baby does on the floor in the first year of life (read here) is essential for the neurological and physical development of your baby. Having your baby contained in an activity center might make your job of cleaning house, doing laundry, or cooking dinner easier, but the trade-off of negatively impacting your baby's development might not be worth it. Try to think of ways to allow your baby free play on the floor where you are still close enough to keep an eye on her and make sure she's safe. Put colorful toys, rattles, stacking toys, and your baby's other favorite things spread around on the floor and let them explore and find them. If your baby fusses when you put them on the floor, make sure to get down on the floor and play with your baby. You'll notice the more time your baby gets to be on the floor, the more they will like that time on the floor.
5. The race to walk
This "walking" behavior in young babies (up to 6 months of age) is called the step or walking or dancing reflex. It is a normal primitive reflex that does not mean your baby is ready to or is trying to walk. This reflex is probably very closely related to the "breast crawl" where newborn babies when placed on their mother's chest immediately after birth will lay quiet for 30-45 minutes and then start moving toward their mother's breast and start nursing unassisted. The walking reflex helps them push themselves up their mother's chest in order to nurse. The walking reflex will disappear naturally in babies between 3 and 6 months of age as the frontal cortex of the brain develops. Remember, just because it looks like your baby is trying to walk doesn't mean they are ready to. Let nature take its course over your baby's first year of life and your baby will walk unassisted when they are truly ready.
6. Baby walkers
7. Baby jumpers
| Like most devices we have created in the last 100 years to "help" babies do something, baby jumpers actually interfere with your baby's normal, natural, and healthy development. Baby jumpers let your baby stand upright and push off the floor repeatedly which is promoted as helping build leg muscle strength. The problem is than being held upright with the seat of the jumper means your baby isn't building the all important balance, proprioception, stabilizing strength, and coordination to stand and move upright on his own. |
It's like going to the gym and only doing leg curls and leg extensions for a month and expecting that to be good training to complete the American Ninja Warrior course. You might have quad and hamstring strength, but not the balance, agility, or coordination to complete the Quintuple Steps, Spinning Log, or Warped Wall. | |
8. Using carrying devices instead of our hands
A quick google search for baby carrying device will come up with 7.9 million results and hundreds of different types and brands for sale. There are wraps, ring slings, pouch slings, meh dai, soft frame carriers, and hard frame carriers. While carrying your baby is much better than using a stroller, the wrong carrier can cause hip or back problems in your baby, and using any carrier too much is bad for your baby. This site has 12 benefits of babywearing which I agree with, but the problem with baby carriers is that they put your baby in one position for a long period of time and restrict your baby's movement. | |
9. Not letting your baby struggle and get frustrated
You would do anything to protect your baby and keep her safe. You also want your baby to be happy and successful. Because of that, you are not going to like it when I say: Not letting your baby struggle and get frustrated is hijacking your baby's physical development. But once you understand why I am saying this you are going to understand and agree with me. | |
Each of the 10 phases of baby physical development might cause your baby to struggle and get frustrated , but know that what is best for your baby is following the same procedure as with tummy time. Get down on the floor with your baby. Engage with your baby. Let them struggle, but also let them know you are there with them. When your baby, as an infant, learns to deal with failure, and then learns to overcome failure and succeed, are lessons they will use to succeed throughout their life.
10. Your lack of function
Getting face to face on your stomach during tummy time will keep your baby engaged and interested in mastering those movements and building those muscles. Getting on the floor and encouraging your baby to roll over for a toy or to reach you is the key to your baby getting good at rolling. Crawling with your baby is the key to your baby mastering crawling. The more time you spend standing above your baby the faster they will get frustrated and the faster they will want to stand up to try to get on your level. This is not good for your baby's development. | |
| When your baby is 2 years old and starts to play on the playground equipment, the best thing you can do is get on the equipment with them and play with them. When your child gets to be 5 years old and start playing soccer, the best thing you can do for them is play soccer with them (or even coach their team as I've done for my kids for 10+ seasons). Family hikes, bike rides, swimming together, playing tag, and throwing a frisbee are the things that will build and maintain your children's musculoskeletal strength and function they need to be happy and healthy adults. |