Your 5-month-old just learned to lift his feet from the ground and grab them with his hands. What’s next? Putting the toes into the mouth, of course!
This is such a sweet phase of development. Here is a quick review of the amazing things that are happening as your baby pulls her toes to her mouth.
- Activated abdominal muscles! You can see activity in the lower abdominals from the wrinkles on this baby’s tummy. Additionally, the baby’s pelvis is up off the ground.
- Developing and strengthening downward visual gaze/capitol flexion.
- Developing and strengthening balance of postural flexors and extensors, now in advancing to a diagonal motion.
- Grasping and pulling feet with either one or both hands.
- Activating quadriceps muscles as the leg straightens.
- Stretching out hamstrings from the physiological flexion present at birth.
- Stretching the toes into extension.
- Foot desensitization (with the heel pounding that happens when the feet hit the floor again).
- Tactile input from mouthing, grabbing, stretching; preparing the feet for walking.
- Developing general body awareness.
When a baby discovers this position, they are becoming experts at rolling to their side.
spritelypt 