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Home › Articles › Behavior › Baby's Gotta Move!

Baby's Gotta Move!

How Movement Affects Baby's Brain Development

By Rae Pica, Children's Movement Specialist

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Still, recent evidence indicates that infants are spending upward of 60 waking hours a week in such things as highchairs, carriers, car seats and the like. That means little to no opportunity for babies to strengthen their muscles – to lift and turn their heads, to push up on their arms, to develop optimal balance, stability and motor skills. It means little to no opportunity for the cross-lateral (right arm/left leg, left arm/right leg) experience gained from crawling and creeping. And because cross-lateral movement activates both hemispheres of the brain and stimulates communication across the corpus callosum (the matter connecting the two hemispheres), being confined affects much more than motor development; it impacts brain development and can later result in problems with reading and writing.

All of these areas of development are simple matters when Mother Nature is allowed to handle them as intended – through the baby's natural desire to move. But when this desire is thwarted, such "simple matters" as upper torso strength, rotation of the head, visual tracking, motor development and so forth become much more difficult to achieve, often eventually requiring intervention from such professionals as physical and occupational therapists.

Let's Get Moving, Baby!
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 percent – 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.

Here are some ideas to get or keep your baby moving!


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