The palmar reflex occurs as early as birth — and you may be surprised at just how strong your baby's grip is. Even as a newborn, your baby's grasp is strong enough to be almost lifted up if she's using both her hands (though you shouldn't try to test this out — she may let go and fall).
It is theorized that the grasping reflex evolved as it is essential to survival in species, usually primates, where the young are carried in the fur. The infant's ability to grasp onto a mother's fur allows the mother to keep the infant with her while foraging for food or moving from one place to another.
The grip is strong enough to support the baby's entire body weight, a feat few adults can boast of having. The palmar grasp is thought to be a vestigial trait, left over from the days when humans were hairier and babies clung to their parents' coats like little monkeys.
1 | Incredibly Strong Grips
Newborns, as it turns out, are way stronger than they look. One scientist – apparently of the mad variety - dangled 60 newborns from walking sticks and proved that some babies can cling to a pole and support their own body weight for several minutes.
Clenched fists are a neurologic response that occur as your baby's nervous system continues to develop. Your infant's tightly squeezed fists, along with bent elbows, arms and legs, are also a leftover in-utero habit when they were folded into a tight fetal ball.
The palmar grasp reflex — which allows your baby to close her fingers around an object placed in her palm — is one of several newborn reflexes that appear at birth. It's the reason why, when you put your finger or a small toy into her hand, she'll make a fist around it and hold on tightly.
Hands start to open
Somewhere between 2 ½ and 3 ½ months, your baby's hands will start to open up. If their hands are mostly in a fist, here are some ideas to help your baby open their hands: Stroke the back of their hands and see if they open their fist. Gently uncurl their fingers and thumb.
Kids can get nursemaid's elbow more than once. To help prevent it, parents and caregivers should never pull, tug, or swing a child by the arms or hands. Always pick up your child from under the armpits and not by the hands or arms.
If you pick them up by or under their arms, you risk injuring their arms or shoulders. Worse, their head will dangle and could flop around, potentially causing a brain injury. Instead, place one hand behind their head and neck and the other hand under their bottom. Gently scoop the baby up toward your chest.
Lifting or grabbing a young child by the arms can result in a common injury called nursemaid's elbow, or pulled elbow, that causes elbow pain.
“Babies natural way of falling protects them from serious injuries. Their bodies are close to the ground; they're moving slowly and they're very light weight,” Han says. “So, they don't hit the ground very hard—and when they do, their bodies are 30 percent baby fat, and their bones are really strong.
The core helps baby to roll, sit, crawl, and walk. A strong core lets baby use their arms and legs more purposefully. As baby grows, having more stability allows them to move, play, and explore.
Babies gain more control of their muscles between 6 and 9 months of age as the nervous system connections continue to form.
Newborn to 1 month
This is just a reflex -- your baby won't be able to deliberately hold objects for a while. And though they fascinate her, she hasn't yet discovered that her hands are a part of her body. At around 6 weeks she'll grasp one hand with the other and try to pry it open herself.
The Palmar Grasp reflex is one of many infant primitive reflexes - an involuntary movement pattern that we are all born with. You know how infants basically have a death grip - they can grab your finger, your hair, your clothes - that's the palmar reflex at work!
Here's the good news: Babies are resilient. Because baby bones are softer and more flexible than adult bones, they may not fracture. But if they do, they heal very well. A head injury can cause pressure and bleeding in or around your infant's brain.
It is best to hold the baby on demand up to the age of 12 months old. Babies up to this age are still developing emotionally and may require frequent attention and care from their parents. However, you may also try identifying the possible need of the baby.
18 Months to 4 Years
At this age, when children begin to walk on their own, parents often assume that it's time to put the sling away. But there are actually no developmental reasons to stop carrying. Children at this age usually love to be independent.
If the head of a baby is not well-controlled and you are forcing the baby to sit, the baby can be injured because the head will be flopping and can cause injuries. “Again, the muscles there are not strong enough and the brain will not respond to what you are doing. It is dangerous to start sitting a baby at two months.
And don't fret if your newborn's noggin flops back and forth a little bit while you're trying to perfect your move — it won't hurt him. (Of course, never shake your baby because that can cause serious harm.)
Can I kiss a newborn baby on the head? Yes. You can kiss a newborn on the head, and the cases of any infection caused by a kiss are rare. However, staying away from the baby is better if you have a cold, cough, or any contagious disease or infection.
10 to 12 months
You've sent plenty of smooches your baby's way. Now they may blow one back. Being able to bring their hand to their mouth is a major development. At birth, your baby's arm muscles were contracted, and their hands were in fists.
When should I expect my baby to crawl? Many babies will crawl between 7 and 10 months of age [1]. Of course, baby development is on a spectrum, and some babies may be crawling at 6 months or may start to crawl later than 10 months, and some may skip crawling altogether.
By 9 to 12 months, most babies are able to clap, wave and point — though if your munchkin hasn't mastered these skills yet, that's not necessarily a cause for concern. Your pediatrician will likely ask about your baby's nonverbal communication skills by the 1-year well visit.