Some time ago we published an article on our blog about the importance of your baby being able to lie properly on his tummy. Following your requests and suggestions, we are expanding the topic and today we are going to talk about games to encourage your baby to stand up tall while lying on his tummy. You are very welcome!
What does a high straight-arm support look like?
The correct distribution of the body elements and their involvement in the work of lifting the head off the ground is the foundation of a very valuable developmental activity, identical to the later stages of a young child's motor development, namely high support.
High support - This is a SAFE activity on every child's skill map. It is the result of the hard work the child had to do in the earlier months of life lying on their stomach and supporting themselves on their forearms.
We remind you of the article: "My baby doesn't want to lie on her stomach, how do I encourage her to do so?"
☑ The high push-up looks like this: the head and torso are kept above the ground by means of support with the arms straight or slightly bent at the elbows. It seems very simple, but it is not!
Attention! Often at the same time as high support, there is what is known as backward crawling in the child. This is pushing off the ground with the hands and moving the trunk backwards. Children do this unconsciously, actually by accident, because they see an interesting object in front of them and want to get to it, not yet able to crawl they tense up, straighten their arms and as a result move backwards. Moving away from the desired target instead of getting closer to it causes frustration in children (from small to enormous depending on the child's character). This stage is difficult for the child and the parent too 🙂 but firstly it will pass and secondly it is a necessary stage to go through and the child has to experience it in order to move forward in the future 🙂👍
Why is high support in a child so important?
In fact, any paediatric physiotherapist will confirm that a high support is not so much important, as it is downright NECESSARY for the correct development of a child's subsequent locomotor skills.
It is about developing type skills:
👉mechanisms of support and uprightness, i.e. good stabilisation of the shoulder girdle, which is necessary for precise hand movements,
👉 Tweezer grip - holding crayons and later writing,
👉 Orofacial control - correct tension in the mandible and tongue,
👉 eating solid foods,
👉 speech,
👉 Coordinating trunk and upper limb movements with gaze control! I see an object, I want to get it and I try to reach the goal by all means 🙂 .
👉 weight transfer, the child can rock back and forth and side-to-side, so called counterbalancing play, rocking back and forth is often a prelude to crawling or quaddling, and rocking side-to-side, to an oblique sit.
What does correct (active) arm support look like? What are the differences between active and inactive support?
Active support:
- you can see the child's entire neck and the large distance between the head and shoulders,
- the head is an extension of the vertebral column (it is not strongly tilted back),
- eyes directed ahead,
- chest does not touch the ground,
- the gluteal muscles are tight,
- the legs lie freely (they are not stiff and the toes are not curled),
- palms are open, fingers pointing forwards.
Inactive support:
- the neck is barely visible, tucked between the shoulders,
- the head is tilted back,
- difficulty in focusing on a target in front of the child (e.g. a toy or mum),
- the chest rests on the ground,
- the child often loses his balance,
- legs are stiff,
- hands clenched into fists.
When should a child support themselves with straight arms?
This is an individual issue and for each child this moment will occur at a slightly different time, depending on many factors, e.g.: the child's motivation, muscle tone, the time the child spends on a flat hard surface and many others.
5-8 months of age is the time frame in which high support should appear, but as I mentioned, every child has their own rate of development and depending on many factors, this time may change.
However, you need to know that without straight arm support, the child will not be able to achieve:
👆 quadruple position,
👆 sitting down,
👆 standing position.
How do you practise high support with your child?
The best and safest way is on a foam mat, on the floor. 😊👶
Toys should be placed quite far away or should be quite high. Ideally, they should be in line of sight or above (never below).
1. the so-called wheelbarrow game, e.g. putting the baby over our thigh, over a ball, over a roller. Use whatever you have at home. It is important that the baby has support under his or her hips, not under the abdomen, to avoid compression of the diaphragm and problems with the baby's breathing.
2. placing your hands under the child's chest while lying on the stomach and gently lifting the chest to help the child pull the chest off the ground.
3. Arranging the child in the quadriplegic position and shifting your weight back and forth, so-called rocking.
4. lie down next to your child on the mat and encourage them to climb up for your belly or your thighs. If you put something attractive to the baby on top of you he will try to climb on top of you and lift his chest up in the first place.
Summary
The high support is a very difficult skill and requires good preparation of the whole trunk in the earlier stages of the child's life, mainly in the supine position . The high support is always preceded by a stable support on the forearms (approx. 3 m.p.h.). " My baby doesn't want to lie on his stomach, how do I encourage him to do so?". It opens up new possibilities for the child, related to movement and uprightness. And this is something that every able-bodied child strives for at all costs. 😊
If you have doubts about whether your child is correctly assuming the straight-arm support position, or if you are worried that he or she is not yet doing so - don't wait! Make an appointment for a consultation with a paediatric physiotherapist - certified as an NDT Bobath Baby therapist, Vojta modality or Paediatric Osteopath. Then you can be sure that you will receive knowledge in line with current world standards.
Ania Bernaś
Ndt Bobat therapist, Vojta, sennsoric integration diagnostician and private mother of 2 girls 😊
