Natural Gross Motor Development: Introduction

So, when I say the term "natural gross motor development", what am I actually talking about? Natural gross motor development is allowing babies freedom of movement understanding that children over time will be able to develop their gross motor movements independently at their own pace. In this way of working with babies, the adult does not put the child in any position that he or she cannot get into or out of. It is a part of the philosophy of movement created by pediatrician Dr. Emmi Pikler (yes, the one who created the famous Pikler triangle) during her work in the 1920s-30s in Hungary. It is now a core part of the RIE (Resources for Infant Educarers, pronounced rye) philosophy founded by the early childhood educator, Magda Gerber who brought these ideas about motor development over from Hungary to the United States. 

Two thoughts on why this came to be. The first being that we are mammals. Have you ever seen a baby animal fresh from its mother's womb stumble, walk, and then maybe even run? In the same way mammals are created to develop their movement on a timeline without any outside intervention, humans are created the same. We are more complex than other mammals so our timeline looks longer; however, it has a natural trajectory all the same. The second being that when Dr. Pikler did her work on gross motor development in babies, she studied that children from wealthier areas had adults who interfered more in their development and were, therefore, not as capable of sitting, standing, or walking with the same confidence, grace, agility, and ability as those children who were raised in poverty who had more time away from adult interference to learn about their own bodies and how movements naturally occured over time.

The other whys are more about the child as a whole, complete, respected person. When children are given the time, space, respect, and freedom to develop at their own pace and move how their bodies naturally choose to, they are given the freedom to trust their bodies. Children have been studied to be more self-confident, calmer, more independent, among other things when given the opportunity for this freedom of movement.

I will start off with a disclaimer that the method of achieving this goes against the majority of mainstream marketing and media. Things you were told that you "needed" and "couldn't live without" or that you see "everyone else doing"  cannot only hinder and impede upon how children develop naturally, but can often be dangerous and have negative effects on the child's motor development potentially long term. I DO NOT in any way say this to shame any parents. I know that parenting a baby can be stressful and hard with conflicting advice coming at you at every turn. I also know that if you are reading this, you are here trying to learn more and as Maya Angelou says, "When you know better, you do better". However, I also recognize that because of a variety of factors, doing this in the most natural, least restrictive way on paper may not be possible or most comfortable for you and your family. I also recognize that there are circumstances where children need professional intervention for a variety of reasons. This is not what this post is in reference to. However, it may give you a lens to advocate for your child when working with professionals who may be less knowledgeable about overall child development. I personally believe that knowledge is power and that we can only make the most well informed choices for ourselves, our children, and our families when we have all of the available information. So, as with all parenting advice, take what serves you and leave the rest.

Sitting: Babies should not be "prop sat" or sat up before they are able to sit themselves up fully independently. This is for a number of reasons. Babies spend so long working hard on a variety of skills before they can learn to sit up independently. All of those skills- rolling, grabbing toes, pushing up, etc. are all done independently and take great skill to master over time. They can do them all confidently and with ease once mastered. However, around the same time adults feel like it must be time for them to sit and place them in a seated position and what happens? They fall over. Maybe not immediately, but they always do. We try to use our bodies, our hands, their hands, pillows, Boppies, or anything else to force their body to stay in this position. However, the problem is that this position isn't functional for them. They do not know how to get there and they do not yet know how to get out of it. This leads to accidents and a loss of security and physical confidence. 

Imagine someone came along and stood you on your head. You would feel very uncomfortable about what you should do next because (unless this is your thing) you don't know how to safely get out of it because you did not get there yourself. 

This also is not great for their physical bodies as their bodies are not strong enough to hold them there and haven't developed the appropriate muscle strength or coordination for this yet. There are a multitude of steps, referred to as transitional positions, that must occur for a child to be able to sit themselves up independently. When they are prop sat, they may skip important milestones or steps in their development which may impact later flexibility, posture, or form and they may be delayed in their ability to reach milestones over time.

Also, once your prop sit your baby, they will be able to see the world in a completely new way than just from the floor or even your arms. They will want to continue to be put into this position and will often protest quite aggressively to being laid back on the floor. Therefore, they will not be given the opportunity to work on all of those transitional positions because they will be so focused on sitting up and you will probably give in as you don't want to see your baby unhappy.

Once your baby can sit themselves up independently, they will be more confident and be able to sit for long periods of time and then safely move out of that position by choice. This sense of accomplishment brings them great joy because this is them learning something that inherently changes their world. To do it for them steals that joy and that sense of accomplishment.

"An infant’s own movements, the development of these movements and every detail of this development are a constant source of joy to him. If one does not interfere, an infant will learn to turn, roll, creep on the belly, go on all fours, stand, sit, and walk with no trouble.  This will not happen under pressure, but out of her own initiative – independently, with joy, and pride in her achievement – even though she may sometimes get angry, and cry impatiently. At the same time, such an infant is following his own movements with extraordinary interest and amazing patience.  He attentively studies one movement innumerable times.  He enjoys and becomes absorbed in each little detail, each nuance of a movement, quietly taking his time in an experimenting mode. " -Dr. Emmi Pikler

Standing/Walking: It should come as no surprise that the same is true for trying to "teach" or "get" your baby to stand or walk. When you use your hands to hold their core up into a standing position or use your fingers to help them "walk" with you holding their weight, you again are skipping over important, crucial steps and subsequently stealing that joy. You are focusing more on that end goal than on the process and the development it takes to get there. Again, there is a whole developmental sequence as well as the strengthening of muscles and bones in order to be able to do either of these things independently. You will most likely create a habit that will put undue pressure on their bodies to be in these positions too early and again not allow the child to work uninterrupted on all of those transitional positions. I won't run through an extensive list of reasons not to interfere here because I hope I've gotten my point across prior. 

Containers: By containers, I mean bouncers, swings, jumpers, walkers, exersaucers, baby seats or anything else that puts babies in any unnatural positions before they can get there on their own. (I am not including car seats in this list. While they are a type of container, they are necessary for safety and should be used with supervision, only in a moving vehicle, and per the manufacturer's instructions and never just to hold the baby wherever you go as this is not only restrictive, but unsafe.)

Let's start with "baby holding" devices. For freedom of movement to occur, babies need time on the floor (not the actual floor necessarily, but on a flat surface like a blanket or a Topponcino on the ground). They need the time,space, and freedom to learn about their bodies, how it moves, and how it feels on a variety of surfaces (aka sensory input). When you place your child in a bouncer, swing, or any other reclined "baby holding" device, you are taking away the time they might otherwise spend learning all that about their bodies. Babies are meant to move and when we restrict that movement, not only are we impacting their ability to learn about their bodies in space, but we are potentially causing or worsening their Plagiocephaly (head flattening) or Torticollis (head tilt and turn in one direction). They were in the womb all squished up for a long time and it is now time for them to stretch out and use their bodies in brand-new ways. 

Other containers that have the child seated and/or moving within them can often have impacts on joint development and on a child's ability to learn how to use their body on its own. They can be put in situations where they can reach something they otherwise wouldn't or be able to get to places that are dangerous. They are at higher risk of falling and of injury in general. They are similar in an adult interfering with the child's development in that these lose that sense of joy. They also act in ways that can overstimulate children or leave the child with this innate need to be constantly entertained and, therefore, they lose out on that time to build their skills in a focused, concentrated, intentional manner. I could go on and on and I probably will later on, so for now I will continue on...

At its core, Maria Montessori's method and philosophy are rooted in respect for the child and observing the child. These are also a part of natural gross motor development and the RIE philosophy as well. The idea of "freedom of movement" is inherently rooted in respect for the child, their abilities, and them moving on their own timeline. It is not rushing through to the next milestone, but it is respecting the child's body and their own process to achieving its milestones. It's also not touching, moving, or manipulating a person's body who does not have the voice or power to speak against this fully. 

Allowing your child the space and the time to develop more freely also requires the observation of the prepared adult. The prepared adult observes the child to understand their likes, dislikes, moods, and abilities. This helps the adult to better understand the baby which helps to improve their newly forming relationship. When the adult is observing the child, they are to give their child their full and complete attention which forms a connection and bond between the two. This also helps the adult to know when they may need to intervene for safety or for a point of frustration where the child has gotten themselves into a position they cannot get out of. This is also helpful in the prepared adult creating a prepared environment by being able to set up the space with objects that match the skills they have observed the child working on.

I could go on for days, but for now I will conclude with resources to help further your own learning on this topic if you are interested. I plan to write more later on about my own experiences with this, tummy time, clothing choices that help aid in this, and much more. For now, if you have a baby, try to give them more uninterrupted floor time and know that they've got this and so do you.