Mummylicious Diary: Baby milestone : Importance of Pincer Grip

The smallest details attracts Baby PP at this stage. Like Miss Bunny's butt. Nice.

Baby's pincer grip in action.

Last post it was about Baby PP's development and one of it was the pincer grip. I never realised how important this one is until i read about it. I mean, what could be so important about my baby learning how to pinch her mummy's delicate skin until i have red marks all over my face and chest?

Apparently, a lot.

And it hurt a lot too! Jeez, this little gal really knows how to pinch (friends, i know, karma of the pinching mummylicious)

Little did i know that mastering this skill is one of the most important milestone for your baby. It basically means your baby have mastered coordinating her thumb and forefinger which means picking up tinytiny random things on the floor to eat, buttoning herself up, write "i love mummy" without daddy's help, stealing a cookie...that sort of thing your hands do on a daily basis you dont even compute them anymore.

"For early childhood experts, the pincer grasp marks a momentous developmental milestone, showing that a baby's brain, muscles, and nervous system are becoming highly synchronized and capable of increasingly sophisticated coordination." said an article by Wondertime.

Yay baby PP! you are capable of increasingly sophisticated coorinations that will make Mummylicious goes extra paranoid whenever you sit still with mouth in munching motion!

If based on certain articles that list what to expect from Baby PP at this stage, she fits nicely around average marks. some she have mastered by 5 months. some, just at the 'normal' stage, some...not there yet but getting there. I'm not worried because after reading so much about baby's development, you know that all babies develop at their own rate...these articles are merely guidelines and average development rate. (See development guides below)

So what does my favourite reference, BabyCenter have to say about pincer grip?

"Once your baby perfects grasping, throwing isn't far behind, so watch out — many babies enjoy hurling their toys. By the time he's a year old, he'll enjoy playing ball, stacking towers, and banging things together."

Thanks BabyCenter. Duly noted. already happened. Baby PP is one of those baby that enjoy hurling toys..food...bibs...sippy cup...

But how else to encourage baby to use their pincer grip if yours havent? Easily by play. Secondly, by food. Or combine both!

1. Baby is hungry. baby sees food...or something resembling food. Baby will try all their might to pick up food to put in mouth.

2. If baby is bored. baby will play with food. at least it is safe if it ends in the mouth.

Therefore, finger food = play = developing motor development

BabyCenter noted "To stimulate your baby's grasping reflex, try putting a toy or colorful object slightly out of his reach and encouraging him to grab it. (Don't frustrate him by putting it so far away that he can't get it, though.) Give him lots of objects he can easily grasp, too, such as soft blocks, plastic rings, and board books. Later, when he's working on his pincer grasp, encourage him to pick up soft finger foods such as peas and cooked carrots — perfectly good manners until he masters that spoon. To guard against choking, it's a good idea to keep foods like nuts or raw carrots, and other foods that don't dissolve in water, away from him."

I say giving baby finger food is one of the best way to stimulate pincer grip to a baby. This definitely worked with Baby PP especially with her wholemeal bread breakfasts and something soft steamed cube of apples or carrots since she was 6 and half months old.

And toys with different textures and shapes intrigues Baby PP too. She loves her G-Na's meticulously small beaded pillow. She would try to pick the beads out one by one. Must observe this exploration obviously. I will end up paying the bald pillow.

So i shall leave you with Baby PP's favourite things to test her little fingers by pointing, touching, going through the chain etc of..jewellery. She is holding strong to her Kelantanese root this baby is. (and no, that is NOT Mummylicious side. Biaq pi la dia.