On March 7, we welcomed Caroline, kinesitherapist and founder of CAPP, for center pluridisciplinaire d'accompagnement holistique de la femme et de la famille, in Tassin-la-Demi-Lune near Lyon, to Live on Instagram. Over the course of an hour and a quarter, we discussed the free motor skills of babies and toddlers up to the age of 3.
ARTICLE SUMMARY
- What is free motricity?
- The prerequisites: a secure environment and... that's all.
- Baby walking: free motor skills in practice
- Classic childcare equipment, not always suitable
- Free motor skills in brief
What is free motricity?
The motricité libre is a benevolent concept that has been making a comeback in recent years. From birth to age 3 and even beyond, the aim is to give children as much freedom of movement as possible. Unhindered, they evolve in an environment conducive to the development of their body schema, motor skills and autonomy, at their own pace.
The prerequisites: a secure environment and... that's all.
As Caroline showed us on Live Instagram , which you can find on our account @elhee_france, practicing free motor skills with your baby is literally for everyone, and offers nothing but advantages. Since the main principle is to leave babies - from birth onwards - free to move and discover first their body and then their environment, you need little or no equipment, just attention.
Your new essential? A rather firm floor mat without accessories. Free motricity leaves the soft playmat and its pastel-colored arch at the door, to refocus on a much more sober type of mat.
Did you know? Until around 3 months, baby sees in black and white. Red and green colors appear around 3 months, followed by the others, gradually, around 5 or 6 months.
Do you practice yoga or gymnastics at home? If so, you may be using one of these smooth mats, designed not to slip and to be easily cleaned. It's exactly what your baby needs! From the very first weeks, , lying on his back, he looks, listens and turns his head freely to the right and left when you talk to him.
To make the most of this time and allow your baby to develop in complete safety, clear the space around you. Remove anything that could fall or be grabbed, and keep pets away from the play area. They'll be all the richer for the exchanges between you and your child.
Baby walking: free motor skills in practice
Around 12 to 18 months, baby will start to stand up and try to move around, discovering his environment. Mats and cushions will still be part of the environment to cushion any falls, but the rest of the space will be more uncluttered to facilitate the first attempts.
At the same time, secure furniture (especially corners and doors), retire dangerous or fragile items from storage for a while and make sure you close off access to the stairs staircases: you'll be all the safer for it. Shoes are still optional at this stage. Instead, leave baby barefoot to allow him to develop his senses, muscles and reflexes. If necessary, on the tiled floor or terrace, think of ultra-soft booties.
First steps are just around the corner? It's the long-awaited moment for first shoes. Choose soft, easy-to-slip-on baby shoes with reinforced toe caps and non-slip soles.
Finally, keep in mind that self-confidence plays a crucial role in learning to walk. Encourage, applaud and celebrate every little bit of progress!
Classic childcare equipment, not always suitable
Some of the most common childcare equipment is in contradiction with free motor skills, being too fixed, too restrictive or even useless. Would you like to practice free motor skills with your baby? As a physiotherapist, Caroline recommends that you store, sell or not buy the following items :
- the play mat: too soft, it hinders babies' movements,
- the bouncer: the infant is attached to the bouncer with limited freedom of movement, and is often installed in a semi-seated position that is not suitable for him,
- theplay arch and mobile focus the eye and attention, while baby needs to be stimulated and moved on all sides,
- the cosy used as a stroller or extra bed. Outside the car, where it is useful, it totally prevents children's movements,
- clothes that are too big, too tight or too stiff that don't make it easy to move around.
You don't want to part with either of them? One solution to consider is to reduce the amount of time you use them, or reserve them for certain times, so as to leave plenty of free motor time for your baby.
Free motor skills: health benefits
The very philosophy of free motor skills is not to suggest or impose any movement on baby that he hasn't learned on his own. For example, it's inadvisable to sit a child who doesn't know how to do so on his own, without outside help. To fully understand and master the position, he must first go from his back to his stomach and succeed in crawling. Then they can try sitting up.
Clearly, to be comfortable and fully develop his body schema (recognizing and using his two arms, hands and legs, of which he is unaware at birth), a baby needs to experiment, which is what free motor skills enable him to do. If his toys are always given to him in the right hand, from the right side, he will tend not to use the left hand because his body schema remains incomplete. If he always sits under a play arch positioned in front of him, there's no reason for him to turn his head to the right or left.
For example, a baby who always turns to the same side in bed (because that's the side on which the entrance to his room or the window is located), or who too often lies on his back without moving his head, runs the risk of developing plagiocephaly, a common syndrome also known asflat-head syndrome . Practicing or setting up free motor skills areas in your home can help you avoid or alleviate these symptoms. For example, encourage your baby by talking to him from the other side, changing the direction of his bed, or turning him on his mattress if it's set against a wall.
Thanks to free motor skills, every baby and child learns to move in harmony with his or her abilities, learning from failures and falls, but above all from victories. For a child who is confident in his or her own body.
You'll save money!
Of course, this isn't the primary aim, but free motor skills can also save you money. As Caroline explains in our video, a lot of childcare equipment is not really useful or suitable for babies, simply because it hinders or constrains their movements excessively.
Free motor skills in brief
As you've probably guessed, free motor skills are aptly named. For you, it's all about observing and letting your baby evolve as he or she wishes. Your biggest role? Ensuring your baby's peace of mind and safety during exercise sessions. Practicing is easy. Learn to identify the 5 main stages of motor skills: lying on the back at birth, rolling over and then lying flat on the stomach, crawling and then crawling on all fours, and finally the standing position that leads to walking.
- Respect your customer's rhythm without interfering : suggest and make things available, but don't force them or do things for them.
- Provide your baby with asafe, stress-free environment with a firm floor mat, installed in a room that is comfortable and safe for your baby.
- Your child gains in confidence : step by step, success by success, he takes the road to autonomy.
That's it! Free motricity is a bit of all that. Learning to feel your body and use it on your own, like a grown-up, at your own pace, as close as possible to self-knowledge, right from birth.
