Nine months in the mother’s stomach, the child is in a state of weightlessness. Having been born, he still does not know anything about his body. The fragile muscles are in a peculiar tone and cannot yet serve the crumb fully. In the first months after birth, the baby’s movements are unconscious and chaotic. The limbs do not seem to belong to him, so parents during this period may notice that the newborn is afraid of his hands. A sudden touch of the handles on the body, scratching scare the child. He shudders, wakes up and cries.
Why is the baby scared of his hands?
Infants first recognize only the mouth as part of their body, because sucking reflex is present in the prenatal state and by the birth of a child is already fully formed. The development of other parts of the body occurs gradually.
After birth, the hands of children are almost all the time clenched into fists and relax only in a dream. And although there is an unconditional grasping reflex, until about 2-3 months the child does not own his own hands. Up to this age, the baby's grasping movements are reflective, the child grabs what touches the palm of his hand or is close to it (Robinson's reflex). This explains the presence of uncoordinated actions: pinching, grabbing, scratching, which so frighten the child.
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How to help the baby?
In the afternoon, when the child is awake, it is not often afraid of hands, this is due to the fact that the baby accidentally scratches himself and then cries from pain. Therefore, it is necessary to ensure that the nails are short cut, and wear anti-scratches. It is more convenient when they are attached to the sleeves. Many babies take off individual scratches.
During sleep, sudden waving and grabbing really scare the baby. In order for him not to be afraid of his hands, the newborn is swaddled.
Modern pediatricians advise "free" swaddling, which preserves the natural position of the limbs and the possibility of movement.
"Tight" swaddling, which was used before, can inhibit the development of motor, tactile and other skills of the baby.
"Free" swaddling promotes a faster acquaintance of the newborn with his own hands. Therefore, swaddle with handles should be no longer than the first month, and in the future, up to three months, only swaddle legs. After 3 months, there is no sense in swaddling, since from this age the unconscious grasping reflex begins to fade and the formation of voluntary grabbing begins.
Read on: Swaddling Pros and Cons
