Neural Contact With the Ground

Babies need abundant contact with flat, safe surfaces from day one of life. No props and pillows, just free-range space where the baby can begin to learn what it means to be and move.

Unfortunately, jolly jumpers, walkers, bouncers, and swings alter and create unstable biomechanics.

We want babies to have appropriate sensory experiences. This starts from a position on the ground!

This position provides infants with the opportunity to experience sensory inputs in a neutral environment. Sensory perception is a prerequisite for motor function like rolling, crawling, and walking.

Every time your baby’s back, legs, head, hands, feet, and stomach make contact with the floor, their sensory receptors send information to the brain about the interaction. They will learn to move one neurosensory input at a time.

Flat surfaces are a neutral and gentle position for their underdeveloped bodies. This position allows for the least amount of artificial stress on their spine, neck, and joints, so they can build strength gradually.

Babies need to get a sense of how their bodies function in a gravity environment. It helps them coordinate and activate muscles in the proper sequence to initiate complex movements.

Reduce Time In:

• Seats
• Exersaucers
• Door jumpers
• Baby walkers or pushcarts
• Baby swings

These products can be counterproductive to their learning and movements. Before all of these products were created, humans learned to move instinctively and gradually. Your baby is wired for success with your support!

Keep in mind that when you stand an infant up, they will reflexively lift one leg. It’s adorable, but it’s a reflex, and it doesn’t mean your child is ready to walk and just needs assistance.

Babies who are used to being held upright need to gradually transition into lying comfortably on the ground. They will gradually begin to enjoy the pull of gravity as they explore their bodies’ capabilities.

Make sure their place to play is safe.

Jumpers look fun for babies, but they do place a lot of stress on their body and contribute to poor posture. Babies need to be able to jump themselves and not have the cords do the work for them.

Swings help babies sleep — everyone needs rest — but if your child is spending a significant amount of time reclined/semi-supine and strapped in, then they will have to make up for it during wake times with lots of free movement.

If you’re concerned about your child’s development, or concerned they have spent too much time in an assisted device, it’s a great idea to have them checked by a Chiropractor.