During the first six months, a baby's hands go through significant development. Initially, newborns have their hands in a tight fist most of the time. Around 1-2 months, they start to open their hands more and bring them to their mouths. By 3-4 months, they begin to grasp objects placed in their hands and bring them closer to inspect. Around 5-6 months, babies start transferring objects from one hand to the other and develop better hand-eye coordination. This progression in hand movements is crucial for their cognitive and physical development.

From the moment a baby is born and exhibits the first grasp reflex to the refinement of fine psychomotricity, a child's hands evolve and transform. We can stimulate the development of psychomotricity by playing with our child and offering them different objects and materials. Let's see how a baby's hands evolve during their first six months of life.

A newborn's hands

A newborn will keep their fists clenched almost all day, which is characteristic of young babies up to 2 months old. In their first few weeks, babies tightly close their fists by placing their thumb over their other fingers.

They make imprecise movements, in addition to the palmar grasp reflex, and this can be observed if we offer them our finger, as they will grasp it firmly. Over the weeks, the child will be able to hold and release objects.

Between two and three months

By the age of two months, a child's hands begin to open and they clumsily start touching everything near them. They have learned to hold things that are given to them, although they still do not have enough strength to grab them on their own. During this stage, they will love soft objects like stuffed animals or blankets and will enjoy exploring toys with their mouths.

At this time, the baby will start reaching out their arms to try to grab what they want.

From the fourth month onwards

The child will spend a lot of time observing their hands with curiosity and will discover that they can move them as they please. During this stage, it is important to let the baby make an effort to get what they desire, in order to develop their ability to estimate distances.

Around 5 to 6 months

At this stage, your baby will be able to grasp things with their hands open, they will shake objects, and have better coordination of their movements. This is due to their developed hand-eye coordination and visual depth perception.

How can you help your baby discover their hands and exercise them?

We must provide an environment that encourages the baby to use their hands. Although the brain is ready to master this skill, practice is needed:

• From two months old, you can choose to put on brightly colored gloves that will catch their attention.
• Help them experience different objects and textures that will allow the baby's brain development, such as their blanket, a rattle, a little bit of baby food, a cookie, etc.
• Hold their hands and stroke them while describing the sensations you perceive: "Am I tickling you?" or "Your hands are so cold!"
• Teach them to communicate with others: To greet, say goodbye, and blow kisses with their hands.
• You can make the child aware that their hands are part of their body by teaching them songs and games that involve hands, like "Five Little Wolves" or "This Little Piggy".
• Leave toys within their reach that they can comfortably hold and observe. You can even place them in their floor gym and encourage them to grab the hanging toys.