When your baby learns to crawl and walk, what are the developmental milestones that he must ideally achieve? Here’s a list to help you keep track of them.
As a parent, you want your child to have every advantage, to be able to enjoy and explore the world around him with ease.
Motor development is a way for your curious little one not only to indulge his sense of adventure, but to also allow your child to explore the world around him, which adds to his learning. So you do your best to enhance this faculty, through exercises, activities, and proper guidance.
But did you know that even the simplest things might keep them from developing key motor skills?
Something as simple as a lawlaw (saggy) diaper, for instance!
You see your baby’s diaper sagging around his knees — but why? Didn’t you just change it for him a few hours ago? What went wrong?
Not your fault, mom, it’s the cheap lawlaw diaper!
More than a cleanup nightmare
Aside from being a cleanup nightmare, lawlaw diapers can keep your baby from playing and moving about freely.
According to Go Naked: Diapers Affect Infant Walking, a 2012 study from the US National Institute of Health, saggy or lawlaw diapers may hinder your child’s ability to walk properly.
However, it seems that parents in the Philippines are not too aware of this correlation. This is confirmed by a survey that Pampers conducted throughout the country. The findings were discouraging: only 8% of moms in the Philippines think that lawlaw diapers can affect how babies move.
This is not a simple matter, moms. Parents should know that sagginess is detrimental to the development of motor skills. You ask how?
For your benefit, we delve deeper into this matter and present you a list on the essential movements of your baby that are hindered by having a pesky lawlaw diaper
1. Crawling
When babies are seven to 10 months, they start to crawl. According to medical research, crawling is crucial for a baby’s development. It strengthens the trunk, shoulders and hand muscles, and stimulates different areas of the brain that are important for future learning.
For example, according to Heather Haring of MedCentral Pediatric Therapy, “when a child begins crawling, this repetitious movement helps stimulate and organize neurons, allowing his brain to control cognitive processes such as comprehension, concentration and memory.” In other words, when an infant crawls, he visually determines which direction he wants to go to and physically moves in that direction. That’s how his hands become his guides and his first test of hand-eye coordination is established. This skill set is used later in life for reading, writing and sports activities. Now, if a baby crawls with a lawlaw diaper, they can be discouraged from exploring on all fours, which can slow down brain stimulation and hand-eye coordination.
2. Shuffling
Crawling is just one of the ways a baby starts his movements. But that’s not all.
Did you know that not all infants start with crawling? Some learn to walk by shuffling on their bottom first, while supporting themselves with one hand. Some shuffle around on their tummies, also known as the commando crawl. It is again a function of brain and body coordination.
Clearly, this shuffling won’t come easily to the baby with a lawlaw diaper!
3. Walking
Between eight to 10 months, your baby may be able to sit well without support. Your baby may also learn to cross-crawl to move forward: That’s when he moves one arm and the opposite leg together.
Once your baby has grown accustomed to crawling, he will work on standing upright and learning to walk. He will pull himself up on anything he can lay his hands on, be it a table or a leg. He will learn to balance himself on his legs and start cruising, moving around in an upright position while holding on to furniture.
When babies do start to walk, at about nine to 12 months, a lawlaw diaper can keep them from wobbling freely, which is how they also learn to navigate on two feet without support, and find their balance. Just think – how can they do this with a sagging, heavy diaper in their way?
Learning to walk without any bulk between the legs is best for your baby’s motor development.
4. Balance
Before a baby can walk, it is crucial for him to balance himself. Without proper balancing, it’s hard for him to move further freely.
Remember, mom: when a diaper is lawlaw, it can throw your baby off balance, causing more tumbles than walking. However, a good diaper that does not sag won’t get in your baby’s way.
5. Running
Once your baby has mastered the art of cruising, he moves to the next developmental stage which includes movements such as walking, running and jumping.
All this happens around 18 to 24 months.
In these crucial developmental stages, a lawlaw diaper can still inhibit your baby’s ability to run, jump, leap and play with ease.
Moms, Lawlaw diapers are common, but they don’t have to be the norm, thanks to the new and improved Pampers Baby Dry.
Most diapers become lawlaw because they capture and hold a baby’s pee in one location — at the center. This is not the case with Pampers! Through its magic gel channels, it catches and distributes wetness evenly throughout the diaper, preventing the diaper from sagging.
These cleverly designed absorbent cores help your baby play and move freely during the day too!
A lawlaw diaper also means wetness and leaks, as well as the need for more frequent diaper changes. Pampers helps you avoid frequent changing and facilitates overnight dryness, keeping your tot more mobile, agile and comfortable.
With the New and Improved Pampers Baby Dry, your baby can "go galaw and play!" Thanks to Pampers, you can say goodbye to lawlaw diapers forever!
Also remember that investing in higher quality diapers such as Pampers means you save more money, as you use less through the day!
Now you can rest easy and tell your fast developing little one to “Go, Galaw!” with the New Pampers Baby Dry!