Being upside-down provides our babies with a quite different perspective on the world (and makes them laugh! Well, Jarvis does anyway!).
It also provides their developing brains with some important information about gravity and movement, our place in space. Deep inside our middle ear is a very complex place, with an awful lot going on.
A very basic explanation of what's happening in there is that there are three tiny canals deep inside each ear, all filled with liquid. When we move this liquid swishes around, and pushes on a structure called a cupula, which contains tiny hair cells. The tiny hair cells translate the movement into electrical signals, which our brains can then process!
In other posts I've mentioned the importance of sensory stimulation for our littlest people, (stop and smell the flowers), and the stimulation of the Vestibular System is one of the most important sensory experiences of them all.
Our vestibular system keeps us standing upright, maintaining our balance, and moving around. It helps our brains to process what our eyes can see, it helps our brains to process the millions of messages which come from the rest of our bodies about the environment around us (our fingers, hands & feet for example).
There are many wonderful ways to stimulate the vestibular system! I'll offer a couple, and I'd love to hear your ideas :)
- Hammocking, like we do at Kindermusik! The gentle rocking action gets the liquid in the inner ear swishing :)
- Gently rocking side to side, and back to front
- Holding our babies in a variety of ways - upright, upside down (be careful to judge how much your child likes this one! I don't think it would appeal to everyone!), facing you, facing away...Every new position makes a new connection.
Remember - be gentle & be aware of your baby's response to different kinds of stimulation, everyone has a different perspective of what's enjoyable & what isn't :)
Enjoy finding new & exciting ways to get that Vestibular System going!
Our babies are amazing! Everything is a new experience, and every new experience fills baby's senses with new sights, sounds, smells, feelings, movements, positions in gravity, & tastes.
The brain is constantly organising these new sensations, integrating them to create a fuller understanding of the world around us. In little people this is so important!!
Not only are they learning about their environment, but within the brain these sensory messages are converted into electrical impulses which travel to the spinal cord & brain, are combined, and produce some very important things - posture, movement skills, co-ordination, emotions, thoughts, memories & learning. The brain really is a fantastical place!
The sensory system doesn't just develop by itself, it needs to be stimulated. This happens every time a child has a sensory experience! By the age of ten, the growth of sensory connections in the brain is mostly finished with - which is why is it so very important to offer loads of sensory opportunities to our little people. In a child under 7, the brain's primary job is as a sensory processing machine - over 80% of the nervous system is totally dedicated to organising the many sensory experiences had!
Find ways to offer your baby a variety of wonderful sensory experiences!
A favourite around here is holding Jarvis above the oregano and letting him dance on the leaves...his toes feel the texture & coolness of the plant, his eyes see the green shiny leaves, his nose and mouth are filled with the aroma of the herbs, his vestibular system is being stimulated by being upright, and these are only a few of the wonderful things going on!
Check back in a few days for more interesting information about the importance of the senses in our wonderful babies, and pleeeeeease feel free to share any of your ideas, I really would love to hear them! Sensory experiences are infinite & limited only by the imagination!
Have a musical day!
Kath & Jarvis
