For our kids I bought two 1/2” dowels about 3’ long. You hold one dowel in each hand like hiking poles. You stand over the sitting baby and dangle the ends of the dowels in front of them. Usually the baby will instinctively grab the bottom of one dowel in each fist and try to pull up to standing. This allows you to easily support them in a standing position without bending over (great for tall dads). In addition, it keeps you from “steering” them subconsciously as they walk. The baby determines which direction to go and you follow behind, supporting them with the dowels held out in front of you.
As a parent of a toddler, I was always hearing about the importance of crawling for reflex integration, arm/ shoulder strength, and brain development (reading) to the point that other parents worry quite a bit when their baby is an early walker. And then RIE proponents talk about letting the baby move their own body. I guess it's a both/and situation! Good to crawl, good to walk, good to have freedom of movement. Different cultures prioritize these differently, and WEIRD cultures tend to underprioritize walking as you explain.
Crawling, for example, is quite a WEIRD baby activity - in many cultures, crawling is frowned upon and babies walk instead of crawl. Bypassing certain movements at certain stages isn't a problem if later in development, those movements are provided. In some cultures, babies can't move in the first few years of life (they are in weighted cribs), but then they spend many hours walking when they are slightly older. And babies in traditional cultures who don't crawl become children who climb trees, carry heavy loads, and use their arms frequently.
That's why it's so important to get children moving early in our culture because their movement opportunities are typically so limited throughout their childhood that they don't get a chance to develop those movement skills and catch up. We don't only see that in adults with osteoarthritis, but also in children with sports injuries - like in this post: https://guenbradbury.substack.com/p/cruciate-ruptures-are-up-2000-in?r=4bpym1
So yes, completely agree with you - cultures do have different movement priorities, and this is fine, providing that children have the opportunities to get to the same point. :)
For our kids I bought two 1/2” dowels about 3’ long. You hold one dowel in each hand like hiking poles. You stand over the sitting baby and dangle the ends of the dowels in front of them. Usually the baby will instinctively grab the bottom of one dowel in each fist and try to pull up to standing. This allows you to easily support them in a standing position without bending over (great for tall dads). In addition, it keeps you from “steering” them subconsciously as they walk. The baby determines which direction to go and you follow behind, supporting them with the dowels held out in front of you.
This is a FANTASTIC idea! My tall partner would have loved this!
I'm so grateful for your Substack! Keep up the amazing work!
As a parent of a toddler, I was always hearing about the importance of crawling for reflex integration, arm/ shoulder strength, and brain development (reading) to the point that other parents worry quite a bit when their baby is an early walker. And then RIE proponents talk about letting the baby move their own body. I guess it's a both/and situation! Good to crawl, good to walk, good to have freedom of movement. Different cultures prioritize these differently, and WEIRD cultures tend to underprioritize walking as you explain.
Great point! The issue of 'teaching' children to move in different cultures is something we discuss towards the end of this podcast episode: https://guenbradbury.substack.com/p/picky-eating-and-prechewing
Crawling, for example, is quite a WEIRD baby activity - in many cultures, crawling is frowned upon and babies walk instead of crawl. Bypassing certain movements at certain stages isn't a problem if later in development, those movements are provided. In some cultures, babies can't move in the first few years of life (they are in weighted cribs), but then they spend many hours walking when they are slightly older. And babies in traditional cultures who don't crawl become children who climb trees, carry heavy loads, and use their arms frequently.
That's why it's so important to get children moving early in our culture because their movement opportunities are typically so limited throughout their childhood that they don't get a chance to develop those movement skills and catch up. We don't only see that in adults with osteoarthritis, but also in children with sports injuries - like in this post: https://guenbradbury.substack.com/p/cruciate-ruptures-are-up-2000-in?r=4bpym1
So yes, completely agree with you - cultures do have different movement priorities, and this is fine, providing that children have the opportunities to get to the same point. :)
What are weighted cribs?
I couldn't remember the exact name, but it's a gahvora. Babies are strapped into it for hours every day, decreasing as the baby gets older. There's a good summary of it here: https://www.sciencenews.org/article/culture-helps-shape-when-babies-learn-walk
Fascinating!