Let the Babies Move: Environments that support physical development

The first two years of a child’s life are an amazing period of development and milestones. During this time we watch as children roll, crawl, stand, cruise and walk. But what if our environments and interactions could better support that development? What would that look like? 

Freedom of Movement

The brilliant Magda Gerber shared the importance of allowing infants to freely move their bodies. In fact, she is quoted as saying: “Every baby moves with more ease and efficiency if allowed to do it at his own time and in his own way, without our trying to teach him. A child who has always been allowed to move freely develops not only an agile body but also good judgment about what he can and cannot do." You can download a graphic of this quote HERE

But what does freedom of movement look like? Or perhaps it should be - what does it not look like?

• Babies not being confined to capsules, carseats, infant seats, high chairs or other “containers” for extended periods of time. In fact, in our work in early childhood services, there is often very little need for infants to be “containered” at all (we will talk more about containing below)
• Not placing babies into a position - on their bellies, in a forced seated position, or in a standing position.
• Not “walking” babies (holding their hands and stepping them along the ground) 

Container Baby Syndrome

In recent decades, we have seen an increase in the number and type of “containers” used for babies, including: 

• Carseats
• Swings
• Rockers
• Infant Seats
• High Chairs
• Prams

While there are some times where this is essential - for example, travelling in a vehicle, research suggests that infants are spending far too much time in these containers, leading to developmental concerns and restriction of free movement, which as Magda Gerber highlighted, is vital for children. 

This article outlines some of the physical ramifications of infants being over-contained, and also recommends some steps that can be taken. Ultimately though, our responsibility while children are in our care, is to avoid the use of containers wherever possible. Some of the ways we can do this include: 

• Using low chairs that infants can climb in and out of themselves - as age and developmentally appropriate
• Avoid baby swings and rockers
• Hold babies in our arms to bottle feed them

What about “tummy time”? 

So, when we talk about freedom of movement, we often refer to not putting babies into positions that they can’t get themselves into - allowing them to freely move into a position. You will often notice infants who wail when placed on their tummies. We won’t delve too deeply into the challenges of tummy time, but this article offers some food for thought. 

What should we include in the physical environment?

• Surfaces conducive to crawling and rolling (mats, rugs, grass etc) 
• Low, stable shelving that children can use to pull themselves up
• Treasure baskets for exploration - children can access these independently
• Natural surfaces and spaces to explore
• Places to allow older infants and toddlers to start to climb safely
• Adults who are connected and present. 

Infants have pretty simple needs really when it comes to setting up the environment. Just remember to keep freedom of movement and freedom of exploration front of mind.