Excerpted from my book: From Rattles to Writing: A Parent’s Guide to Hand Skills
The Palmar Grasp
Between four and five months, a baby may start using all of the fingers to grasp the object against the palm. The fingers on the radial (thumb) side of the hand begin to apply pressure to hold the object in place. The bent thumb may slide around or rest against the object but does not yet wrap around it. The wrist continues to be in a flexed position.
You can encourage the baby to use this grasp by placing a small toy, such as a teething ring, inside his hand. Try doing this in various positions, such as while he is on his tummy, in a baby seat, or while lying on his side- he might be more successful in one position than in another.
The Radial Palmar Grasp
The radial palmar grasp involves greater use of the middle and index fingers and the thumb as they press against the object o secure it in place. The thumb wraps around cylindrical objects, such as teething rings, or presses against objects, such as blocks. Greater wrist and forearm movement enable the baby to bring objects into her mouth. Encourage a baby to use this grasp by wrapping her thumb around the object. Gently press your hand over her thumb and fingers so that she experiences how it feels to squeeze an object while using the thumb.
Your baby will soon learn that using the radial palmar grasp makes it easier to shake and manipulate objects. Encourage this by moving her hand with an object or toy inside in different directions so that she can see the toy from different angles and hear the sounds that movement creates. Help your baby grasp and bring toys to her mouth. Using this stronger palmar grasp to explore objects with the mouth will be so much fun that she will be motivated to do this independently.
The following chart shows the development of baby’s grasp from ulnar to the neat pincer….
Grasping Smaller objects
Between seven and twelve months, a baby will gradually develop the coordination to pick up smaller and smaller objects. Developing more mature grasps means greater use of the radial (thumb) side of the hand using the index and middle fingers opposite the thumb. Babies typically learn to pick up tiny objects in the following sequence;
- using fingers like a rake
- using a radial digital grasp
- using an inferior pincer grasp
- using a neat (also called mature) pincer grasp
Babies problem solve as they learn how to approach objects of different sizes in different ways. A seven-month-old child will judge when to use both hands or only one when presented with a large ball or a small cracker. She will attempt to pick up small objects, such as cereal pieces, off the table by raking them. This means using all the fingers like a rake and curling them into the palm to hold objects.
The Radial Digital Grasp
The more mature radial digital grasp develops between seven and nine months of age and will enable the baby to more easily manipulate smaller objects. This grasp involves holding a small object between the fingers (index, middle fingers, and thumb) rather than pressing the object against the palm. A space is visible between the fingers and palm. Offer your child blocks and other small toys with close supervision
The Pincer Grasp
We primates are special because we have opposable thumbs. The term opposable thumbs means that the thumb is positioned opposite the fingers in order to grasp small objects. Monkeys can also do this. However, it is only the human who can learn to position the index finger opposite the thumb to perform precise movements using the pads in order to pick up raisins, to wind up a toy, or to close a Ziploc bag.
A seven-to-eight month-old baby will first use an inferior pincer grasp, grasping the objecteen between the sides of the index finger and thumb, close to the tis of these digits. This will be challenging, and your baby may stabilize her forearm on the table as she practices.
After a couple of months of practice, a baby typically develops a more mature type of pincer grasp called a neat pincer. This is sometimes called a superior or refined pincer grasp. This involves precise thumb and index finger opposition using the fingertips while the other fingers play a supporting role as she picks up pebbles, pennies, string, or cereal.
You can encourage your ten-to-twelve-month-old to use a pincer grasp by placing small objects inside containers, such as egg carton sections. This clever maneuver forces her to use a pincer grasp to get them out.