Grasp Exercises - Doing them Incorrectly

[luv2laugh]

In How Smart is Your Baby, Glenn Doman gives some exercises to do with the grasp reflex.

One involves the baby grasping onto your thumb and you rolling them over.

The other involves the baby lying on his/her back, grasping onto our thumbs and being pulled into a sitting and then standing position.

Well. . .   I can't seem to figure out how to do these successfully with my 7 week old girl.  Her grasp keeps breaking.  And I don't think it is her.  I remember at her newborn appt. the doctor swung her through the air by her thumbs.  I hadn't heard of Doman at the time and had no idea what he was doing, but my husband and I were both shocked and impressed.  We weren't even confident holding her head and he routinely did this exercise.  He remarked afterwards that she was very strong.  That was at the newborn appt;, at the 1 month appt. he also checked reflexes, but didn't do that one. 

Part of me is worried this is a warning sign (everything else is right on), but the other thinks I'm just having trouble getting the grasp.

Any tips???

[mybabyian]

My baby is a few weeks older and her hands slip too. I haven't focused on it too much though.  I just thought if we did it more often we'd see some progress.  They do gain a lot of weight in the first weeks.  A few pounds for a newborn is a big percentage of their weight.  So its probably more difficult to hang on.  

So, while I was writting this I got interrupted and tried it again with my baby.  She actually did hang on this time. I was able to pull her up to sitting.  i didn't do anything different.   just keep at it.  

[luv2laugh]

Thank you for responding.  Your experience is really helpful for me.  It is also helpful for me to know that you didn't change anything and she just got it. 

We haven't been working on it everyday (partly because I thought I was doing it wrong), so I'll have to put it in there with the rest of our balancing exercises when we get to do them.  Those aren't every day either, but most days I get them in. 

[Rachel NZ]

How are you getting on with the grasp now luv2laugh?
My baby is 17 weeks and i couldn't get a grasp either.

For the last 2 months I've been working on it by standing him in my lap, having him hold my thumbs and rocking him back and forth to 'row row row your boat'. he's got a much tighter, consisant grip now.
He is really keen on standing up and taking steps so i let him maintain his balance by gripping my fingers at his chest height.
I haven't tried lifting him with it yet.

I planned to do the vestibular activies and even made a set of prompt cards for each one but we dont do thenm very often at all. :/

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