6 Ways to Help Baby Practice the Pincer Grasp

Getting baby ready for smaller pieces of food

When babies start using their fingers to form a "pincer grasp" to pick upward and move small-scale objects, we're oft told that's i sign they are ready to eat smaller pieces of food. But what, exactly, is a pincer grasp, how does it develop, why is it important, and how can nosotros help infant learn to utilise it?

A pincer grasp simply ways the tips of the thumb and index finger come together, a motion we employ to pick up pocket-sized items, pull zippers, and button shirts. Before babies develop a pincer grasp, they volition utilize their whole hand—their fingers and palm together—to choice upward, concur, and bring food into their mouths. Once a baby develops a pincer grasp, withal, they are able to selection up smaller, individual pieces of food. Every bit baby begins using a pincer grasp to self-feed, independently bringing food items to their mouths, they will continue to refine their chewing skills to manage smaller pieces.

Reflex leads to pincer grasp

For infants, each new power builds on more than bones skills. Sitting up and self-feeding, for example, become possible for infant only subsequently months of do learning how to whorl over and grab at objects.

The pincer grasp is no exception: it evolves from a simple reflex. Printing a finger into a newborn'south hand and sentinel them wrap their tiny fingers around it. This seems heartwarming and adorable, merely it's actually simply a response to pressure on baby'south palm, known as the palmar reflex. Reflexes are built-in movement patterns that help newborns build force, detect food, and learn about the world around them.

Over time, reflexes fade as babies learn to make more movements on purpose. At around iii months, babies volition start kicking their legs and reaching for items while lying on their backs; this builds their cadre muscles. At around iv months, a babe volition brainstorm rolling and reaching for objects while on their tummy, strengthening their back muscles. Core and dorsum forcefulness atomic number 82 to postural stability, which eventually allows a infant to sit upright, and later, to walk. These are known as gross motor skills.

Learning to employ smaller muscles

This core strength and stability allows babies to focus on practicing fine motor movements, like the pincer grasp, which involve coordinating lots of small muscles in the artillery, hands, and fingers.

At around 8 months, nigh babies volition progress from a whole-hand grasp to an immature pincer grasp—the pads of their fingers meet, but non the tips. Some babies exhibit this skill at closer to seven months of age. ^one Past 9 months, most babies refine this skill, with the tips of their thumb and forefinger coming together, and can effectively use a pincer grasp to choice up smaller food items such as a pea, a slice of grape, or a piece of cereal.

Maeve, 7 months, tries to pick up a small-scale piece of pear, but isn't very successful.

William, eight months, practices his emerging pincer grasp with pocket-size pieces of beefiness brisket.

Oral fissure skills may not friction match

Many caregivers wonder when it'southward safe to start serving baby smaller pieces of food. One time babies can successfully employ a pincer grasp to go seize with teeth-size foods into their mouth, they are ready to exercise chewing and swallowing them. While research shows an increased adventure of choking when someone else puts solid food into baby's mouth, self-feeding actually reduces such risks, according to studies on the topic. ^{2 3}

Fifty-fifty infants who are self-feeding with a mature pincer grasp may struggle with efficiently managing, chewing, and swallowing small or bite-size bits. That's because a baby'southward oral motor skills, like chewing, don't necessarily develop at the aforementioned stride. Expect to see more than spitting than swallowing as babies practice their eating skills. Information technology'south also common to see food falling out of baby's mouth, and lots of gagging. Demand help with spitting? Check out this article. Learn more than about gagging here.

William, 9 months, easily picks up a piece of strawberry using his pincer grasp, but spits the food out.

To strop baby's skills, it'due south essential to expose them to a multifariousness of foods, bite sizes, shapes, and textures. ^{four 5 vi} Exposure and do helps babies build new motor patterns, enabling them to safely eat all kinds of food

Fifty-fifty after a pincer grasp is present, however, it'due south important to continue avoiding foods that are small, round, house, and slippery. These include whole seeds or basics, little whole grapes, grapes halved at the center, or firm blueberries—foods that start out small and round rather than becoming smaller as a infant or toddler chews them. ^seven For babies who are learning to eat solids, even those with a well-developed pincer grasp, these food items present the greatest choking hazard. ^eight

6 ways to assistance baby build their pincer grasp

Virtually babies develop and exercise this skill by building on other movements. According to our occupational therapists, hither are six means you lot tin can assist:

one. Provide plenty of floor time to encourage large movements, like rolling and itch

Back and tummy time on the flooring builds core muscles. This helps babies feel stable plenty to reach out and starting time using their fingers to catch objects. Brand floor time every bit fun as possible to steadily build baby's endurance by placing toys and loftier-contrast cards but out of reach, encouraging them to roll over and endeavour to grab them. Crawling is particularly skilful for building hand and shoulder muscles. Itch helps develop paw-eye coordination, a building block for subsequently skills like catching a ball or handwriting.

2. Create opportunities to pull and squeeze

Nosotros haven't still met a baby who doesn't similar pulling all the wipes out of the wipe container. A reusable bootleg tissue-pull box—basically, an empty tissue box blimp with colorful fabric squares or recycled souvenir tissue—allows babe to practice their grasping skills without making a huge mess. *Always supervise to be sure recycled gift tissue does not terminate up in baby'southward oral fissure.

Riley, eight months, pulls material tissues from a box.

3. Permit infant play with small, safety foods

Between 6 and 9 months, most babies go more coordinated about picking up items. Because most babies will put those objects in their mouths, why not let them practice with nutrient? As baby gets improve at picking upward larger, stick-shaped foods, gradually begin offering smaller pieces. Especially betwixt eight and 9 months, try giving baby soft-cooked beans, slightly smashed soft peas, or "O" cereals. If they tin can independently get these bite-sized pieces to their mouth, they are fix to practice the oral skills needed to manage them.

iv. Practice pointing together

Pointing is a great mode to assist babies acquire to utilise individual fingers. Most babies don't start pointing on their own until around 9 months. Encourage pointing (and build linguistic communication skills) past reading books to babies and pointing at the pictures you're reading near.

5. Play with tube-shaped toys

When babies are first developing the ability to utilize their hands to grasp and explore, they may exercise with larger items that they can grab at with their whole hand. Knobby assurance, stacking cups, or rattles a niggling bigger than a infant's hand are some of the easiest toys for young infants to selection up. Cylindrical items are especially useful considering, in social club to pick them up, a baby'due south paw must form the rounded "O" shape they will demand for the pincer grasp. These can include the cardboard inside of a paper towel roll, a band stacker, and puzzle pieces with dowels. Equally baby gets closer to ix months, attempt offer smaller cylindrical items such as tubular pasta or a flexible silicone straw.

Amelia, 9 months, pulls straws out of a cup.

six. Serve food on the tray, not in a basin or plate

Small bowls and plates help to keep pieces of food contained, making it easier for babies to utilise their whole hands to scoop. Serving bite-sized food pieces scattered on the tray encourages baby to effort picking up an individual slice of nutrient with thumb and forefinger rather than scooping. Even if baby only ends up pushing the food around the tray with their finger, the activity offers valuable practice.

In the end, any opportunities for babies utilise their core muscles, hands, and fingers will help them build strength, coordination, and dexterity. All of which helps babies perfect their pincer grasp and continue to master other of import eating skills.

Providing support, solving problems, and seeking help

For babies, lifting small bits of food with a pincer grasp takes intense focus and many muscles working together.

If a baby is using lots of energy just to sit down up and remain stable, studies show they volition go back to using easier but less efficient whole-hand grasps. ^{9 10}

If baby is close to a year and frequently reverts to a whole-hand grasp, be certain to let their doctor know, every bit baby may need aid building more torso and arm strength.

If baby is 12 months or older and not yet attempting a pincer grasp, tell their healthcare provider so they can make up one's mind if baby needs assist edifice fine motor skills.

As the pincer grasp develops and becomes easier, information technology's common for some babies to overstuff their mouths with small bits of food. Overstuffing usually is a passing phase, but it tin slightly increase baby's risk of choking. Check out our page on pocketing, shoving, and overstuffing to learn more than.

Reviewed by:

K. Grenawitzke, OTD, OTR/L, SCFES, IBCLC, CNT

M. Rappaport, OTR/L, MS, SCFES, IBCLC

D. Roberts, MS, OTR/L, IBCLC

1. Smet, N. & Lucas, C.B. (2020). Occupational therapy view of child development. In Case-Smith'south Occupational Therapy for Children and Adolescents (8th ed., pp 103-118). Elsevier.
2. Fangupo, L. J., Heath, A. Fifty. M., Williams, S. M., Erickson Williams, L. W., Morison, B. J., Fleming, E. A., Taylor, B. J., Wheeler, B. J., & Taylor, R. W. (2016). A Baby-Led Approach to Eating Solids and Risk of Choking. PEDIATRICS, 138(4), e20160772. https://doi.org/x.1542/peds.2016-0772
3. Shune, S. E., Moon, J. B., & Goodman, Due south. Southward. (2016). The Effects of Age and Preoral Sensorimotor Cues on Anticipatory Mouth Movement During Swallowing. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 59(2), 195–205. https://doi.org/10.1044/2015_jslhr-s-15-0138
4. Coulthard, H., Harris, K., & Emmett, P. (2009). Delayed introduction of lumpy foods to children during the complementary feeding period affects child'south food credence and feeding at 7 years of age. Maternal & Child Nutrition, five(1), 75–85. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1740-8709.2008.00153.x
5. Tournier, C., Demonteil, L., Ksiazek, E., Marduel, A., Weenen, H., & Nicklaus, South. (2021). Factors Associated With Food Texture Acceptance in iv- to 36-Month-Old French Children: Findings From a Survey Written report. Frontiers in Nutrition, 7. https://doi.org/x.3389/fnut.2020.616484
6. Gisel E.G. (1991). Outcome of food texture on the development of chewing of children between half-dozen months and two years of historic period. Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology 33(1): 69–79.
7. Ding, Thousand., Wu, B., Vinturache, A., Cai, C., Lu, Thousand., & Gu, H. (2020). Tracheobronchial strange body aspiration in children. Medicine, 99(22), e20480. https://doi.org/10.1097/md.0000000000020480
8. NY State Section of Health. (2017). Choking Prevention for Children. https://www.health.ny.gov/prevention/injury_prevention/choking_prevention_for_children.htm
9. Smet, Due north. & Lucas, C.B. (2020). Occupational therapy view of child development. In Case-Smith'south Occupational Therapy for Children and Adolescents (8th ed., pp 103-118). Elsevier.
10. Hirschel, A., Pehoski, C., & Coryell, J. (1990). Environmental Support and the Development of Grasp in Infants. The American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 44(8), 721–727. https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.44.8.721

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