Motor Skills, Cognition And Language/communication

Your baby is 27 weeks old today!  Is he rolling all over the floor and getting his arms and legs under everything?  I remember when my daughter started to get really good at rolling, I put her down on the living room floor and went to get a glass of water from the kitchen.  I was gone for not even one minute and when I returned she was literally near the hallway!  It is seriously remarkable how quickly babies master their skills.  Meanwhile, your baby is starting to harness his rolling skill in a very constructive manner.  He is rolling and realizing that he can get to places and reach to objects that attracts him.  Thus, your baby is working hard to get to a toy that is out of his reach.  Along with this being a motor development, it is also a development in your baby’s cognitive skills.

Another development you will see this week is your baby vocalizing to get your attention.  He may have rolled near the sofa and gotten his foot stuck or maybe he has tried so hard to get the ball that is near his box of toys, but he just can’t manage to reach it – your baby is making sounds and vocalizations to get your attention so you can help him.

Also this week, you will notice more developments in your baby’s fine motor skills.  You will see that his grasp is evolving, as his hands are not tightly fisted anymore.  Also, his thumbs are not tucked under the rest of his fingers.  As he grasps objects, you will see your baby use a radial-palmar grasp.  With this grasp, an object/toy is held near the thumb of your baby’s palm and he uses the fingers on that side of his hand.