In our maternity ward, we support the concept of kinaesthetic infant handling in our day-to-day care of our newborns. This concept focuses on promoting motor development in early childhood. The kinaesthetic approach is based on the premise that children learn their movement patterns through conscious awareness of their own bodies and through physical contact with other people. The babies are therefore specifically supported and encouraged in their natural movement patterns, enabling them to become more aware of their own bodies and their surroundings. As a result, many babies become calmer and more relaxed. They are directly involved in what is happening around them and can understand their parents’ actions. They are active themselves and experience themselves as capable of taking action.
All our nursing staff in the maternity ward have completed the "Kinästhetic Schweiz" course certification.
The approach is applied when changing nappies, dressing the baby, and when picking the baby up and laying them down.
Changing nappies and getting dressed
Pay attention to the direction your baby is looking in naturally. Encourage your child to turn round on their own by gently touching their hips, tummy, arms and legs, or their chest. ➊ You can also offer your child one of your fingers to hold onto and encourage them to pull themselves onto their side using their own strength. Once your child is lying on their side, you can pull the nappy away from under their now-exposed bottom or place it underneath. ➋ Follow the same procedure when turning them back over. ➌ ➍ It is important that your baby remains in contact with the surface at all times. This approach helps your baby realise that they can move their body parts independently of one another and learn to roll onto their side by themselves at an early age.
You can use the same principle to change your child’s trousers, rompers and tops.
Lifting and laying down
The movement when lifting your baby is a smooth, circular one: first, check which way your baby is looking. ➊ Turn your baby upwards in a gentle spiral motion from that side. As you do so, you can support your baby with one hand on their chest and the other on their back. ➋ ➌ In one fluid movement, guide your child from a lying to a sitting position. ➍ Then shift your weight onto the hand supporting their chest and continue the movement over your thigh until your child is ‘standing’ on their feet. Their feet should remain in contact with the surface. ➎ You can then lift them up.
To put your child back down, follow the steps in reverse order. First, allow your child to make contact with the surface via their feet. Gently sit them down and slowly turn them onto their side until they can support themselves with their hand and elbow and rest their head. Only then should you turn them onto their back.
