Why going on the swings is more important than you might think!

Did you know that taking your baby to the park can provide BIG sensory exposure for them, and just how important that sensory exposure is to their overall development? Let's look at why...

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Why is ‘Sensory Development’ important?

So this blog is part of a series looking at all our senses and their connection to your baby's development. For anyone reading this as the first in the series a brief recap on why baby’s senses are crucially important to their overall development..... Essentially, we often talk about milestones for our babies, but sensory stimulation is a vital part of helping baby reach those, and here’s why…

Our brains receive information from our different senses from conception onwards. This helps us build a picture, and make sense of, both our bodies and the world around us. This is largely an unconscious process and the more positive sensory exposure we have, the better our bodily systems work together. This leaves us feeling safe and secure to further explore, grow and learn. A baby’s sensory experiences across their first 1000 days (conception to 2 years old) are therefore crucial in terms of influencing brain development and behaviours across their lives.

So in this series I am looking at our 8 sensory systems (that’s right, 8, not just the commonly talked of 5); how they develop and how we can promote positive sensory experiences.

Today I am looking at the vestibular system… 

Haven’t heard of it? You are not alone, a lot of people haven’t and I certainly hadn’t until I started speech therapy with my oldest and realised just how important, and connected it was.
So firstly, what is the vestibular system for those of you that haven’t come across this term?

This is the one of the three newer senses on the block in addition to the 5 senses most people know. The vestibular system is located in our inner ear and contributes to balance and our sense of orientation and knowing where our bodies are in space. It's the system informing our brain about our movement and positioning in relation to gravity. For example, how does our brain compute and make sense of the world when we hang upside down!?

The more input our brain receives in the early years from our vestibular system, the more neural pathways that are formed in the brain so that, as we grow, we can do things such as: fix our eyes as we move, react in order to retain balance in certain situations. Think about a cartwheel and all the things our brain/bodies have to do to make sure we return to a standing position! So what’s that got to do with language I hear you say, why did I learn about it when my daughter started speech therapy? Well FASCINATINGLY, an underdeveloped vestibular system can be linked to language delays and serves as a perfect example of how important sensory input can be to milestones.

Because it is linked to movement, the vestibular system plays a crucial part in motor development and motor planning, which includes (you’ve guessed it!)- the tongue, lips and jaws which are all needed for speech production. Children with apraxia of speech (my own daughter in fact), oral motor challenges, or articulation problems, are examples of children who may have challenges with their vestibular system that impact their postural control, muscle tone, motor coordination, or motor planning. In addition, the vestibular system is our orienting system (tells us which way is up) and when it dysfunctions we can feel unsafe. This can impact our awareness of sounds, coping mechanisms for loud sounds, and our ability to receive and process auditory information.

Summary

Think of the vestibular system as the body’s GPS system. It is very closely linked with all our other sensory systems and plays an important part in their integration with each other such as:
- visual tracking
- hand-eye coordination
- muscular development
- linguistic development
- development of independence skills
- emotional and physical self-regulation
- development of good balance

But this is just one example of many of how our baby’s sensory systems are connected to their overall development. The essential take away is this; the more sensory exposure or babies have, the more they can make sense of the world around them, feel secure and go on to grow and develop.

So how you can you help stimulate your baby’s vestibular system? 

So ironically a lot of things we do ‘naturally’ are because on a sensory level they provide vestibular input for our babies and that is often calming. For example:
1) when you rock your baby gently back and forth, you are providing them with vestibular sensory stimulation and input. This could even be by sitting in a hammock or swing chair with them.
2) Moving baby during baby massage routines
3) Moving up and down whilst they are in your arms
4) The playground offers LOTS of vestibular stimulation, most noticeably and easy the swings are great for this!

Wriggle and roll activities:

The Wriggle and Roll classes and activities are carefully designed to provide a variety of sensory stimulation .and the following songs demonstrate ways you can move with baby and stimulate their vestibular system in paticular: 

Sing Alongs For the Vestibular System

Final note....

All baby’s are different, they develop on their own timeline AND also in terms of how they respond to sensory stimulation. Whilst one baby may LOVE being massaged, another may show dislike or disinterest. This guide is to give you a general idea but your baby may do things a little later than the timeframes given or sooner. Always go at the ability, and comfort level of your child. If they don’t like a particularly sensory activity then stop but perhaps try again at another time as just sometimes it can be the first time they experience something that is surprising.

If you are unsure of anything in terms of the development of your baby and/or if any activity is right for them then always consults your health care team before proceeding. Sensory processing disorder (SPD) is a condition that affects our someone may process sensory stimulation which may mean that they are overly sensitive to stimuli that others are not. If you are concerned this is the case for your baby equally, consult a health expert.