Seeing baby milestones being met is such a joy and today we’re shining a spotlight on Tactile & Fine Motor Skill Development for ScratchMeNot kids! ScratchMeNot Flip Mittens are made to be flexible to open or close as needed. And depending on your little one’s concerns, the mittens may be closed more frequently or only used for a particular moment of the day. I remember when my little’s eczema was THE most challenging, her mittens were mostly closed. I had to purposefully create supervised moments of hands free time to make sure she was touching surfaces, grasping and moving those digits, AND not scratching!
Keeping this in mind, let’s take a look at the first 3 years of child’s fine motor skill milestones that focus on the hands, fingers and eye coordination by asking a few of these questions.
For a child that is 12-18 months:
- Can your little one grasp or pinch?
- Can he point to objects or people?
- Can she place items into a container?
- Do they use both hands or favor a certain hand?
- Can he hold a cup? Pull off a sock? Try to put a hat on?
For a child that is 18-24 months:
- Scribble with a pen on paper
- Able to put a simple puzzle together
- Feed himself
- Stack blocks
- Pull a zipper
For a child that is 2-3 years old:
- Fold a paper in half (somewhat)
- Turn single pages of a book
- Put beads on a string
- Snip paper with scissors
- Hold a crayon with their fingers
Use the activities above with these 3 tips specifically for little ones using ScratchMeNots, especially after an eczema flare has subsided or if you’ve noticed your little one needs more open mitten time!
- One or two open mittens at a time: Once every 1/2 hour to an hour, if there is no active itching with the mitten on – Purposely open one or both mittens for a couple of mittens for a tactile activity. Make it fun by having your little build blocks, water play, grasp balls and slim objects, etc. See how long it takes before your little one starts to scratch.
- Over time, you’ll notice he/she can keep their hands open for longer spans of time.
- Create a healthy relationship between your littles fingers and their skin: Open mittens and show them how to give soft touches on their skin. Gently rub their hands/fingers over their skin so they will begin to make healthy associations between their hands and skin. I would say “Soft Touches” as I rubbed my daughters hands against her leg or arm to remind her to be gentle and not scratch. (Start with one hand open and one hand closed, graduate to two hands)
- Two Hands + Messy Fun: Littles love to play in water, kinetic sand, play dough, etc. With both mittens open, see time how long he/she can play without switching to scratching.
Tell us some ways you encourage fine motor skill development for your baby!
If your child struggles with eczema, scratching, hair pulling or thumb-sucking, be sure to learn more about ScratchMeNot Flip Mittens.