At week 13, Darius still did not know how to hold his hands together. His favourite activity was to put his left hand to the side of his head or just grasp anything there while he observes his right hand. (learn why grasping is crucial) His health booklet listed this development for parents to check:

Your child can touch his own hands together at the mid-line of the body.

Granted this fine motor-adaptive skill is performed by 90% of 3.5months infants so he still has 1 more week to go but still we were worried.

Ironically, he could grasp stuff with his left hand(still stronger) at week 12 and hold onto them when according to the book, only 90% of 4-months infants can perform:

When you bring a rattle to touch the back or tips of the child’s fingers, he grasps the rattle in his hands for a few seconds.

Yummy...

Was it because because we helped him grabbed toy links when he was 2 months old? (see ‘Darius’ Discoveries of His Hands‘)

I had been bringing his hands and feets together daily. So I continued to bring his hands together using the ‘Itsy Bitsy Spider’ song, overlapping his hands in a going-up-the-pipe action, doing it more for other songs and also clap his hands together for the ‘If-you-are-happy-and-you-know-it-clap-your-hands’ song.

On the 22nd of October, his week 14, we finally witnessed him putting his hands together. Using his left palm to grab his right palm. (Left is still stronger??)

Now his favourite activity has changed to hands grasping.

His hands are also getting hold of everything around him now. My hands when I touched him, my hair when I carry him, our tops, and our neck skin too. He also grabs his bean pillow, his blanket, his bib, his romper or t-shirt. And if they are successfully grasped close to his mouth, he’ll chomp on it. ^_^

The good thing is that if he gets bored while in the stroller and starts crying, we can give him the links or teethers. He would  hold onto them and bite them, occupying his time. Maybe he’ll be able to hold onto his milk bottle himself soon.

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