and why is vestibular so important?
We know that it is important for our children’s health that we make sure that they have an active lifestyle, but did you know that for babies and toddlers movement is an essential for their development? This is because of something called our vestibular and our vestibular system
What is the vestibular?
You will know that we have 5 senses: sight, sound, taste, touch, smell, however, we also have 2 other “intrinsic” senses known as vestibular and proprioception?
These two senses along with vision, combine to make our vestibular system (our balance system). Your vestibular is located in your inner ears and is made up of:
- Two mirror image structures – one in each ear
- Semi-circular canals – filled with a thick fluid that monitors and responds to three-directional movement
- Sac-like structures that measure forward and backwards and up and down acceleration
The vestibular has been part of our human structure from early on in our development and can be found in very early fossils. It is part of our primitive brain and affects all our other senses.
Why is it important?
Vestibular – when does it develop?
Your vestibular is one of your first senses to develop along with the ears, this is around 5 months in utero. It helps you know where you are in space and if you are moving or still. It helps combat the forces of gravity and to function within our 3-dimensional world. Without a vestibular we would be flopping around on the floor like a jelly fish!
For your baby, their vestibular needs to develop in order to control four different areas which are important in their development…
Head & Eyes
- Coordinates head & eye movements which helps with:
- tummytime
- reading
- visually track a moving object
- recognising if it’s the object moving or the head moving
- learning to sit
Muscles
Along with proprioception, the series of senses within our muscles, tendons and joints which detect movement, our vestibular helps us to develop muscle tone. Sitting still can only be achieved once the balance system is fully developed
Balance & Equilibrium
Messages from your inner ear canals are sent to your brain to tell you what the position of your head is so that you can control your body and, therefore, stop yourself from falling over. This physical confidence and security helps give us a sense of well-being, without it (imagine feeling dizzy slightly all the time) we would not feel physically secure.
Symmetry
The mirror image structure in our ears and brains helps us coordinate the left side and right side of our bodies which we need for, for example:
- Riding a bicycle
- Crawling
- Catching
- Clapping
At Baby College we know that healthy development of vestibular and proprioception systems are vital for good overall development and help us cope better with our modern sedentary lifestyles – and this starts when we are babies quite often these days!
