"Don’t be in too much of a hurry to reposition them and free their arm/leg so they have a chance to do this themselves."

Jane Barry, Midwife and Child Health Nurse explains what you should (and shouldn't) do when it comes to your baby's limbs getting stuck in the cot.

Babies are designed to move, even from the earliest weeks of conception. As part of their development, what starts out as gentle, uncontrolled movements as a newborn become more intentional from around four months of age. Reaching, grabbing, stretching and rolling are all skills that build on each other as foundations for more complex development.

Some babies are more active and love to move. Others are more passive and laid back, ready for the world to come to them rather than the other way around.

No matter what a baby’s approach to movement, there comes a stage where they all find the boundaries of their cot. At the start, this is usually by accident as they start reaching, kicking and rolling. Inevitably, one small arm or leg, or perhaps two legs and an arm, escape through the cot rails.

In the early days (and nights) of reaching and rolling in their cot, the same way a baby does not control their limbs on the way out of the cot rails, they’re too young to pull them back. Protests are common as they find themselves ‘stuck’ and unable to move. Often, the more they try to free themselves the more frustrated they become.

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An arm or a leg escaping is inevitable. Source: iStock.

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Babies don’t cry for help when they’re stuck because they want lots of lovely attention. They genuinely don’t have the skills to understand that if they pull their arm or leg back towards the rest of their body, they’ll free themselves. Learning how to do this takes many hours of practice and support. Until they do, they need help from their parents.

The first thing to do is to understand that their behaviour is completely normal. In the same way that, as adults, it takes time for us to learn to become proficient at new skills, babies need lots of practice as well. 

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Don't be in too much of a hurry to free them. Source: iStock.

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For more information, speak with your Child Health Nurse or health care provider.

Written for Kidspot by Jane Barry, Midwife and Child Health Nurse.