Bai Xue, an abandoned baby not one month old yet, was taken to the local welfare institution in an early winter. Suffering from congenital heart disease, she was tiny and weak. The caregivers looked after her with the utmost care. When she was more than 40 days old, she was enrolled in Chunhui Mama Program. Her Chunhui mama Wang found she was wrapped in a swaddling blankie without opportunities to use her hands, which held back her development.

The first thing mama Wang did was take off Bai Xue’s tight blankie and dress her in a loose onesie, with her two small hands uncovered. Soon the baby girl raised her arm and brought her hand toward her mouth while making consistent humming noise. The professional mama Wang realized that Bai Xue was go through her oral stage, the initial stage in Freudian psychoanalytic theory. She quickly helped the baby put her hand to her mouth. Then a miracle happened. Bai Xue began to chew on her hands and kick her legs cheerfully.

When she was 100 days old, Bai Xue often stuffed her whole hand into her mouth. The caregiver tried to stop her and even prepared to control her hands. Mama Wang told her it was fine because the baby was “learning” with her mouth.

At their oral stage, babies’ early encounters with the world are largely experienced through the mouth, and they derive pleasure from oral stimulation such as tasting and sucking. Different parts of their body develop functions at different stages. During the oral stage, their hand skills have not been developed yet, and they need feel the world with their mouth. 

As she grew, Bai Xue continued to chew on her hands, toys and even the bed rails. The caregivers knew that was her way of learning so didn’t stop her anymore. Besides, they prepared other objects for her to seek oral pleasure from. Mama Wang noticed the toddler’s hand functions began to develop too, so she created a supportive environment and provided a variety of materials to boost her hand skills. Once she gave her a cotton swab and a paper cup with small holes on the bottom and asked her to pierce the swab through the holes. It was a huge challenge for the girl, but rather than help her with it, mama Wang just stayed by her side, praising and encouraging her from time to time.

Children have great motivation and potential for learning. As adults we need provide them an appropriate environment to promote their development. Bai Xue spent up to 20 minutes in the swab and hole game. Repeated practices helped her consolidate her hand skills.

We know that hand functions are governed by the brain so practices that need eye-hand coordination is good for brain development. As time went by, Bai Xue learned to twist bottle caps and change stuff from one hand to the other. Mama Wang designed increasingly challenging tasks to help her increase her hand skills and achieve successes one after another.

Growing up is not always easy. Children with special needs are confronted with many more challenges than typical children of their own ages.

When Bai Xue was one year old, she was hit by measles and persistent high fever. With rashes all over her body and even in her mouth, she had trouble drinking and cried all day long. Worse still, all her skin must be exposed and coated with medication repeatedly. Everyone was worried and feared that she might not survive this. Even the doctors and the nurses had no good idea how to take care of her. Anxious that the disease would affect the girl's development, mama Wang gave her one-on-one round-the-clock care. While nursing her, she kept talking to her, touching her, holding her and changing her positions.

Babies and infants need enriching learning environment, loving touches, and one-on-one interaction with an adult to establish secure attachment. So, we need work to promote their development in all areas rather than simply meet their basic physical needs. Three months after Bai Xue enrolled in Chunhui Mama Program, she learned to walk. Seeing the transformed little girl, they say she is an absolute miracle.