The Kinesthetic sense is our "eyes" inward to our own body
The Kinesthetic Sense is our "eyes" into our own body, and the impact of it's loss is almost incomprehensible to those of us who have never lost it.
To the baby, the kinesthetic sense is also a basic ruler for exploring the environment.
Visual (or auditory) images provide no real information to the baby, about referent properties such as angles, sizes, shapes, distances or mass.
This is information is obtained first hand as the baby comes into physical contact with, and manipulates referents from the environment.
The baby's hands, feet or mouth are constantly probing objects that are within their grasp--rattles, blocks, rails on the crib, balls, table legs, fingers, etc.
Objects' properties are measured by the kinesthetic channel, which reports body angle, tension and fatigue.