Gymnastics for infants: fun and effective exercises

Infant gymnastics is a delightful way to enhance your baby’s development while they’re having fun. These mild workouts are meant to improve your child’s coordination, balance, and motor abilities. Including easy stretches and motions in your baby’s daily routine can have a significant impact on their development.

By participating in these activities, you and your child’s bond is strengthened in addition to supporting physical development. Every activity is designed to be engaging and participatory, promoting play-based learning and development for your infant. You can establish a stimulating environment that supports your infant’s development with a few simple movements.

Gymnastics for babies is a great way to spend quality time with your baby, whether your goal is to increase their flexibility or something else entirely. Examine these enjoyable and beneficial activities to promote the mental and physical health of your infant.

Exercise	Description
Tummy Time	Place your baby on their stomach to strengthen neck and shoulder muscles. Start with short periods and gradually increase as your baby gets stronger.
Leg Bicycle	Gently move your baby’s legs in a bicycling motion to help with hip development and digestion.
Baby Reach	Encourage your baby to reach for toys placed just out of reach. This helps improve hand-eye coordination and arm strength.
Gentle Stretch	Lightly stretch your baby"s arms and legs to enhance flexibility and muscle development.
Rolling Practice	Help your baby practice rolling from back to tummy and vice versa. This promotes core strength and coordination.

Benefits and goals

Much has been said and written about the benefits of gymnastics for a person. But not everyone knows that for an infant, a set of physical exercises is more than just a load on the muscles and joints. Since infants cannot yet do exercises on their own, exercise is always done together with mom or dad. It is important for the baby to feel the closeness of the mother, through her he learned about the world during the nine months of pregnancy, and she is also his main guide in this world in the first months of his independent life. Thus, exercise enriches the baby"s inner world, gives him much-needed communication with his mother. Gymnastics is an excellent addition to massage. In combination, both types of exposure help in correcting muscle hypertonicity, which is common to all newborns and infants at least up to six months. Gymnastics is recommended for the correct development of the hip joint in case of dysplasia. Also, thanks to gymnastics, it is possible to correct torticollis. Therapeutic gymnastics in combination with massage is prescribed to a child with a sunken and funnel-shaped chest, with hypotonia, with valgus and varus deformities of the legs.

To strengthen the nervous system, soothing gymnastics and relaxation massage are advised for hyperactive and excitable kids. On the other hand, tonic, general strengthening gymnastics are advised for children who are apathetic and lethargic.

If pathologies are identified, therapeutic massage is prescribed, and appropriate gymnastics – from the exercise therapy complex. For healthy children, gymnastics and general massage are recommended for the prevention of pathologies, for better physical and mental development. On the Internet, interested parents can find a large number of different exercises for children under one year old, but there are not many truly exciting ones among them, and it is the game component that is the most important. If a baby is forced to do something that he has long been bored with day after day, there will be little benefit from such gymnastics. Therefore, we decided to collect only the best exercises that will not let the baby get bored and will bring a lot of benefits to his health.

Rules

Infants can engage in enjoyable gymnastics from their very first moments of life. Age limitations do not exist. However, parents should be aware that a baby’s physical activity should be appropriate for their age and that you should never overdo it. Exercise every day. You can perform gymnastics twice or three times a day, but the total time for each exercise should not be more than five to ten minutes. The mother can gradually lengthen the workouts; by 8 or 9 months, a gymnastics session can last 20 minutes, and by nearly a year, it can last 30 minutes.

• Try to conduct the exercises at the same time. It is optimal to do this in the morning and after the afternoon nap, but in the evening, when you do a light and relaxing massage for the baby before bathing and going to bed, it is better to avoid gymnastics exercises so as not to stimulate the nervous system. Overexcitation will prevent the child from falling asleep quickly and soundly.
• Before gymnastics, always do a light general or therapeutic massage prescribed by a doctor for a certain disease.

The baby’s muscles should be "warmed up" and ready to go by the time the exercises begin. This will lessen discomfort and sprains.

• The room in which the lesson is held should be ventilated, it should not be too cold or too hot. It is best to maintain the temperature at 21 degrees Celsius. If it is summer outside and there is an appropriate opportunity, do gymnastics outside.
• Do not load the baby immediately after eating, it is also undesirable to start doing exercises on an empty stomach. The best time for exercises is the interval between feedings (one and a half hours after eating).
• Do not do exercises on a soft bed. The baby"s spine will not be in the correct position on it. For newborns and infants up to six months, use a changing table, do exercises on a regular table.

After six months, a floor surface that you place a non-chilling polyurethane foam mat on is better suited for more mobile and active kids.

• Always start exercises in a good mood. Children are sensitive to the state of their mother, and if she is in a bad mood, they will also be capricious.
• Add variety to the set of exercises that you have chosen as the main one. Gradually begin to do individual exercises in the bathroom, practice swimming, add to your usual exercises exercises on a gymnastic ball – fitball.
• The best gymnastics lesson is a joint lesson of mother and baby. This is especially true when children begin to imitate adults, that is, after 9-10 months.

A child should never be forced to exercise against his will. Exercise should wait until the child is fully healthy, happy, alert, and able to communicate if he hasn’t gotten enough sleep, is upset (yes, even babies get upset sometimes!), or is experiencing some other problem.

With entertaining exercises, infant gymnastics provides a fun way to support your baby’s physical and mental development. These enjoyable exercises stimulate their motor and sensory abilities while also strengthening their muscles and enhancing their coordination. Parents may support their baby’s overall development and well-being by introducing exercise into their daily routine through fun interactions and easy movements.

Contraindications

Infant gymnastics itself does not have many contraindications, but the mother should see a pediatrician before beginning. Pediatricians are typically willing to grant permission. Additionally, the doctor is the one who will advise you on how to perform gymnastics correctly in your specific situation if the child has developmental abnormalities. For instance, gymnastics can be performed directly with orthopedic "spacers" between the legs in cases of hip dysplasia (HD), but in this case, you must unquestionably observe how a specialist performs it.

Exercises on a fitball are beneficial when dealing with chest deformation because they increase the quantity of exercises targeted at stretching the pectoral muscles.

Gymnastics relies on exercises for the feet, knees, and hips to correct leg deformities, while very specific therapeutic exercises are used to strengthen the neck muscles in cases of torticollis.

Fever is one of the contraindications; physical activity can be hazardous when the temperature is high. Gymnastics should not be done if your baby is experiencing colic, teething, or other medical issues.

Gymnastics should be done very carefully and only with a doctor’s approval on children with congenital heart defects, vascular diseases, hydrocephalus, large hernias, and different types of paralysis and paresis.

Exercise is appropriate and permitted for a healthy child in two ways: passively, where the mother guides the infant through lying, and actively, where the child participates voluntarily and directly based on his developmental abilities.

Entertaining movements

We have only chosen baby exercises that are legitimately enjoyable and beneficial from the wide range available. They’ve all been "tested" by multiple toddler generations and are typically well-liked by newborns and their parents. Every mother can use this list to make an age-appropriate activity schedule for her child. By adding new exercises and repeating previously covered material, the program can become increasingly complex over time.

Newborns

One characteristic that sets children’s gymnastics apart is the use of sparing, light touches, with no pressure applied to the muscles during exercise or massage. Since kids sleep a lot and wake up rarely, a quick lesson following morning hygiene routines will be plenty.

• “Frog”. Place the baby on his back. Take him by the legs in the shin area, the mother"s palms cover the baby"s knees. Then take a few flexion movements, as if the baby squats, and then spread the legs to the sides of the knees out – Thus, the baby will take the “Frog”. Turn the baby over onto his tummy. Take hold of his feet and press lightly, the legs should also be spread to the "frog" pose.

• "Guard". Place the baby on his tummy. Stand behind and lightly take the baby by the shoulders. You need to support the baby by the shoulders a little so that he can hold himself up on his own elbows for a few seconds. Then slightly spread the shoulders to the sides – the baby will reflexively try to lift his head up. This exercise will help prepare the neck muscles to independently hold the head.

• "Bicycle". This exercise is especially liked by infants. In the supine position, take the legs and alternately bring them to the tummy. Such an effect strengthens the abdominal muscles, reduces the incidence of colic. If the mother accompanies the movements with funny nursery rhymes, the baby will get more pleasure and benefit. An example of a nursery rhyme for this exercise: “We go, we go, we spin, we spin, and when we get tired, we’ll rest, we’ll learn everything, we’ll see everything, we’ll walk around the world in a circle! ».

Children from 2 to 4 months

It is necessary to incorporate crawling-promoting exercises for children between the ages of 2-4 months. To achieve this, you can make the already-familiar "Frog" more difficult by gradually applying pressure to the feet, causing the infant to reflexively move forward on his stomach. Due to their increased emotional intelligence, kids don’t skip poems, nursery rhymes, or class song singing.

• "Umbrellas". Place the child on his back, grab his hands with your fingers, stretch his arms forward and rotate his hands in a circle, shake them and start rotating in the other direction. You can read a nursery rhyme to the baby: "The umbrella is spinning in my hands, the rain is dozing in the clouds, I"ll spin it right and left, I"m flying to visit the rain!".

• "Dance". This exercise helps to strengthen the leg muscles and is usually very popular with babies. Place the baby on his back, take his right leg with your hand and touch it with the heel of his left knee, then repeat the exercise with the opposite leg.

• "Frog in swimming". This exercise is carried out in water – a large bath or pool. For it, you will need an orthopedic neck ring for bathing infants. Release the child with the ring into the water. With your hands, take hold of the baby"s legs and bring them as in the "land" version – first to the stomach, then spreading them to the sides. Add a series of turns with a circle in the water – from the back to the stomach and back.

Babies from 5 to 7 months

Babies can do a lot at this age, so make sure to use that to make gymnastics more difficult. Babies start to respond to the tasks more emotionally as they get harder and more fascinating.

• "Airplane". A favorite exercise of many generations. You can do it in mom"s or dad"s arms. The child is clasped around the tummy with one hand, the chest is supported with the other and lifted into the air. Reflexively, in the prone position, the child spreads his arms like the wings of an airplane, strains the muscles of the abdomen and back, his vestibular apparatus is trained. Then it"s up to the parents" imagination. You can imitate the sounds of an airplane, you can read about "airplane, take me on a flight", you can just laugh together, since children usually have a lot of fun with this exercise.

• "Brave pilot". This is a joint exercise. Mom should lie on her back, raise her legs and bend them at the knees at a right angle. She places the baby with his stomach on the bend of his legs between his knees and feet, holding him by his outstretched arms. Then mom can swing his legs and abs, which is useful after childbirth, and the baby can simply roll up and down, which is very useful for his vestibular apparatus and the development of his arms, stomach and back.

From 7 months and older

Any whimsy from parents is welcome at this age. The baby can be moved from a sitting to a lying position and vice versa by taking vertical "steps" where their feet rest on the adult’s legs (with support in the armpits). They can also be turned over on their sides, back, or stomach, and they can actively crawl.

• "Wheelbarrow". Children are crazy about this exercise – it is funny and very useful. Mom lifts the child by the legs from a prone position so that the child rests on the floor with his hands. So, on the hands, those involved move forward. You can add funny rhymes, and the whole family will have fun: “Chu-chu-chu, chu-chu-chu, I’m rolling a wheelbarrow into the garden – I’ll take onions, cabbage and carrots with me! ”.

• “Little train”. Put the tape on the floor and tell him that you will move along it, like a train on rails. Place the child on his stomach, take the same position on the other side of the tape parallel. With the sounds “Chukh-chukh” and “Tu-tu” start crawling from the starting point to the end of the tape, where the toy is (the finishing stimulus for the baby). As he grows, you can complicate the exercise, making your “train” crawl backwards.

Gymnastics is something your baby can do every day that can be fun and helpful. These activities help your baby’s physical development while also strengthening your bond with them. Easy exercises like belly time and gentle stretches promote flexibility, strength, and coordination.

As you focus on your baby’s comfort and enjoyment, don’t forget to keep the sessions lighthearted and enjoyable. In order to lay the foundation for a healthy, active lifestyle as they grow, it is intended to foster positive associations with physical activity.

Playful exercises on a regular basis help your baby meet critical developmental milestones and strengthen your bond with them. Accept these times as chances for personal development and joyous celebration, laying the groundwork for a lifetime of good health and contentment.

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