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You may feel that your little one spends the entire day simply lying in their crib, but in actuality, whether it’s kicking their legs or wriggling during a diaper change, their little muscles are getting a vigorous exercise! All this building of strength is pivotal for your baby’s motor development; they need stronger muscles in order to hold their head up, crawl and walk eventually. Bonus? Exercise can lead to a less fussy tyke with a restful sleep and eagerness towards learning and playing. So if you’re eager to know how to get those little muscle work, here are four easy exercises that will transform you from loving mom to the personal trainer of your happier, healthier baby!
1. Getting That Tummy Time
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Making your baby spend time on their tummy helps build the muscles in their neck, shoulders, arms, stomach and back. Simply plant them on the stomach on a play-mat or blanket on the floor, then plop yourself down on your tummy as well to keep them company. You can engage your baby with silly talk, smiles, funny faces and even jiggling toys close to his grasp. This will excite them to curiously reach around thereby building their muscles. Don’t be discouraged when your little one fusses during the initial tummy time, once those muscles are strengthened with practice they shall enjoy it. Begin with three to five-minute sessions and as tolerance and endurance increase you could go up to 20-minute sessions daily.
2. Doing Those Sit-Ups
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By pulling your little one up into a sitting position, you help develop the muscles in their core, arms, shoulders and back. You may think you’re doing the pulling but your baby is naturally flexing their abdomen and working muscles to keep their head aligned, which strengthens muscles and boosts balance. You can start this exercise from six weeks onwards by grasping your baby’s forearms once they’re on their back and pulling them gently towards you. Initially, you’ll only pull them up an inch or two but as they get older, they will advance to the full sitting position.
3. Busting Out Some Bicycling
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Cycling your baby’s legs not only works his abdominal, knee, hip and leg muscles but also pushes out air and relieves gas. Lay your baby on the back and carefully move their little legs in a circular motion as though they were riding a bicycle. Cooing, singing, smiling or making the train or vroom sounds as you make the motion will engage and excite your baby. You can do this exercise three to five times, have a break, and then repeat. Keep going as long as your baby is showing interest and engaging back with smiles, eye contact or kicking.
4. Lifting Some Weights
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This is a great move to build your little love’s ability to grasp, develop their arm, shoulder and hand muscles and also improve the hand-eye coordination. You can start as soon as they start grasping items, which is usually around the third or fourth month.
Sit your baby in a bouncy seat or high chair and place a small collection of objects of varying shapes and sizes in front of them. Encourage your baby to lift the items, examine and lay them back down. Then play along with them and lift the same once again or move on to different objects. You will probably have to play along and demonstrate the process a few times initially for your baby to get the idea. They will catch on quicker if their ‘personal weights’ light-up, make a sound upon their fall or if you grant them an exciting reward for a job done well.
Work as a team with your baby upon these moves and you will help strengthen their muscles and coordination in time for walking. These exercises are age-old and advised by experts. Trust us; your baby will thank you!
