Thursday, September 13, 2007
Do babies really need to exercise?
Absolutely! Babies need plenty of opportunities to move and explore a sensory rich environment in their first year of life. For babies, play is exercise and hard work. Through play babies learn about their bodies and develop strength and coordination. The idea behind Wee Exercise is to promote early movement and physical activities through constructive play.
Caregivers should interact in daily physical activities that promote an infant's exploration of his environment and movement skills. As a Pediatric Occupational Therapist, Wee Exercise Co-Creator Margaret Barnes found that children were missing major movement milestones because they weren't moving enough. Instead babies were being entertained by the plethora of baby toys and accessories on the market that don't necessarily promote movement but rather containerize the infant. Parents don't put baby on the floor anymore because of all the gadgets available to put baby "in". There is a developmental progression for everything a baby learns. That can be disrupted if babies are turned over solely to aids and gadgets for their physical motivation.
Check out the Wee Excercise website...
Absolutely! Babies need plenty of opportunities to move and explore a sensory rich environment in their first year of life. For babies, play is exercise and hard work. Through play babies learn about their bodies and develop strength and coordination. The idea behind Wee Exercise is to promote early movement and physical activities through constructive play.
Caregivers should interact in daily physical activities that promote an infant's exploration of his environment and movement skills. As a Pediatric Occupational Therapist, Wee Exercise Co-Creator Margaret Barnes found that children were missing major movement milestones because they weren't moving enough. Instead babies were being entertained by the plethora of baby toys and accessories on the market that don't necessarily promote movement but rather containerize the infant. Parents don't put baby on the floor anymore because of all the gadgets available to put baby "in". There is a developmental progression for everything a baby learns. That can be disrupted if babies are turned over solely to aids and gadgets for their physical motivation.
Check out the Wee Excercise website...
// posted by Tammy Wachter @ 5:32 PM 
