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Physical activity contributes to a robust development in children. During the first 3 months of life, infants primarily eat and sleep, with limited movement. Utilize the waking moments to implement basic exercises for your little one.
When performing these exercises, ensure your baby is on a flat, clean, dry, and soft surface.
1. Up and Down with Tiny Hands
Place your thumb into your baby's palm (encouraging a firm grip) and support their hand with your other fingers. Move your baby's arms up and down along the body to stimulate shoulder flexibility. Take it slow, and don't worry about resistance from your baby's muscles.
Next, smoothly guide your baby's arms up and down along the body to stimulate the flexibility of their shoulders. Don't rush and don't be concerned about countering resistance from your baby's muscles.
2. Sideways Arm Swing Moving to Chest
Begin by moving your baby's arms sideways, then cross them in front of the chest. This exercise helps broaden the shoulders and encourages muscle development in the chest.
3. Alternating Up and Down Movement
As one arm moves up, the other moves down, and vice versa. Such complex movements help stimulate the development of brain cells involved in motor coordination.
4. Arm Rotation
5. Leg Flex and ExtendHold your baby's legs near the knees and push upward towards the abdomen, then extend the legs. This exercise promotes pelvic bone development and helps alleviate constipation in infants.
6. Alternate Leg Flex and ExtendHold onto your baby's legs near the knees, move them towards the abdomen, and then down. Alternate between legs, pushing one towards the abdomen while pulling the other down. This enhances hip joint mobility and supports stable development of the pelvic region.
7. Side-to-Side Hip Expansion
8. Toe-Touching Leg Stretch
9. Exercise to Support Rolling Skills
10. Flip and belly lie
Lying on the belly early is crucial as it brings many benefits to the child: encouraging the development of motor skills as well as the development of muscles on the body. When lying on the belly, the child instinctively lifts the head (helps develop neck muscles), raises the arms (helps develop arm and chest muscles), and crawls on the floor with the legs (helps develop leg and hip muscles).
You can place some toy models in front to stimulate the baby to turn the head or move to the left and right. When the baby turns the head to look, it helps promote the good functioning of neck muscles. Doing this daily will also help the child's back develop.
A note for parents is that the smaller the baby, the more likely one arm will be trapped under the belly when lying on the belly. Parents should not rush to help the baby get it out but let the baby try to solve this problem on their own. Encourage the baby to experience independence.
11. Airplane position
If the baby is strong enough to lift the head high, you can hug the baby with both hands just below the armpits (note to hold the baby's body tightly, not the arms, as otherwise, the child is prone to shoulder joint injuries). Then lift the baby's body up and hold it in a horizontal position, from there the baby will automatically lift the head and straighten the legs. This exercise is beneficial for the overall development of a strong and flexible back muscle chain. It can be rotated gently in various directions to help the child train different muscle groups and develop spatial orientation skills.
12. Balance Exercise with Ball
Place the baby on their belly on a clean ball. Then hold the ball and the baby to be able to control the ball's gentle movement, ensuring safety for the baby. Avoid holding the baby too tightly as it may make it difficult for the baby to move on the ball. You can roll the ball in various directions, and you will see the baby starting to have positive reactions to an object that is not a flat surface. You will notice that the baby will try to adjust the body and hold onto the ball firmly to avoid falling. This exercise will help connect the muscle nerves and help the child learn reflex skills in unsafe situations.
Note: Each child is born with different abilities, so the level of application and the ability to practice these exercises also vary. Apply exercises that make the baby happy and ensure safety for the child!
(Compilation)
