Boost Your Baby’s Physical Development
By Alana Gardini, Paediatric Physiotherapist
In order to boost your baby’s physical development it is important to understand how the process works…
The Importance Of Early Movement
Infants thrive on movement. It is their first major learning experience and one of their greatest achievements in the first year of life. Studies show that the amount of time infants spend in different positions in the first year of life impacts their perceptual, visual, social, and cognitive development.
Enriched Environments Increase Brain Activity
We also know that enriched environments at home – meaning an environment where your baby is encouraged to regularly interact, play and explore with you – are shown to increase brain activity. In essence, babies and young children who play and move more have the potential to do better academically! Movement is like a brain booster for a baby!
Physical Benefits
Babies who are encouraged to move more are also less likely to develop preventable conditions such as flat head syndrome. There is also a growing school of thought that conditions such as ‘ideopathic toe walking’ (tip toe walking for no known reason) could at times be prevented if babies were encouraged to move and play more, becoming stronger toddlers and children.
So How Do You Boost Your Baby’s Physical Development?
If you have any concerns about your child’s physical development, a detailed examination by a paediatric physiotherapist is recommended. They will assess your child’s physical abilities and determine the best play-based exercises specifically for their needs. If you are looking for ideas you can use at home, My Strong Little Body is a fantastic resource I’ve designed specifically for this purpose. It is an easy to follow 10 step guide with over 100 targeted early intervention exercises.
About Alana
Alana is a mum of two little boys Fraser and Alfie (aged 4 and 1) and a paediatric physiotherapist at All About Physio Nerang on the Gold Coast. Alana has over 12 years experience working with babies and children. If you would like to book an appointment with Alana or one of All About Physio’s paediatric physiotherapists, click the ‘Book Now’ button below or call our Nerang location on 07 5596 5766. To learn more about All About Physio’s paediatric physiotherapy service click the ‘Learn More’ button below.