Did you know that even if all your little one seems to do is lie around all day, the little movements that they do actually help develop their muscles? Why not help boost your child’s growth and development by trying out these 4 simple and fun exercises!
1. Turning your baby onto their tummy
Lay your baby down flat on their tummy helps exercise the muscles in their neck, arms, shoulders, back, and their stomach. This helps a lot since babies spend a lot of time lying down, so some of their muscles aren’t getting exercised.
You can do this for 3-5 minutes at a time, and you can start doing it as soon as you can take your baby home from the hospital. Of course, make sure that you’re supervising your baby whenever you’re doing this exercise.
2. Baby sit-ups
To do baby sit-ups, you can pull your baby up into a sitting position and then let them lie back down on the bed. Baby sit-ups help strengthen their shoulders, core, arms, and back.
Make sure to do it slowly, and don’t force your baby. You can start as early as 6 weeks, or as soon as your little one can start to support their head. When you’re first starting, you might only be able to pull your baby up about 1-2 inches, but as they grow and get stronger, you’ll be able to place them into a sitting position.
3. Bicycling your baby’s legs
Aside from strengthening your baby’s legs, knees, hips, and abs, bicycling is also a good way to relieve your child of gas!
To do the exercise, you need to “Put your baby on his back and gently move his legs up and around, as if he were pedaling a bicycle.” Repeat it about 2-3 times, take a break, and then do it again.
It’s also super fun activity for your baby, and we’re sure that your baby will love doing this exercise.
4. Picking up objects
As soon as your baby is able to grasp objects, you can start to let them lift different sized objects of different weights. You can do this by placing a variety of objects or toys in front of them, and let them grasp and lift every one of them.
This exercise helps your child develop their grip strength, as well as their shoulders, arms, and their hands.
Source: parents.com
READ: 4 easy exercises to help your kids grow (much) taller