Gymnastics for newborns from the first days. Dynamic gymnastics for babies: useful exercises or risky elements

The development of a child depends not only on proper nutrition and parental care, but also on physical activities appropriate for the age of the baby (for example, gymnastics for babies has proven itself well). It is the movements that allow you to speed up the process of blood circulation in the body of the crumbs, supply all organs with an additional portion of oxygen and, as a result, "spur" mental development. However, today most parents still adhere to the “lying” point of view, when a newborn child, in their understanding, is a fragile and defenseless creature. Indeed, the baby needs protection, but he does not possess fragility at all. But it has a very high potential for mental and physical improvement, as well as a DESIRE to develop.

How to help a baby


First, it's a massage. And at the same time, a young mother should not wait until a district pediatrician (or other pediatrician) writes out an appointment for a professional massage therapist. It is enough to familiarize yourself with the list of basic massage techniques for babies and start their “implementation” as soon as the mother recovers a little after childbirth.

Secondly, it is gymnastics. Its main principle: "We do it while the child likes it." All exercises are a combination of movements with the obligatory involvement of at least two joints and several muscle groups. But at the same time, all these movements correspond to natural ones (for example, crawling or steps). Individual movements aimed at only one joint are not included in the gymnastics program for babies, since a child at this age instinctively responds to an external stimulus with a general motor reaction.



Gymnastics should not be done on an empty stomach, after eating or sleeping at night (the child will be lethargic and the effect of the exercises will decrease).

If possible, move all gymnastic activities to fresh air or work out with your baby in a well-ventilated area.

In cases where the baby begins to act up and cry during exercise, it is better to stop the activity and calm the baby. It is possible that something hurts him, or other natural needs (including hunger) do not allow him to enjoy the movements.

In summer, classes are held either in the morning or in the evening (avoiding overheating of the child). Remember that the result of physical activity will be the heating of the body.

Exercises should be alternated so as not to cause a one-sided load on any individual muscle groups.

Before gymnastics, it is worth “warming up” the baby by giving him a little massage.

If a child has serious illnesses that are a contraindication for massage and gymnastics, limit classes to simple light strokes and, as often as possible, but carefully, take the baby in your arms. The close proximity of a large warm and native body (mothers, fathers and even grandparents) will help the baby's body cope with the disease.

At 1-2 months


Basic gymnastics for one-month-olds allows you to slightly streamline the movements of a baby who has not yet mastered his body:

  • “crawling” - put the baby on his stomach, then gently bend his legs (knees to the sides) and rest your palm on his feet - the child will straighten his legs and, vigorously pushing off, move forward (make sure that the baby does not crawl away from the surface of the table or sofa, on which you are engaged with him);
  • "embryo" - put the baby on its back and "group" it, folding its arms crosswise on the chest and pulling the legs to the stomach (with knees wide apart), tilt the head to the chest, supporting it - this exercise allows you to train the vestibular apparatus and good effect on the nervous system;
  • “walking” - grab the baby under the armpits facing you (you can also do it away from you), put it with your feet on a flat surface, tilt it slightly forward and ... the baby will go (be careful not to accidentally squeeze his chest, and do not let him “walk” on toes) - continuing to do this exercise every day, you will not give the baby the opportunity to “unlearn” how to walk (and this will speed up learning to crawl and walk independently).

In the first month, you should also begin to learn with your baby an inflatable plastic ball (warm and clean) for fitness. To begin with, you can use an ordinary children's inflatable ball, the size of which should allow the child lying on it to only slightly reach the "ground". Such gymnastics for babies on the ball does not require special skills. Put the baby on the ball with his stomach, spread his knees to the sides, and leave the arms hanging freely in front of the chest. Now shake the baby forward, backward, in a circle and to the sides (with a small swing). Remember to hold the baby firmly so that he does not slip off. The ball can be replaced with a roller from a rolled up blanket, but then the wiggle will be limited to movements back and forth.

In addition, therapeutic exercises on a fitball for babies are very often used for disorders of psychomotor development, allowing you to reduce muscle tone.

Gymnastics for 2-month-old babies is similar to the exercises for the first month. It will differ only by a slightly increased duration of classes. Do not forget that all exercises should be enjoyable for both you and the child. Do not turn gymnastics into a "compulsory".

At 3 months



To all the exercises listed above, gymnastics for 3 months will add:

  • “sliding steps” - lay the baby on his back, take his legs in the lower part of the lower leg with your hands and slowly straighten one leg, slightly sliding your foot on the table; then repeat the movement for the other leg - from the side it should look as if the child's leg is a shovel with which you scoop something from the table (straightening it);
  • turns from back to stomach - using a grasping reflex, put your finger in the palm of the crumbs (with the rest of your fingers tightly grasp his hand), and with your other hand grab both legs in the shin area (with the index and thumb - the first leg, and the rest - the second); turn on its side, start with the movement of the legs, and then slightly pull on its handle until the baby is on the stomach;
  • "swimmer" - turn the child on his stomach, bring your palm under his chest and stomach, holding his legs with the other hand (see the previous exercise); now raise the baby above the table (the child should lie on your palm, as if on a horizontal surface, raising his head up), his legs should be slightly higher than his head; do not repeat the exercise more than 1 time per day and do it for only a few seconds;
  • incomplete sitting down - give the child the thumbs of both your hands (grab his hands with the rest) and pull towards you, not bringing him to a sitting position (do not be alarmed if his head lags behind the body), then gently lay him on his side so that he does not hit the back of his head ;
  • add to the swing on the ball the moment of repulsion of the child's feet from the ground.

Diversity



There are other options for gymnastics. For example, dynamic gymnastics , which is a different level of complexity exercises "in the air". You can master them already from the age of one month, but preferably in classes in special groups (this will give you confidence, because some “somersaults” are clearly not designed for the faint of heart, but kids really like it).

Here is the long-awaited miracle quietly snoring in the crib, and you cannot believe that what you dreamed about has happened. Each parent already imagines who their baby will grow up with, what it will be like. Dreams are good, but in order for them to come true, for this we adults need to help the little man achieve his goal. Gymnastics for a child in 1 month of life will be the start in his physical and psychological development.

Many will say: how is gymnastics already, because he is still so small? Yes, dear parents, fear aside and start taking care of your child. Of course, we do not give the load as for a professional gymnast, however, a kind of passive gymnastic exercises will help the work of a small organism.

We will analyze everything in detail in order to understand the whole principle of the benefits of gymnastics at such a young age.

Why do you need gymnastics in 1 month of life

Disputes of experts have long divided opinions into two parts, some argue that massage and gymnastics should be started from 1.5 months, others argue that classes should be started immediately after birth. I will say one thing, charging has never been harmful to anyone! Judge for yourself, we adults cannot be in one position for a long time, and a small lump that is not yet able to change positions on its own, what does it feel like? Of course, you can’t do heavy loads, but passive exercises will help the baby in the development of psychomotor status.

Gymnastics helps the child in the work of many biochemical processes of the body, improves blood circulation, lymph flow, immunity, positively affects the work of all organs and systems.

Even the great physiologist Sechenov wrote: “Movement is life!”

The first months of a child's life, gymnastics will not last long due to the short period of wakefulness, but this period increases with age.

How to do gymnastics in 1 month

Before you get over your insecurities, read the article carefully and prepare everything you need for this:

  • the room should be clean and ventilated, fresh air is needed not only for adults, but also for the children's body;
  • air temperature should be + 22- + 23 ° С, relative humidity 50-70%;
  • the surface where you are going to do gymnastic exercises should not be soft or too hard;
  • gymnastics is best done in a good mood, both for the baby and for the mother;
  • communicate with the baby during classes, this helps the child in the development of psychological status, despite his young age;
  • mothers do not forget about the cleanliness of hands, because the baby is very susceptible to bacteria;
  • you can not make sudden movements;
  • gymnastics must be done before feeding, but if the baby has eaten, wait 30 minutes and start exercising;
  • the duration should be several minutes, the child may not be able to withstand more;
  • it is better to do gymnastics a month before bathing, this will help your baby relax and get the most out of water procedures.

What not to do

To avoid mistakes, you need to know what you can’t do during gymnastics.

  • You can not do gymnastics when the baby is worried about something.
  • In case of high body temperature.
  • If your baby suffers from a persistent convulsive syndrome in the acute period, gymnastics should be postponed.
  • If the baby was born ahead of schedule, then gymnastics and massage are postponed for a period of stable condition, after consulting a doctor.
  • You can not supercool the baby, it is known that during the first month of life, the thermoregulation of the child is not yet perfect, so hypothermia can develop very easily. If you notice that the color of the skin has changed, the arms and legs have become cold, hiccups have appeared, then it's time to finish the gymnastics and urgently warm the baby.
  • Children at this age have preserved physiological hypertonicity of the limbs, so do not make sudden movements that can lead to injury and negative emotions of the baby.
  • You can not leave the baby unattended even for a few seconds!
  • Do not skip daily gymnastics, 5 minutes will bring into your child's life the basis for proper development.

Several gymnastic exercises in 1 month

We lay the child on his back, straighten the legs, then gently bend at the knees and bring him to the stomach. We unbend our legs. We repeat this 2-3 times. Such a movement helps the baby with the stagnation of gas in the intestines, thereby relieving pain.

The baby is lying on his back, we straighten the left leg, and bend the right one at the knee, leading to the tummy. Then we repeat the exercise with the other leg. We do 2-3 times. Such a gymnastic exercise is reminiscent of taking large steps.

The kid, lying on his back, straighten the arms to the sides, then bring them to the chest, slightly crossing, the movement resembles "scissors". We repeat 2-3 times.

Exercise 4

It is a variation of the previous exercise, the difference is that the arms are spread not to the sides, but the right one up, the left one down, changing the movement. Repeat 2-3 times.

Lay the baby on the stomach, the right leg is straightened, the left leg is bent at the knee and hip joint, then we change the legs. The movement is reminiscent of a rock climber. Repeat 2-3 times.

As children grow older, there are more exercises, with varying degrees of difficulty. However, I hasten to warn you, before you start gymnastic exercises, discuss this point with your doctor. He will advise which movements are useful for the child, and which ones he should not do yet.

Each kid is individual, so the approach to his physical education should be a separate story. The expanses of the World Wide Web provide a lot of information, many people think why contact a specialist if you can pick everything up yourself.

Make no mistake, a small body requires special attention and approach. The child is not a toy! Responsibility for his health and life lies with you dear parents. Be healthy!


Perhaps every parent dreams of raising their child healthy. Many people ask if there is a special gymnastics for babies 2 months old? Yes, there are such exercises. It is at this age that it is recommended to start doing general strengthening exercises with the baby.

What is important to know about a 2 month old baby?

The first year of a child's life is characterized by the highest rate of development. During this time, he will learn to control his movements, pronounce simple words, sit, crawl, walk, etc. It is by how the baby masters new skills that the pediatrician will evaluate his development. Movement is the main stimulator of growth and formation of the child's body. A newborn has a great need for physical activity, which is why most pediatricians recommend teaching babies to exercise from an early age.

You should know that skills in children develop from the head, that is, first the baby learns to control his hands, and then his legs. The success of the baby is more dependent on their own activity. However, an important role is played by the environment, the efforts of parents for its development. Deficiency of skin, auditory and visual stimuli can lead the child to lag behind peers.

The first and second months of a baby's life are critical for him. He gets used to the extrauterine conditions of life. Due to the insufficient development of the striatum (one of the parts of the brain), all children at this age have physiological muscle hypertonicity. The movements of the baby are poorly coordinated, erratic, his arms and legs are still pressed to the body, he clenches his fists. By the end of the second month, the tone of the flexor muscles gradually decreases, the child increasingly opens his fingers, moves his arms to the sides, and can raise them. If you put it on your stomach, it raises its head 10-15 cm from the surface and easily holds it for 30 seconds.

What you need to know about charging for newborns?

You should start doing gymnastics for babies no earlier than the 40th day of life. If the child has no contraindications, then general strengthening procedures can be carried out at home on their own. But for children with developmental disabilities or in the presence of diseases, only a specialist can choose exercises.

Charging for babies at 2 months is usually carried out in conjunction with massage. It allows you to warm up the muscles, the child relaxes, his mood improves. A massage session improves blood circulation, reduces the level of stress hormone in the body. This is a good way to establish close, trusting contact with your baby. With regular classes, the child's motor abilities will improve significantly, he will learn to roll over, crawl, sit down faster.

Basic Rules

When conducting exercise therapy, it is very important to observe the temperature regime in the room, personal hand hygiene, and the recommended duration of classes. In fact, there are not very many such nuances, but you should know all of them.

  • The room before the lesson must be prepared in advance: ventilate well, warm up to 22 degrees. If exercises with the baby are carried out in the summer, then the window can be left open.
  • The place for charging must be secured, there should not be sharp objects or furniture corners nearby, the baby should not roll or fall during the procedure.
  • Exercises and massage should be carried out on a hard surface. A changing table is best suited for this purpose. A folded blanket should be placed on it, and then the surface should be covered with a moisture-absorbing diaper or oilcloth and a baby sheet.
  • Hands before the procedure should be carefully treated: trim nails, remove jewelry, watches, wash clean with soap and water.
  • The best time to practice is early morning or afternoon, an hour after feeding your baby (and 30 minutes before).
  • The total duration of gymnastics together with massage in two months should not exceed 20 minutes. 6 minutes are allotted for the exercises. By six months, this time can be doubled.
  • During classes, it is important to talk with the baby, to keep in touch. It's good if mom or dad learn nursery rhymes.
  • At first, you can perform the most simple exercises, over time increasing their number and complexity.
  • When performing a massage, contact with the armpits, fontanel, elbows, knees and inner thighs should be avoided.
  • At the end of charging, the baby should be wrapped in a warm diaper and let it rest for half an hour.
  • Two-month-old babies are very susceptible to sudden movements, so try to perform all manipulations smoothly. When massaging, do not press hard, knead, knock on the baby's body.

    Indications and contraindications

    As already mentioned, in the presence of diseases in a child, exercises and massage should be carried out by a specialist. In some cases, the instructor may show the baby exercises to the parents.

    So, under what pathologies do babies need special classes:

    • hypotonicity, hypertonicity of flexor muscles;
    • diseases of the central nervous system;
    • hip dysplasia;
    • umbilical hernia;
    • rickets;
    • any orthopedic problems:
    • scoliosis;
    • chest deformity;
    • constipation.

    Exercise therapy is contraindicated for a child under one year old if he has:

    • underweight;
    • serious heart disease;
    • strangulated hernia;
    • inflammatory skin diseases;
    • diseases of the circulatory system;
    • SARS;
    • increased body temperature;
    • any disease in the acute stage.

    Exercises

    Exercise therapy for two-month-old babies is based on the so-called reflex exercises, which are carried out in combination with massage. You need to start and end classes with light strokes, and also monitor the reaction of the baby all the time. If he resists, cries, waves his arms or legs, then it is recommended to interrupt the gymnastics. Physical and emotional overstrain is more likely to harm him than good.

    Massage

    This is where charging starts. First you need to massage the limbs of the baby, then the tummy, neck and back. Hands before the procedure must be warmed. For a two-month-old baby, light strokes and barely perceptible pressure are acceptable.

    So, let's begin.

    • Put the baby on the back, take his fist in your hand, gently unclench, stroke your palm. Gently rise to the forearm, do the same with the second handle.
    • Now take the leg of the baby, stroke the foot, pay attention to each finger. Press lightly on the middle of the foot, lightly tickle.
    • With your fingertips, draw a circle around the navel several times (clockwise). Place your palms behind the back of the baby, gently slide and close them in the lower abdomen.
    • Turn the baby over on the tummy, stroke the neck towards the head.
    • Stroke the back from the waist up, then run your palms from the spine to the sides. Pay attention to the buttocks, in this area the movements should be directed towards the coccyx.
    • Turn the baby on its side, gently run your palm along the paravertebral lines from the lower back up to the head. Now turn over to the other side and stroke the back in the same way.
    • Lay the child on his back, stroke his face (from the middle of the forehead to the temples, chin), massage the ears.

    Gymnastics

    Now the newborn is sufficiently warmed up, and if he is in a good mood, you can start the exercises. Just like in massage, all movements are performed in stages.

    • Put your thumbs in the baby's palms, clasp the rest of the hands. For a few seconds, gently rotate the child's brushes. Gently raise the baby 15 cm above the surface, lower it just as slowly.
    • Grasp the baby's feet (pressing your palms to the foot) and gently tilt them towards you, away from you, to the sides. Bend the legs at the knees, pressing them to the baby's tummy, first one by one, and then two together. Spread the legs half-bent at the knee to the sides, then close.
    • Turn the baby over onto your stomach. Place a small flat cushion under your chest and grab your baby's attention with a kind word or a rattle. He must hold his head as long as possible.
    • Remove the roller, place your palms under the soles of the baby and apply light pressure. The child should push off from them and crawl forward a little.
    • Now bring both hands to the baby under the tummy and lift about 20 cm from the surface. His head and shoulders should involuntarily pull back.
    • If there is a fitball (large ball) at home, put the baby on it with your back down. Holding the chest with one hand and the baby's legs with the other, gently lower it down to the stop (feet forward). Then turn it over on the tummy and tilt the ball so that the baby's head lightly touches the floor.
    • Grasp the child under the armpits with both hands (with your back to you) and “put” on the legs. Let him push off the surface, jump, dance.
    • At the final stage, it is necessary to relax the baby. Lay it on its back, clasp your hands and shake them gently.

    Remember that exercising too intensely can cause stress for the child. Follow the law of the golden mean and do not insist on exercises if the baby is not in a good mood.

    Each child is individual, some kids master the exercises very quickly, others need time. Try to practice every day at the same hours. So the baby will quickly get used to new loads for him, and after a couple of weeks you will be surprised how deftly he learned to control his body.

From birth, your child begins the struggle for existence. On the path of evolution, the strongest wins. Nature helps in the development of your baby from a tiny creature into a full-fledged and strong member of human society in all respects. It may seem to you that your baby spends a lot of time in vain - he just lies and does nothing. But in fact, this is not so - at this time, the body grows and develops at a rapid pace. And when the baby moves his arms, jerks his legs, he trains and develops his body. His muscles and bones get used to receiving the load and the child develops and becomes stronger. Muscle strength will help him hold his head, sit and hold his back, crawl, hold heavier objects with his handles. And the vertebral muscles and legs that have grown up and trained with such movements and stirring will later help him take the first steps. Caring parents are interested in harmoniously and gradually making the child stronger, helping him in this with the help of a set of exercises that is useful and recommended by pediatricians, described below. Become a personal trainer for your baby - help him become strong from the first months of life. These 4 simple exercises will help your baby grow big and strong.

1. Tummy Time

Usually the child spends most of the day on the back. And his muscles in this position are loaded and trained mediocre. But when the baby is turned over on his tummy, muscle groups that have not previously received load are immediately included in the work, and the tone and load for the muscles of the body - the back, abdomen, neck and shoulders increases many times over. Already in the first days after birth, you can apply such exercises according to the Association of Pediatricians of America. Start with several times for 3-5 minutes. Exercises are best done in a playful way, put the baby on his tummy on a blanket or rug. Lie down next to him, and in an atmosphere of fun communication, do workouts. Make a face, show the baby a toy, attract attention in a different way so that the child moves and works different muscles. And so the training he needs to develop strength will become a joyful game and entertainment for him.

Distracting the crumbs here and there, you make him make more movements, therefore straining different muscle groups.

At first, with such exercises, the child may perceive the exercises without enthusiasm. But after a few sessions, the atmosphere of training with dad or mom will become joyful and familiar for him, and strengthened muscles will allow him to enjoy both exercise and movement. After a while, the baby will be able to spend more and more time on the tummy (up to 20 minutes a day). Over time, he will begin to grab objects and become strong enough to either crawl. Experts recommend not to stop such exercises, even after the baby begins to roll over from his back to his tummy on his own.

2. Pull ups

Another important and useful exercise for developing muscles in babies is pulling up in a sitting position. This exercise helps to strengthen the muscles of the shoulders, abdomen, arms and back. Even if you do all the work for the baby, pulling him up, the baby's abdominal muscles contract. And trying to straighten the head helps the baby gain a sense of balance.

Moms take note!


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To perform this exercise correctly, you need to put the child on the back and securely take him by the handles, gently and smoothly lift him up. This exercise should be carried out no earlier than one and a half months after the birth of the baby. If the baby still does not hold his head well, instead of pulling him by the handles, support him by placing one hand behind the back and the other under the back of the head.

You need to start the exercise by lifting the baby a few centimeters from the surface. The exercise will be more fun if your face is close enough to the baby's face, or it will be more fun for the baby if you kiss the baby every time he rises.

3. Exercise "Bicycle"

You have probably already heard about one of the methods for alleviating the suffering of newborns during colic - pulling the legs to the tummy. This exercise has other bonuses - strengthening the muscles of the legs, knees, hips and abdominal muscles, increases flexibility.

Place your baby on the back and make circular movements with his legs, imitating cycling. Joke, smile, voice everything in a cheerful and joyful form of communication - the child should enjoy classes. Repeat the movement 3-5 times - pause. Continue training until the time when it is interesting and joyful for the child.

4. Weight lifting exercises

A baby by nature should have developed grasping movements. Grasping objects is a great way to develop grasping skills, coordination, and also helps develop muscles in the shoulder, arms, and hands. After the baby begins to grab objects with his hands on his own, pick up for him and use safe for him and moderately heavy objects as weighting agents during such training. Motivate the baby to pick up objects in his hands, raise them and lower them.

A newborn baby spends most of its time sleeping. So nature itself helps him to go through a period of adaptation to the new world. In a dream, all processes proceed softer. The newborn is awake quite a bit - no more than two hours a day. His awakenings are most often associated with natural needs - the desire to eat, wet diapers or abdominal pain due to colic. Short periods of wakefulness can and should be skillfully used.

For the development of the baby, special gymnastics will be useful, which is allowed literally from the very first days of life. About how and why to do it, we will tell in this article.



Benefit

Few people have questions about the benefits of gymnastics for newborns: charging is never harmful if done correctly. For babies who have just been born, gymnastic exercises are of particular importance.

After nine months in the mother's womb, spent in rather cramped conditions (it was especially crowded in the last 2 months before childbirth), there is nothing surprising in the physiological hypertonicity of the muscles, which is recorded in almost all infants. Gymnastics helps to quickly get rid of excessive muscle tension, the baby gets the opportunity to grow and develop physically in more comfortable conditions.

Gymnastics is not just a set of exercises. In any case, the baby sees her differently: for him, this is an opportunity for close tactile contact with his mother. Its absence or deficiency leads to poor emotional development of the baby, to a slowdown in his mental development.


Gymnastics improves blood circulation, which has a good effect on appetite, digestion and sleep quality: children sleep more deeply and calmly. Muscles develop, joints and ligaments strengthen. All this will then be sure to come in handy for the child when he begins to master coups, crawling, walking. Dr. Komarovsky, whose opinion has weight for many mothers, believes that gymnastics and hardening from the very first days are the key to a healthy and strong immunity in the future.

Contraindications

Relative contraindications to gymnastic exercises for newborns are congenital heart defects, hemangioma, as well as the presence of a large umbilical or inguinal hernia. Sometimes doctors recommend refraining from gymnastic exercises for certain congenital diseases of the joints and the musculoskeletal system, for example, with the immaturity of the hip joints, gymnastics should be done special, therapeutic, and only when the baby grows up a little.

Gymnastics is not done if the child has vomiting, diarrhea, fever.

Be sure to ask a pediatrician about the possibility of classes - he will visit you the very next day after discharge from the hospital. For the vast majority of kids, doctors allow such classes, and with pleasure: the desire of a mother to develop her child is always commendable.


General principles

If there are no contraindications, it is advisable to start working with a child from 1.5-2 weeks. By this time, the baby is well adapted to the new environment. A mother who intends to do gymnastics with her child needs to know some general rules that will help to achieve maximum benefit and make the process of training interesting and enjoyable for everyone.

  • Take care of your child every day. Only daily gymnastics, and not a couple of exercises from time to time, will be useful and effective.
  • For classes, use a flat surface that will not fall under the weight of the baby - a table, countertop, changing table or chest of drawers.
  • Repeat each exercise no more than 3-5 times, this is enough for the baby not to get tired.
  • Turn the lesson into a game - with a verse, a song and a joke. The kid will definitely love it.
  • Do gymnastics in a ventilated room in which it is not hot (no more than 21 degrees Celsius), remove diapers and all clothes during gymnastics. In summer, if it is warm and not rainy outside, you can do gymnastics in the fresh air.
  • You cannot force a child to do exercises. If the baby is naughty and crying, you should not continue to do the exercises. It will be possible to return to gymnastics when the child is in the mood for play and communication.
  • When compiling a gymnastics program for your child, choose only those exercises that are suitable for his age, because excessive physical activity can harm.
  • Do exercises that will promote symmetrical development of paired muscles to prevent unilateral muscle activity from predominating.
  • Set the session duration to 10 minutes. To begin with, no more than 2 minutes, then every two days increase the time by one minute until you reach a ten-minute “workout”.



Charging can be done several times a day:

  • after waking up and morning hygiene procedures - morning;
  • gymnastics in combination with a restorative massage - in the morning;
  • a few relaxing exercises as part of a soothing evening massage, which is done before bathing.



Perform gymnastics on warmed muscles, even if you don’t even pre-massage: lightly rub your arms, legs, stomach and back with your palms before proceeding to the set of exercises.

Also make sure that the child is not hungry at the time of class, as hunger will distract him, the baby will start to cry. It is dangerous to do exercises immediately after eating - this can provoke profuse regurgitation.

It is optimal to schedule a lesson one and a half hours after a meal or an hour before the next feeding.

Classic exercise for babies from 0 to 3 months

Classical exercises can be combined with massage, air baths. Well, the techniques of classical gymnastics are suitable for the morning session, which the mother spends after washing, treating the navel. Classical gymnastics is performed in a static position: the child is in a stable position in space. This is the main difference between the classical complex and the dynamic one, which we will discuss below.

For a note, mom can be advised a few game exercises that will definitely come in handy for the mother of an infant from 2 weeks to 2 months.

  • "Caterpillar". Starting position - lying on your stomach. Mom brings her palm to the baby's feet and slightly presses on them with a forward movement. The baby reflexively crawls forward. So the muscles of the abdomen, legs, back are trained. Crawling is practiced from a very early age precisely for this, and not at all in order to teach a child to crawl, as many people think.


  • "Embryo". The posture that the child needs to take during this exercise is quite simple and familiar to him. In it, the child was in the mother's womb. Lay the baby on its side, bring the knees to the stomach, and hold the arms against the chest. Slightly tilt the baby's head with the chin down towards the chest. Hold it in this position for 15-20 seconds, then release. Repeat 4-5 times.
  • "Tapper". Lift the baby under the armpits, let the toes rest against the surface of the table and move the baby forward. He will reflexively take "steps" on the table. Do not relax your hands, the weight of the child should in no case fall on his fragile limbs and spine.
  • "Bike". Starting position - lying on your back. Take the baby's legs in your hands above the ankle and perform the movements characteristic of cycling.
  • "Worm". Starting position - lying on your side. Run your fingers along the baby's spine without pressure or pressure. Reflexively, the baby will arch the back, and then return it to its original position again.
  • "Athlete". Starting position - lying on your back. Take the baby's hands in your hands. Bring them to the chest, spread them in different directions, then lift them up and lower them along the body. At first, increased muscle tone will significantly limit the ups and downs, make sure that the child does not hurt.


If the child is already more than two months old and his age is approaching 3 months, it is quite possible to complicate the classical gymnastics program with the following exercises:

  • "Dolphin". Starting position - lying on your stomach. Place your palms under the baby's chest and belly, for a few seconds lift him low on your palms above the surface of the massage table. All muscle groups, especially the cervical, back and abdominal muscles will tighten. The back will bend, and the head will rise higher. Then gently lower the baby back to the starting position. Repeat 3-4 times.
  • "Skier". Lay the baby on the back, take one leg by the foot, gently straighten it at the knee and slide the foot of the crumbs across your palm with a sliding motion. Then do the same exercises for the second leg. It will be like skiing.
  • The next exercise is quite difficult, it is recommended to start doing it no earlier than 3 months of age. It's called "Spindle". Its essence is in training the oblique muscles of the abdomen and the long muscles of the back. Lay the child on the back. Grab the legs with one hand, pull the right handle with the other hand while moving the legs to the left. The baby will roll over onto his stomach. Then practice flips through the opposite side.



You can add exercises on the fitball - both on the back and on the stomach.

Dynamic charging

This type of gymnastics for babies belongs to the category of developing. Exercises are used more complex, they are all carried out in motion with a change in the position of the child's body in space. Swinging, rotation help not only develop the muscular system, but also effectively train the child's vestibular apparatus.

Dynamic exercises have more contraindications than classical ones, and therefore, in addition to consulting a doctor, it is advisable for parents to first receive a couple of lessons from an exercise therapy specialist. This type of gymnastics is not indicated for torticollis, weakness and underdevelopment of the joints. To begin with, a mother can visit an exercise therapy room in a clinic, go through several group classes with a baby, only after that it is possible to use the acquired skills at home - naturally, with caution and observing the technique of performing exercises.

Dynamic gymnastics programs can be different, here are just a few exercises for home use.

  • "Pilot". Put the baby on your stomach. With one hand, firmly grab the crumbs' wrist, and with the other - the leg in the shin area on the same side. Raise the baby for a few seconds and gently lower it back down. Repeat the exercise with the arm and leg on the other side.



  • "Climber". Starting position - lying on your back. Grab the baby’s legs with your hands just above the ankles, slightly lift the baby by the legs so that the legs are in the air and the head is on the table. Shake it lightly and gently lower it back down.
  • "Airplane". Everyone knows this exercise. It is better to entrust its implementation to dad, his hands are stronger than mom's. With one hand, take the baby lying on the stomach under the chest, with the other - under the tummy from the opposite side. The baby must be well fixed. Roll it around the room, imitating the sound of an airplane, change the height of the “flight”, you can circle the baby several times. You should not throw a child in the air and catch him, as some of the older generation do, this creates an excessive load on the spine and pelvic bones.

Dynamic gymnastics, according to supporters of its use, allows not only to develop the baby, but also to strengthen the psychological trust between the child and the adult. Many experts recommend starting it for newborns as early as 1 month.

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