The first month of the baby’s life - the period of the newborn - is the most difficult and difficult time for him. Immediately, from the first minute, everything is unusual for him here: a different way of breathing, nutrition, a different temperature and many different irritants. Adaptation to a new world in a crumb occurs through sleep, and awakenings are usually associated with natural needs. Despite the fact that during the neonatal period, wakefulness intervals are quite short, this time can be spent with benefit. For the full development of the baby, doctors recommend introducing exercises for newborns from the first days. We will talk about the methods and benefits of gymnastics for the smallest in this article.
To what age is a child considered to be a newborn?
Before proceeding to exercises for newborns from the first days, it will be appropriate to clarify how old the baby is considered a newborn. When the baby is just born, mother will have to discover a lot of new things, especially when it comes to the firstborn. When reading special literature or communicating with a pediatrician, the following terms may occur: early and late neonatal periods. Many mothers, this terminology can enter into a stupor. From the point of view of medicine, the newborn age lasts twenty eight days, which is divided into periods:
- early neonatal - starts from bandaging the umbilical cord and lasts a week;
- late neonatal - continues until the end of the newborn age, that is, up to twenty-eight days.
Thus, the exercises for newborns that we will consider are relevant for very young children.
The benefits of gymnastics
The benefit of gymnastics for every person, including a newborn, is difficult to question. After all, everyone knows that even the simplest exercises positively affect the whole body. And for newborns, gymnastics is important in their development. It remains only to find out what exercises can be done by the newborn from the first days of life. For a baby, gymnastics is not just a complex of certain activities, but primarily close tactile contact with her mother. Its deficiency can lead to a slowdown in the mental and emotional development of the child. Recently, physiological hypertonicity of muscles has been found more often in infants, which is noted in Russia. Exercise for newborns helps to quickly eliminate excessive tension in the muscles, so that the baby has the opportunity to grow and physically develop in the most comfortable conditions.
Charging improves blood circulation, which favorably affects the quality of sleep, digestion and appetite. In addition, exercises for newborns help strengthen the ligaments and joints. All this will positively affect the child in the future, when he begins to roll over, crawl and walk.
Are there any contraindications?
Contraindications to physical exercise for newborns are hemangioma, inguinal or umbilical hernia, as well as congenital heart defects. In some cases, experts advise to refrain from exercise in some congenital diseases of the musculoskeletal system and joints. For example, if a child has immaturity of the hip joints, then only a certain therapeutic gymnastics is suitable and only after the baby is older.
In addition, exercises for newborns should be abandoned if the baby is tormented by nausea, fever, vomiting, diarrhea. Thus, before you begin the exercises, it is worth consulting with your child’s doctor.
General principles
In the absence of contraindications and after the approval of the pediatrician, you can start to deal with the baby from birth. In order for gymnastics to bring maximum benefits, and classes to become pleasant and entertaining, it is advisable for each mother to follow the following rules established by pediatricians of Russia in the process of gymnastic exercises:
- Exercises for newborns must be performed daily, only in this case gymnastics will become effective and useful for the baby.
- Do not force the child to perform this or that exercise if he does not want to. If the baby began to cry or be capricious - classes should be postponed.
- For gymnastics, it is better to use a flat surface - a countertop, a table or a changing table.
- Classes in the form of a game will definitely please the kid. Therefore, in the process of exercise, do not forget to talk with the baby: sing songs, read poems or jokes.
- Each exercise requires repetitions of no more than five times.
- Charging should be carried out in a ventilated room, where it is not hot, and the temperature reaches no more than twenty-one degrees of heat. During exercise, remove the diapers and all the clothes of the baby. Also on a sunny summer and warm day, it is recommended to conduct classes in the fresh air.
- Gymnastics for a newborn should last no more than ten minutes, and for a start - no more than two minutes, after which time can be gradually increased.
- It is important that the exercises are suitable for the age of the baby, as excessive physical activity can harm him.
- Before classes, you must remove from your hands such objects that can injure the baby: watches, bracelets, rings.
The best time for gymnastics
Gymnastic exercises should be started one hour before a meal or an hour and a half after the next feeding. It is important that at the time of training the baby is not hungry, but it is not recommended to carry out exercises immediately after eating, as this can provoke regurgitation. Pediatricians prescribe gymnastics in combination with a restorative massage in the morning, and some relaxing exercises can be done before an evening swim. Any gymnastic games are held exclusively on hot muscles. As a weak massage before gymnastics, light rubbing with the palm of the hands, legs, back and abdomen is suitable.
Next, we will consider exercises for newborns that are perfect for morning exercises.
Caterpillar
This exercise helps to train the muscles of the abdomen, back and legs.
- The baby is placed in a tummy on a hard surface.
- The adult puts his palm to the feet of the baby and slightly presses them forward.
- Thus, the baby must reflexively crawl forward.
"A bike"
Breast put on the back.
Mom takes the crumbs legs above the ankle and makes the movements that are typical for cycling.
"Embryo"
The child is laid sideways on a flat surface. Knees should be brought to the stomach, and hands should be held on the chest.
The head of the newborn should be slightly tilted chin down to the chest.
Further, the adult holds the baby in this position for twenty seconds.
The Worm
The child is laid sideways on a hard surface. The adult runs his fingers along the spine of the baby without pressure and pressure.
Reflexively the baby should bend his back, and then return to its original position.
"Athlete"
The baby is put on the back. Take the baby’s arms in their hands and bring their breasts down. After that, they spread their arms in different directions, raise them up, then down.
Due to increased muscle tone, at first it will be difficult for the baby to be given this exercise. It is necessary to ensure that in the process of training he does not experience pain and discomfort.
Breathing exercises
Immediately before classes, you should do a massage: with your palm we make light strokes in the direction from the head to the buttocks, while the lumbar region should not be affected.
- The kid is placed on a hard surface with his stomach down or taken up in his arms facing him. Further, the adult rhythmically presses with his palm on the back of the child, passing from the neck to the lower back. Since the child does not yet hold his head upright, it must be leaned against the shoulder of an adult.
- The baby is laid out on the back and rhythmically pressed on the chest, its side and front surfaces, bypassing the sternum.
Foot exercises
Before performing the following exercises, it is necessary to give the baby a light massage as follows: stroking with the thumbs of the back surface of the feet of the child with the support of their heels with index fingers.
- The baby is placed on the back and with a slight pressure on the foot the crumbs at the base of the fingers provoke him to bend them.
- When an adult gently strokes the outer edge of the foot, the infant should spread its fingers and take the feet out.
"Airplane"
This exercise belongs to the category of dynamic gymnastics, which includes more complex techniques, such as rocking, spinning and much more. Dynamic exercises have more contraindications than classical ones. In this regard, parents, in addition to consulting a pediatrician, should first get a few lessons from a specialist in physiotherapy. So, speaking about the exercise itself, you must follow the following instructions:
- The baby is taken with one hand under the chest, and with the other under the stomach from the opposite side.
- Make sure the child is well fixed.
- Representing the sound of an airplane, roll the baby around the room, changing the altitude of the flight.
It is worth paying attention to the fact that it is strictly forbidden to throw a newborn baby into the air, as this will create an excessive load on the bones of the pelvis and spine.
Use Fitball
Exercises for newborns on a specialized ball today is one of the most popular types of children's gymnastics. An unstable, elastic support helps to develop small muscles and train the vestibular apparatus. The following options are suitable as the first exercises for newborns on a ball:
- Toddler put tummy on fitball. Holding the head and shoulders with one hand, and the legs with the other, it is necessary to sway the ball back and forth about five times. Such an exercise is great as a massage of the tummy and helps to train balance.
- The child is turned over and laid on the back, while holding in the same way. This exercise should be performed no more than five times. Closer to two months, you can add circular motions to this exercise.
- Infants are placed on a sofa or bed so that the legs hang from the knee. Holding the baby, an adult rolls up a fitball. And the child’s task is to instinctively push the ball away with his feet.
Doctors Recommendations
According to experts, in order for gymnastics to be beneficial for the baby, parents need to create favorable conditions for classes: in the room they need to moisten the air and monitor its temperature, as well as prevent drafts.
Having found out what exercises to do with newborns, it is worth noting the following: more significant results can be achieved by combining gymnastics with air baths, as well as by applying fortifying techniques and art therapy methods (music therapy, fairy tale therapy, etc.).
Those parents who did gymnastic exercises with a newborn child from the first days, by the first year of their birth, note that their baby is less likely to get sick, develop better and learn age-related skills faster.