Motor Development: Basics and Beyond Series @ Baby + Co

The Motor Development: Basics and Beyond Series of classes is returning to Baby + Co in Cary, NC for January - February 2018!  Whether your infant needs help learning to enjoy tummy time or find his way to hands and knees for crawling, these skill specific classes offer a variety of ways to help your baby master motor development.   

1/5/18: SITTING & ROLLING (9:30 - 10:30 AM)

1/26/18: TUMMY TIME (9:30 - 10:30 AM)

2/9/18: CRAWLING (9:30 - 10:30 AM)

2/23/18: STANDING & WALKING (9:30 - 10:30 AM)

Each class reviews typical infant development and provides hands on teaching with opportunities for parent practice. The casual and comfortable environment encourages parent and child interaction while learning from expert pediatric physical therapists in a social setting. 

Pre-registration is required: www.babiesonthemoverdu.com/register

Feature Baby: Charlie

This month, we are featuring our adorable friend Charlie! We first met Charlie and his parents, Ray and Ashley, in December 2016 when Charlie had just turned three months old. Charlie was a show off from the start, enjoying being on his tummy from that first Mini Movers class. They signed up for a Mini Movers series, and over the next three months, we watched Charlie progress in his rolling and sitting. Charlie was also a big 'talker' and always made sure that he was heard in class! :) 

Charlie moved up to the Master Movers class in May, and came with a whole new set of tricks!  He was crawling on his belly, pulling up to stand, and playing in standing. Over the new few Master Movers classes, Charlie perfected his squatting, standing with his feet flat, cruising between surfaces, and standing without support. He came to class in August ready to show off his newest feat - walking independently!  Charlie was so proud of himself and we were all so proud of him too!! He was also happy to show off his amazing throwing skills, which will hopefully serve him well in his future baseball career ;) It was such a pleasure having Charlie and his parents in our classes and having the opportunity to help them ensure that he had a strong foundation of motor development in the first year!

“We’ve had so much fun at Babies on the MOVE (Charlie’s “Workout Class” as we call it)! Through both Mini Movers and Master Movers, it’s been great getting tips on helping Charlie learn his next new skill. As he’s gone from rolling over to sitting to crawling to almost-walking, we’ve loved learning about all of the little steps between the major milestones that babies learn and practice in order to move on to the next big one (e.g. standing on his tip-toes means strengthening those calf muscles for walking!). Being able to recognize those little things that he was working on made playtime that much more fun at home. As first-time parents, we had no idea about all of the little progressions that would eventually build up to him taking his first steps. Having Becca and Rachel point out what Charlie was trying to do, and give us tips on how we could help him, has allowed us to contribute to his development in ways we otherwise wouldn’t have been able to. Thank you!”

— Ray and Ashley Sweeney

Motor Development: Basics and Beyond Series @ Baby + Co

The Motor Development: Basics and Beyond Series of classes is returning to Baby + Co in Cary, NC for September - November 2017!  Whether your infant needs help learning to enjoy tummy time or find his way to hands and knees for crawling, these skill specific classes offer a variety of ways to help your baby master motor development.   

9/29/17: CRAWLING (1:30 - 2:30 PM)

10/13/17: TUMMY TIME (1:30 - 2:30 PM)

10/27/17: SITTING & ROLLING (1:30 - 2:30 PM)

11/10/17: STANDING & WALKING (1:30 - 2:30 PM)

Each class reviews typical infant development and provides hands on teaching with opportunities for parent practice. The casual and comfortable environment encourages parent and child interaction while learning from expert pediatric physical therapists in a social setting. 

Pre-registration is required: www.babiesonthemoverdu.com/register

When will my baby crawl?

We frequently get this question from parents.  Often young babies of 2-3 months may be seen bringing their legs up under their body and kicking them out behind when on their tummy, and their parents wonder if they will be crawling forward soon.  In order to crawl on their hands and knees, babies need to master certain skills on their tummy first.  

A baby will be able to bear weight on her hands with her elbows straight on her tummy and shift her weight to one side to reach with the opposite arm.  She will also be able to shift her weight at her pelvis and lower body, bringing one of her hips up off the floor with the leg on that side bending up by her body.  Once she masters that, she will be able to pivot in a circle on her tummy to get to toys.  It is also the position that she will use to get on to her hands and knees from her tummy.    You may see your baby pushing herself backwards on her tummy in an attempt to crawl forward toward a toy or pushing up into a plank position from her tummy.  These are both signs that your baby is preparing herself for crawling.  Many babies will start crawling forward with their tummy down before they crawl up on their hands and knees.  Once she is up on her hands and knees, your baby will play with rocking in this position.  At first, the rocking may not be very controlled, and she may may fall.  With practice, she will be able to control these weight shifts better, and they will progress from simple back and forth rocking to more advanced side to side and diagonal rocking.  She will be able to reach for toys from the hands and knees position.  She will be able to get into the hands and knees position from her tummy and from sitting.  Once she has mastered all of these things, she will be ready to take off crawling on her hands and knees!  

Stability Versus Mobility

During this month’s BOTM classes, we had a great opportunity to see kiddos moving along with their motor skills (pun intended). As babies grow, they develop strength in their muscles and begin to explore new developmental positions. When they are learning a new skill, babies are simply focused on staying up – or having the stability to be in that position. For the newborn, this may mean that they lay on their back with their legs curled up and arms tucked in to their body, or even flat on the surface which can support them. As they get older and stronger, your baby starts to reach his arms out and kick his legs, playing with new-found mobility. When he begins to sit, he may keep his legs wide apart, giving him a larger base of support which makes him more stable in a sitting position. He may also keep his arms out to the sides to help him balance. While this position with his arms and legs out makes him more stable, it limits his ability to play and move out of this position. As your baby gets stronger, more confident, and has more practice in this new position, he starts to bring his legs closer together, use his hands to reach for toys both near and far, and allows himself to move his body in different directions. This transition from stability to mobility is important, and we see it happen in each position that a baby masters. For some babies, this step between stability and mobility can be tricky. It may be that he doesn't feel comfortable with the idea of moving, or is just unsure of how to get there. Some babies keep their legs out wide even after they have been practicing sitting for a while. They may need extra encouragement or help keeping their legs closer together to make moving over them easier. Once your baby learns that she can move from her sitting position, she starts to explore getting from sitting onto her tummy or even her hands and knees. As she gets onto hands and knees or up on her feet for standing, the process of moving from stability to mobility starts again. With each new position that your baby explores, she will first work to master the ability to just be in that position.  Once she masters staying in the position, she is on to moving while in the position, and eventually on to the next position!

Babies On The MOVE speaks at Baby+Co new moms group

We had the pleasure of being the expert guest speaker at the new moms group meeting at Baby+Company in Cary, North Carolina this month.  The moms were interested in learning more about their babies' motor development and the baby movement classes we offer.  We love having the opportunity to talk with parents about their babies' motor development from the very beginning.  We know that new parents have a lot to learn about life with baby.  We want parents to feel comfortable and confident in providing their baby with opportunities to use their muscles in a variety of ways and progress through the developmental milestones.  Thank you Baby+Co for providing us with this opportunity to connect with new moms and share our knowledge with them!       

Why MOVE?

MOVE: Movement ~ Opportunity ~ Variety ~ Experience

During our baby’s first year of life we are constantly thinking about growth, development, and milestones. At Babies On The MOVE, we know that infant development can be a total unknown for new parents. Why is it really so important that our babies MOVE?

As parents, we want to encourage MOVEMENT in our babies. Helping your baby strengthen their muscles now will help them to learn to roll, sit, crawl, stand and walk in the coming months.

Babies have an innate drive to move. When we give them the OPPORTUNITY to spend time in different positions, we allow them to learn about their world from a new perspective.

For infants, VARIETY is the spice of life, just as it is for adults. Spending time on his back helps a baby to strengthen his muscles differently than he does when spending time on his tummy. Sitting up gives a new vantage point compared to being on your side, and standing opens a whole new world of possibilities for your infant.

Moving your infant through a variety of positions throughout the day not only keeps boredom at bay but it is also provides them with the EXPERIENCE they need to learn and master new skills.  

Every developmental position provides your infant with opportunities to strengthen their muscles, get different sensory information, and see their world in a new way.  Without all of these experiences, the path for motor development can be bumpy, with babies having difficulty mastering new skills. Our mommy and me motor development classes provide parents and babies with activities to encourage all infants to spend time in a variety of positions and strengthen their bodies for the future.  So the next time you are playing with your baby, don’t forget to MOVE!

Babies On The MOVE at Stroller Strides

We really enjoyed heading out to the Apex Community Park last month to join with Fit4Mom at a Stroller Strides class!  We provided a free demonstration of our Babies On The MOVE baby movement classes to the class participants.  It was a beautiful day at the park.  We spread out some blankets in the shade, got the babies out of the strollers, and got down on the blankets to play!  It's a great idea for parents to bring along a blanket on outings so you can get your baby out of their car seat or stroller and get them down on the ground to play and use their muscles!  The babies were a range of ages, so participants were able to learn tricks for helping their little one progress to the next motor milestones from early tummy time experiences to standing and cruising!  Thanks Fit4Mom for having us out to provide a free demonstration to your participants!