When should you start being active with your baby ?

The simple answer is as soon as possible! But don’t worry – you will have already started the process before your little one was even born. Movement begins in the mother’s womb at seven weeks and peaks between the 15^th and 17^th week, so all babies have had a fairly active start in life.

When a baby is born their brain is merely a jumble of neurons waiting to be ‘glued’ together. Some neurons are already hardwired, such as those for breathing and the beating of the heart. However, trillions remain unattached, waiting for some stimuli begin the ‘glueing’ process. For example, when a baby perceives a visual stimulus, say their mum’s face, a neuron connection is made from the retina to the visual cortex in the brain….and so the process begins.

Why is this important? Because it has been found that the more stimulus a baby experiences, and at the earliest opportunity, the better the baby develops in the future. The brain develops at an astonishing rate and is 80% of the size of an adult brain by the age of two, highlighting the importance of these very early years in their development.

So what should we be doing? Provide your baby with a variety of sensory-motor experiences. Hanging cot toys or playing with a variety of toys on a playmat promotes reaching which aids hand-eye coordination, improves their understanding of their limbs and their overall sensory perception. Include a variety of basic gross-motor activities that involve postural control, coordination of movements and locomotion (sitting, reaching, crawling, creeping, body rolling) which all help with core strength. Add a little music, as research shows that early music exposure aids visual-spatial, verbal and mathematical performance.  As the child gets older and more mobile vary the experiences, colour, texture, sound, distance and smell. Do lots of things together – mums, dads and all the family – as this builds intimacy and helps develop strong bonds and trust. You will see little ones start to gain competence which leads to a sense of mastery and in turn confidence which is a great foundation for life. Most importantly, have fun with their learning.

At The Little Gym we offer a safe sensory environment where our qualified teachers can assist parents in their early journey with lots of new ideas and challenges.

We offer a 7% discount for new members in our Birds (10-19 months) or Beasts (19-36 months) classes when you mention NappyValleyNet. Call 0208 8746567 for details.

https://wandsworthfulham.thelittlegym.eu