Fitball exercises for babies

Parents today have far more opportunities for the physical and emotional development of their babies than did their own parents many years ago. One of these generally available and useful acquisitions is a gymnastic ball fitball. Classes on it are interesting and useful not only for children over one and a half years old, but also for newborn babies. In this article, we will talk about how to properly organize fitball exercises for babies, what exercises can be performed on the ball, depending on age.

Is it good or bad?

The question of the benefits and harms of fitball for the development of babies does not have an unambiguous answer. Most pediatricians are inclined to believe that harm is possible if parents do not follow the technique of doing gymnastics, if they start using a gymnastic ball too early for training with toddlers. The optimal age at which you can start such activities is considered to be the age of one and a half months. Until this age, it is better to refrain from various manipulations and exercises so as not to injure the spine and umbilical wound of the baby.

However, the benefits of exercising on a gymnastic ball significantly outweigh the few disadvantages:

helps to relieve the symptoms of muscle hypertonia, which are characteristic of almost every child from birth to 5-6 months;
bone and muscular systems are strengthened;
the weak abdominal wall of the baby is strengthened, which prevents or weaken the manifestations of infant colic;
the vestibular apparatus develops, the child coordinates movements better;
the child develops the correct positioning of the feet, correct posture;
the state of the nervous system improves.

In order for your little one to get the maximum benefit from exercise ball exercises, it is important to choose the right ball itself.

Only smooth balls are suitable for children aged 2-3 months. At 4-5 months, it is quite possible to offer the crumb for charging or gymnastics textured fitballs with pimples, ribs - this will be an additional massage effect.

Ball size also matters - if you buy it not only for the baby, but also for yourself, in order to quickly get in good physical shape after childbirth, take a bigger ball - 75 cm in diameter. If the ball is intended only for crumbs, 45 or 55 cm in diameter will be enough.

Avoid dubious fitballs that have a strong odor. Materials may be unsafe - a child may develop severe allergies and chemical burns. The surface of a good and high-quality fitball for babies is non-slip and even. Check for ABS markings - this means that the ball will not explode and will not burst at the time of use - the tests have been passed, which, in fact, this marking says.

Do you already have a safety ball? Then we turn to the study of the technique of classes for babies under the age of one year.

General rules and recommendations

First of all, parents need to learn how to choose the right time for classes with a child - at the time of gymnastics, the baby should be slept, rested, healthy and well-fed. However, you do not need to start performing a set of exercises immediately after eating, wait an hour and a half after feeding and only then start exercising.

General strengthening exercises aimed at stimulating the work of muscles, toning the child, invigorating, are best done in the first half of the day, and the soothing relaxation complex of exercises is best performed in the evening, shortly before swimming and going to bed. If you do not take into account the orientation of the exercise complexes, you can disrupt the child's day regimen, worsen his sleep, as a result of which the classes will not be beneficial. The kid will not get enough sleep, he will feel tired.

It is necessary to increase the time of classes gradually - from 3-5 minutes to 15-20 minutes. The load should also be increased reasonably - start with one or two exercises, gradually introduce new tasks, increase the time for their completion.

Hold your child securely during exercise so that he does not fall off the gymnastic ball and get injured. If the child desperately resists, shows signs of fatigue, is capricious, the lesson should also be stopped - through tears and whims, the benefits of gymnastics cannot be achieved, no matter how hard you try.

Always accompany the lesson with cheerful and easy comments, read rhymes, sing a song, this is important for the child to understand that he is not subjected to a strange ritual (which, by the way, can be dangerous!), They play with him. Only then will the baby begin to perceive the classes adequately and positively.

If you are working with a naked baby, be sure to cover the surface of the fitball with a diaper - this will be more pleasant for the baby. Do not forget about safety for a minute - do not leave the baby without support, support and attention - falling from a fitball can be very painful and traumatic.

Lesson methods

With a baby from 1.5 to 3 months

This is the youngest age group of fitball practitioners. For such children, it is important to perform gymnastics in the most delicate, gentle mode. Therefore, experts recommend groups of exercises aimed at relaxing muscles, reducing tone and preventing intestinal colic. The rest of the exercises are not needed yet.

Relaxation ball exercises for toddlers are very easy to perform.

Riding on the stomach. Put the baby on the fitball with his stomach down, the head should also be turned by one cheek. Hold the baby with one hand on the back and the other on the legs. Begin to gently swing the ball to the right and left alternately. Gradually complicate the exercise by adding swing back and forth, and then in a circle. Watch the speed and amplitude - the child should not be scared or rocked by anything. This exercise facilitates the removal of intestinal gas, reduces the intensity and frequency of colic, strengthens the muscles of the tummy.

Back riding. After riding on your stomach, move on to riding on your back. Put the child on the ball with his back, but so that the head of the crumbs does not tilt back. Hold the baby's tummy with one hand, and fix the legs with the other. To begin with, it will be easy enough to swing the baby from side to side, then the exercise is complicated in the same way as the first. Reception contributes to the formation of posture, the development of back muscles.

Football for kids. The baby should be placed on the floor, on a special mat, in a supine position. The fitball is leaned against the legs and lightly pressed with the wall of the ball on the crumbs' feet. Reflexively, the baby will push the ball away, thereby developing and strengthening the muscles of the legs. The increased tone due to intense, but gentle extension movements will decrease.

Avoid jumping exercises, rolling the ball up and down. Do not sit the child on the fitball, it is too early for him - the spine is not ready for vertical load.

With a baby 4-6 months

At this age, you need to combine relaxation exercises with exercises to develop the muscle corset. The baby's favorite toys will help with this, he has already managed to acquire them. The set of exercises becomes more meaningful and requires active participation from the baby.

Get the toy. This is a more complicated version of tummy riding, which was described in the complex for babies. After rolling the baby, making circular movements on the stomach, put your favorite toy on the floor in front of the football. The kid will reach for her, hold him tightly by the legs, fixing the back with the other hand. Stretching is important for developing the lateral oblique muscles, as well as stimulating the abs and muscles and the shoulder girdle. For the baby's efforts to be crowned with success, push the fitball slightly away from you so that the baby can get the toy and grab it securely with his hands.

Jumping. Mom sits on the floor, squeezes the fitball between her legs, fixing it. Supporting the child under the armpits, she raises and lowers him with his feet on the ball, it is important that the baby pushes off the ball with his feet. It is better to start such an exercise from 5 months, while it is necessary to ensure that the load of the whole body of the baby does not fall on the legs.

"Movable car". This is a variant of the "Wheelbarrow" exercise, beloved by many children, in which the mother holds only the baby's legs with her hands, and with her hands he "walks" along the floor. The difference will be that the baby will touch the ball with his handles, moving it forward. The exercise develops the arms, chest, neck and upper back well.

For children over 6 months old

For babies of this age category, classes are even more complicated, and in addition to the above two complexes, exercises for the development of motor skills and dexterity are added to them.

"Goalkeeper". If the child is sitting on his own, sit him in front of you and push the ball towards him. The task of the child is to catch him with two hands, and ideally push him back to his mother. The exercise develops coordination and logical skills.
"Horse racing". Place the child, who has already begun to sit, on the ball and hold by the sides closer to the armpits. First, lightly move the ball with the baby's booty to the right and left, back and forth. This will warm up and prepare your glutes and back muscles. Then make light jumping movements on the fitball - the exercise contributes to the development of the back muscles.
"Snowball". This exercise is for babies who have begun to stand on their own. It will help you learn the first steps. Place the child at the ball, help the handles to grab the "ears" of the ball. On the other hand, support the ball with your foot so that it does not roll forward at high speed. When the baby is holding on tightly, begin to gradually move the ball forward, loosening the fixation with your foot. The child will gradually learn to step over with his feet following the ball.

Useful Tips

To make the product last as long as possible, experts recommend using the following guidelines.

Keep the fitball clean. Wipe it down every day with a damp, clean cloth, and wash it twice a week with baby soap.
Do not start performing more complex sets of exercises if the child has not yet reached the recommended age or has not mastered the exercises of the previous set.
After class, remove the fitball where the baby will not see it. If a bright and interesting "thing" appears once a day, it will be more entertaining than the usual, eye-irritating toy.
To achieve brighter results from home activities with your baby, combine exercises and gymnastics on a fitball with massage. You need to exercise on the ball after the massage, when the muscle groups are warmed up and ready for additional stress.
Before exercising on fitball, it is important to consult with a pediatrician in order to exclude contraindications for such manipulations in the child.

Contraindications

There are not very many contraindications for practicing fitball, but it is imperative that you familiarize yourself with them. It is better to refuse classes if the child has:

high temperature, teeth are being cut;
recovery period after illness, severe weakness;
diseases of the musculoskeletal system, paralysis and paresis (requires a special therapeutic massage and exercise therapy complex);
hydrocephalus;
large umbilical or inguinal hernia (there is a risk of pinching);
congenital heart defects (classes are possible, but only under the supervision of a doctor);
birth trauma (training is not excluded, but only after consultation and appointment of the exercise therapy complex by an orthopedist).

Reviews

Many mothers note that children perceive fitball in their first classes without much enthusiasm. Some are afraid of him, there are also those toddlers who are afraid of a bright and huge object (and this is how the baby sees a Swiss ball). You cannot force a screaming child to lie down on a ball of which he is afraid. This can cause serious disturbances in the functioning of the nervous system, in the psychological state of the child.

If the child does not want to, nothing needs to be done by force. Experienced mothers advise to move the ball away, out of sight, and get it out in 2-3 weeks. If the reaction is the same, hide it again and show it to the child in a couple of weeks. Almost all babies stop being afraid of fitball by six months.

Some mothers claim that it is very effective to rock a child on a fitball, even a newborn. To do this, mom takes the baby in her arms and sits on the ball. Rhythmic swaying is soporific, unless, of course, parents are ardent opponents of motion sickness as such.

Many people note that a baby, accustomed from birth to gymnastics on fitball, grows stronger, less often gets sick. And interest in the big ball does not disappear even after one and a half to two years, because even schoolchildren like to jump and sit on the Swiss ball.

In the next video, you will find several useful exercises for your child on fitball.