Fitball for babies – 9 best exercises, videos of lessons with a baby on fitball

Active gymnastics from the cradle – is it possible? With fitball – yes! Almost every modern mother has this simulator that performs several functions at once. This large gymnastic ball helps to strengthen and develop the baby’s muscles, relieves pain, reduces muscle hypertonicity, is an ideal prevention of colic, etc., so the benefits of exercise on a fitball for a newborn are simply enormous!

The main thing is to observe basic rules of gymnastics on fitball for newborns, and be extremely careful during exercise.

The content of the article:

Fitball gymnastics rules for babies – advice from pediatricians

Video: Fitball for newborns – video of exercises on fitball

Before proceeding with the exercises, parents should take into account the recommendations of specialists for classes on this apparatus:

• When to start? It is not necessary to hide the ball until the baby is on its feet: you can start fun and useful workouts immediately after your beloved child, brought from the hospital, enters a natural sleep and feeding mode. That is, it will get used to the home environment. The second condition is a healed umbilical wound. On average, classes begin at the age of 2-3 weeks.
• The ideal time for exercise is an hour after the baby has been fed. Not earlier. It is strongly not recommended to start classes immediately after eating – in this case, the fitball will do more harm than good.
• In the process of the first lesson, you should not get carried away. The first lesson is short. Mom needs to feel the ball and gain confidence in her movements. Usually, parents who first lower the baby onto the ball do not even understand which side to hold the newborn, and how exactly to do the exercises. Therefore, for a start, you should sit on a chair in front of the ball, cover it with a clean diaper, gently put your child on the center of the ball with his tummy and shake it a little. The range of motion (swaying / rotation, etc.) increases gradually. Classes are much more comfortable with a undressed baby (the child’s stability is higher), but for the first time, you don’t need to undress.
• It is not necessary to pull and hold the baby by the feet and hands during the exercise. – Children’s joints (wrist and ankle) are not yet ready for such a load.
• A lesson with a baby will be more interesting and more beneficial if play calm classical music during exercise. Older kids can play more rhythmic music (for example, from cartoons).
• If the crumbs feeling unwell or he is not inclined to have fun and activities, it is strongly not recommended to force him.
• For the first sessions, 5-7 minutes are enough for all exercises. If you feel that the child is tired – do not wait until these few minutes have passed – stop exercising.
• The optimal fitball size for a newborn child is 65-75 cm. Such a ball will be convenient for both the baby and the mother, whom the fitball will not interfere with to return to its previous shape after childbirth.

Basic exercises on fitball for babies – video of lessons with a baby on fitball

The main advantage of a fitball is its simplicity. No special preparation is required for classes. Although experts advise inviting a fitball instructor to the first or second lesson. This is necessary in order to understand how to properly hold the baby, and which exercises are most useful.

Video: Exercise with newborns on fitball – basic rules

The most effective and popular exercises for babies

1. Swinging on the tummy
   Put the baby with a belly in the middle of the fitball and, confidently holding it with your hands behind the back, swing it back and forth, then left and right, and then in a circle.
2. Swinging on the back
   Put the child on the ball with his back (we fix the fitball with our legs) and repeat the exercises from the previous point.
3. Spring
   We put the child on the ball, belly down. We grab his legs according to the “fork” principle (with the thumb – a ring around the legs, the ankle – between the index and middle fingers). With your free hand, lightly press on the butt or back of the toddler with springy up and down movements – short and soft jerks.
4. Watch
   We put the crumbs back on the fitball. We hold the chest with both hands, swing the baby, making circular movements to the right and left.

Video: Fitball Exercise Rules for Babies

Fitball exercises for older toddlers

1. Wheelbarrow
   We put the baby with a belly on the ball so that it rests on the fitball with our hands. We lift it by the legs in the same position as if we were driving a wheelbarrow. Gently swing back and forth, maintaining balance. Or just raise and lower it by the legs.
2. Let’s fly!
   Difficult exercise – dexterity doesn’t hurt. We put the baby on the flank (alternate exercises), hold it by the right forearm and right shin (the baby is on the left side), roll the baby to the left and right and change the “flank”.
3. Soldier
   We put the baby on the floor. The palms are on the fitball. With mom’s support and insurance, the baby must independently lean on the ball for a few seconds. Exercise is recommended from 8-9 months.
4. Grip
   We put the baby with a belly on the ball, hold it by the legs and roll it back and forth. We throw toys on the floor. The kid should reach for the toy (by lifting one hand off the fitball) at the moment when he is as close as possible to the floor.
5. Frog
   We lay the crumbs with a belly on the ball, hold them by the legs (separately for each), roll the fitball towards us, bending the legs at the knees, then away from ourselves, straightening the legs.

Video: Massage for newborns on fitball – the experience of mothers

Video: Ball massage, baby 1-3 months

Of course, this is not all fitball exercises – their number depends on your imagination and the age of the baby. With a little effort, the activity will be a fun and rewarding game for both of you.