Equilibrium program for children from 4 months and older
These exercises, like the previous program, are designed for the passive behavior of the child. All that is needed, parents do, the child himself can only enjoy their actions. But this set of exercises already requires greater dexterity, because the intensity of execution increases.
Before taking the exercise, take care of safety. All security requirements, which were discussed earlier, not only remain in force, but at this stage require more vigilance from you.
Free up as much space as possible. Nothing should interfere with your walking or the "flights" of your child.
It is especially important to take care of neck safety, so Glen Doman recommends using a special neck collar. You can buy such a collar in specialized orthopedic shops or make it yourself.
To do this, take a piece of foam rubber measuring approximately 6.5 cm2, coat it with several layers of soft cloth. From the inside at one end of the collar and with the outer at the other end, sew a buckle-or-beam. Your collar is ready!
It is recommended to put this collar on the child before performing any exercises.
As a neck collar, a soft, folded several times, towel, loosely tied around the neck. It can be a thick collar from a knitted sweater, if it is made of non-wool.
While carrying out the exercises of this program, be extremely careful and attentive, start gradually, explain to the child what you are doing and stop before he wants it.
At the beginning of each new exercise, demonstrate your enthusiasm to instill confidence in the child. Start gradually, with a few seconds, and then gradually increase the length and accelerate the rotation.
Familiar exercises can be performed with greater speed and intensity. Do not do those exercises that you yourself have not yet mastered. The child will feel your insecurity and will not get any pleasure. Do not talk about your anxiety in the presence of the child. It is better just to abandon the exercise. Remember that young children are very sensitive to the slightest shades of your mood!
Exercise 1. Horizontal spinning
.Put your baby's belly on your shoulder and swim, but only carefully so that you do not feel dizzy and you do not lose balance. Then turn in the opposite direction.
Left side. Repeat this spin, but this time, put the child on his left shoulder on his left shoulder so that his belly is at your neck. Turn both clockwise and counterclockwise.
Right side. Repeat this spin, but this time put the child right side to his left shoulder. Turn both clockwise and counterclockwise.
Exercise 2. Wiggling
Wiggles that you performed earlier prepared the child for a more complex version.
Wiggle in the position on the back. Take the child lying on his back by the wrists, and your husband should take him by the ankles. Lift it from the floor and start to rock, as if it is in the cradle. This exercise - one of the most stimulating, so it must be performed more intensively than swinging in an ordinary cradle or hammock.
Exercise 3. Horizontal rotation
When performing the equilibrium program for newborns, you rotated horizontally on the blanket. This exercise will please your child even more when performed in the air.
1. Normal rotation. With your left hand, take the child by the left wrist, and the right one by the left ankle. At the same time, the child must lie face down. Raise it and gently twirl it counterclockwise.
Then change position - take it with your right hand for your right wrist, and your left hand - for the right ankle and twist clockwise.
Ensure that the child's clothing does not interfere with the exercise. When you support the baby, do not hold it for shoes, booties or socks - they can fly off. To insure the kid it is necessary only for the naked ankles.
Attention! Do not exercise if you do not have absolute certainty in its safe execution.
The higher the rotation speed, the more horizontally your child will fly. In both cases, you can change the direction of rotation, so that the child will fly "feet forward".
2. Rotation in the position on the back. In the initial position, the child should be facing in the opposite direction from you. With your right hand, you take hold of his left wrist, left - for the left ankle. After this, start gently rotating the baby clockwise. If he is not afraid of rapid rotation, he will soon "pop up" into a position on his back.
Then you change the direction of rotation and it starts to fly forward. After that, you take the left hand for his right wrist, and the right one - for his right ankle and start turning counter-clockwise. Then change direction - and the child flies with his feet forward.
3. Rotation in the position of the face. Turning the child to face him, take him by his wrists and start rotating on his right hands.
You can rotate both clockwise and counterclockwise.
Exercise 4. Horizontal toss
When you hold the newborn and toss it up and down, it was a "training", preparing for this exercise. Now it has become so big that it requires mum and dad. So, the child lies on his back, facing you. The mother takes him by the right wrist and right ankle, father by the left. After that start shaking it like on a swing.
Exercise 5. Acceleration of
This exercise is more often performed with daddy's kids.
If the toddler is fearful, perform the exercise slowly and very carefully. If the baby does not like it, he objects - stop the occupation.
Turn the child to his face and take under the arms. Now start toss it in the air and catch it. Be very careful!
Thanks to him, the child is very vividly feels the power of gravity, especially at the moment when he falls in your hands.
Exercise 6. Vertical shaking your head down
Turning to this exercise, it is necessary to note the fact that parents sometimes feel afraid of the thought that they will have to keep the child head down. However, this position, so unusual for most adults, is familiar to every newborn. With the normal course of pregnancy during the last four weeks, the child occupies exactly this position.
In the previous program, designed for newborns, you tossed the child up and down. This was a kind of preparation for this exercise.
To perform the exercise correctly, put your baby back on the carpet. Stand up, bend over, and firmly taking his ankles, lift. He must be facing you. When you take a comfortable position, start gently, like a pendulum, to shake it from the side of the
to the side. You can shake and back and forth, legs apart.
When you put the child back on the floor, be careful and lower it on your back, not on your stomach. This precaution is necessary to avoid injury to the neck, which should also contribute to the protective cervical collar, discussed above.
Warning! Many modern pediatricians and neurologists do not recommend this exercise, especially if the baby has hyperactivity or intracranial pressure. Consult a specialist! If you are not sure, doubt something, you better give up your studies. Your basic rule should be: "Do no harm!" Remember this when planning your studies with the baby.
So, all of the above exercises and make up a passive equilibrium program, in which you must observe the following conditions.
FREQUENCY INTENSITY
Perform all exercises at least once a day.
To ensure the safety of each exercise, pay special attention to intensity. Proceed slowly and carefully. Speed can adversely affect the development of those areas of the brain that are responsible for the balance.
Start with 30 seconds for each exercise and stick to this duration for 1-2 months, then gradually increase it to one minute. The entire daily program should not take you more than twenty minutes.
1. Rotate the child fast enough so that it does not bump into yourself.
2. Rotate quickly, but at the same time keep your balance. Stop if you feel that your head is spinning.
3. Move faster, but follow the measure. Hold your child firmly, but not so tightly that he feels uncomfortable.
4. Rotate and accelerate quickly so that the child experiences a sensation of flying.
5. Always stop earlier than the child wants.
6. Stop earlier than get tired yourself.
Your goal is to fully prepare the child for an active balance program, which he will perform in the future.
By the end of the passive program, the role of the father increases - your child has already become too large and heavy, so it is now not so easy and safe for a mother to perform these exercises with a baby.