Are you concerned about your infant’s development?
Baby Builders is a Developmental baby exercise program for your infant.
Baby Builders exercises can help your baby’s development!
Testimonials
What are other professionals and parents saying about Baby Builders?
“Early infant stimulation is very important for every baby’s development. I have reviewed Baby Builders program, and have found it to be excellent. I recommend it for parents who want a well designed infant exercise program.”
Ray Harris, M.D. Pediatrician, Fellow American Academy of Pediatrics
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Read MoreDevelopmental Research and Baby Exercise
Do you know that infant exercise: stimulates mental development, enhances the ability to learn and can even help avoid developmental delays?
“Early intervention from 0-3 years of age leads to higher cognitive test scores and academic test scores through age 21.”
“Developmental Psychology”, 2001
See our Infant Development Milestones
Baby Builders’ Developmental Milestones show you typical infant development in each month of baby’s first year.
Get a clear understanding of baby’s development month by month in gross motor skills, fine motor skills, speech and language.
Click to view developmental stages
Read MoreWhat is Baby Builders?
Baby Builders is a baby exercise program that teaches parents how to be proactive in their infant’s development. Parents work through four developmental stages that stimulate a baby’s motor and cognitive development from birth through tummy time and crawling until walking. The exercises and techniques show how to make playtime constructive. As well, it educates parents on the progression of development and recommends toys that can enhance cognitive and motor development.
The Baby Builders program was designed to promote development in healthy babies and to meet the needs of those babies with special concerns.
What does a baby really need in life?
Food, clothing, a warm place to sleep, love, exercise. Exercise? Yes, exercise! Child Development shares, “The processes by which infants learn to control and coordinate their bodies…set the stage for all further development. ” 1 Physical development precedes both cognitive and emotional development. But physical development can’t take place without exercise.
Is Baby Builders for my baby?
Not every healthy baby needs Baby Builders to develop his motor skills, but healthy babies can greatly benefit from motor skill stimulation….
Research overwhelmingly shows that the first three years of life are critical for brain development. “Early intervention from 0-3 years of age leads to higher cognitive test scores and academic test scores through age 21 .”2 As well, it can improve emotional stability and a child’s overall ability to learn.
The first year is especially critical because as the child learns to move, his environment begins to expand, which allows more cognitive, fine motor, and visual development to occur. Unfortunately, babies are spending more and more time in fancy equipment like swings, bouncers, and exisaucers which can slow down development. The National Association of Sports and Physical Education reports: “Confining babies and young children to strollers, play pens, car and infant seats for hours at a time, may delay development such as rolling over, crawling, walking and even cognitive development. Certainly such restrictions can begin the path of sedentary preferences and childhood obesity .”3
Additionally, the Baby Builder’s Program was designed to help parents who have:
- concerns over their child’s development,
- “at-risk”infants,
- preemies,
- infants born with physical challenges (Down Syndrome , Cerebral Palsy, etc)
The exercises in Baby Builders specifically build strength in the trunk (for control of posture), hips, shoulders and tummy. These muscles are most often weakest in children who are at risk or behind in their motor skill. (See our questions page for more information on postural control muscles.)
Many of these babies do not get the help they need early enough. By the time they see a therapist, many can develop bad movement patterns and muscle imbalances that have to be corrected before the actual delay can be treated. This not only further delays their motor skills, but also their cognitive development. Many problems could be prevented or significantly reduced with some simple, constructive playtime activities.
I hope you greatly enjoy Baby Builders. May your family develop healthily!
Happy Exercising,
Jenna Zervas, MSPT
Why Baby Builders Exercises Gets Results
Baby Builders infant development program is based primarily on the principles of movement systems balance (MSB) and postural control. Postural control muscles or CORE MUSCLES are those in the hips, tummy, neck and shoulders.
Weak postural control muscles are the primary problem with preterm infants, infants with Down Syndrome, cerebral palsy and other at-risk infants.
Postural control plays a HUGE role in a child’s life. Those muscles stabilize the trunk to allow for good coordinated movement of the arms, legs, head, jaw and even the eyes. Strong postural control muscles allow good hand-eye coordination, fine motor skills (pincer grasp, handwriting and handling of small objects), speech and swallowing, higher level motor skills (jumping, skipping, walking on a straight line, etc), and stabilization of the eyes for reading and learning.
The best time to strengthen postural control muscles is the first year. After the first year, it is MUCH more difficult, and often times impossible if the child has high muscle tone. Without strong postural control muscles, a child will compensate for the lack of strength with abnormal movement patterns and “blocking” of joints to gain stability. This “blocking” significantly limits movement and coordination.
Baby Builders uses fun playtime activities to teach parents and caregivers how to strengthen an infant’s postural control muscles while stimulating his gross motor skill development.