Childhood obesity is on the rise and a fair degree of this obesity actually begins when children are in their earliest stages of life. Many new parents are interested in making sure their kids have a very healthy future. This means keeping their children active to promote a healthy metabolism as they grow. A big part of parenting involves creating a healthy lifestyle for your baby. Even during pregnancy, it is a good idea to include regular exercise.
The good news is that toddlers don’t often sit still for very long. They often become extremely active on their own. When dealing with a one-year-old who is learning how to crawl, walk and run, planning activities for them to expand on these skills can be good for developing motor coordination. Expecting parents should consider ways that they can keep their kids healthier and how they can plan for fitness and activity early on in the baby’s life. Here are the top five ways to keep a new baby active to ensure that they have a healthy metabolism in the earliest stages of life:
Going out for a walk: Many parents keep their kids stuck in a stroller or in some type of carrier as they go out for a walk around the neighborhood. As soon as children are mobile, make sure that you give them the time to explore the neighborhood and the environment around them. Go to the park and let them crawl around or walk around in the grass. Having safe spaces where they can explore and enjoy activity in a new environment apart from home is a great way to help them improve their activity levels as well as learn more about the world. Going out for a walk should never be just a guided activity in a stroller as soon as the child starts crawling.
Get into some dancing. Just because you’re new parents doesn’t mean you have to give up dancing with each other. Bringing your newest family member into the dance party is very much encouraged. Helping your baby enjoy some fun and guided movement through some of your favorite music can really help them to expand their mind as well as get some fun activities in with mom and dad (or even just one parent). You may be surprised how quickly your baby will start to imitate some of your movements; once you get them up and moving to music, having fun, quite regularly to burn off some calories and help to teach them motor skills and movement. For the most part dancing is just a fun activity but it can really help to strengthen your child’s balance in their legs and prepare them for other activities.
Trying the stairs: stairs are going to be something a young toddler will eventually need to master. With a bit of supervision you may want to have fun going to a local park on some climbing equipment or trying out the stairs at home. Laying down some pillows can prevent accidents but keeping a close and watchful eye over your child on the stairs can prevent accidents. Trying out the stairs and even just climbing stairs can be a huge activity for one-year-old but it can give them confidence out in public and improve their balance and motor skills for eventually tackling stairs on their own. Trying out the stairs under supervision is an activity that strongly encouraged for many parents.
Jumping game: Getting your child to learn how to jump can be a fun activity and a wonderful bonding experience. Grabbing their hands and letting them jump to you and practice their skills while jumping is a great activity for children to learn and it really helps to strengthen their legs. Make sure that you are available as a parent or caregiver to catch them and to have fun during the process picking them up. This game can often result in many belly laughs and kids love it!
Swimming: swimming is a great bonding experience that can even be enjoyed by children as young as one years of age. Toddler swim classes and parent/baby swim classes are a great activity for parents and babies to enjoy together. It’s very surprising to see just how comfortable kids can be in water and how quickly they can learn how to learn swimming with some parental support. Even simple things like kicking their legs, splashing their hands and staying close to parents can be a huge physical activity for kids at this age. Swimming classes are a wonderful experience for parents as well with plenty of fun bonding time and a relaxing time out in the pool to bond with some other new parents as well. Taking on a swimming class at the local YMCA or aquatics pool could be a great idea for many parents and kids in getting active early on.
Consider any of these top activities if you are interested in keeping your one-year-old to early toddler extremely active in the earliest stages of life. With some of these activities planned it possible to make sure that your child has a much better start in life for the improvement of their motor skills, metabolism and more. Planning out daily physical activities can be a great way for parents and children to bond as well as a whole family to experience better health together. Encouraging athleticism and activity early on will also help to make sure that as a child ages they are too dependent on sticking close to the TV or devices. Make sure to keep planning this physical time and family time even as your children become more self-dependent!
Sources:
- “Home and Away: How to Keep Toddlers Active.” KidsHealth. Ed. Mary L. Gavin. The Nemours Foundation, Aug. 2014. Web. 23 May 2017.
- Henry, Sarah. “Five Ways to Get Your Kids Active.” BabyCenter. N.p., 26 Apr. 2017. Web. 24 May 2017.
- Niz, Ellen Sturm. “11 Fun Activities for 1-Year-Olds.” Parents. Parents, 04 Feb. 2016. Web. 24 May 2017.
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