Pear Tree Children's Centre: Babies 0-12 months

Babies aged 0-12 Months

Baby Massage

The benefits of baby massage for both parents and babies are increasingly well recognised. Improved bonding and confidence in handling and a reduction in postnatal depression, stress, colic, constipation and sleep problems are just some of the improvements reported.

Sure Start funded training for a number of Health Visitors, Children Centre staff and childcare practitioners in April 2007 and baby massage was introduced to the Centre later that month. The sessions run in the Sensory room at Pear Tree School and have proved very popular. The Health Visitor and Centre staff run the sessions and babies can be weighed afterwards.

Tummy Time

Everyone is well aware that when putting your baby to sleep it is importatant to lie baby on her/his back. To lie them on their tummy when sleeping could increase the risk of cot death.

Babies should also get 'tummy time' every day - a period of the day set aside specifically for her/him to lie on their stomach.

Physiotherapists are warning , that more and more children are missing out on this special time, and their development is being stunted.

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Statistics show that 19% of mothers with children under six months old never put their babies on their fronts to play and only 22% regularly give their babies "tummy time".

"Research shows babies placed on their backs to sleep who were then placed on their front for extra time during the day were able to roll, crawl, sit, pull to stand and eventually walk earlier than those who were mainly placed on their backs,"

...although babies predominantly placed on their backs eventually catch up in their development skills, the first few months of life are an important time for babies to start to become aware of their bodies and begin to learn movement and balance.

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Babies aged 0-12 Months

Baby Massage

Tummy Time

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