Why Movement Is So Wonderful For Your Teeny.....

Hello Out There!

So I kinda feel like I am just writing this to myself which is a bit strange, but just in case I get a few people having a sticky beak at my brand new website……Hello out there! Welcome to my website and first blog (holy moly)…..I thought for my first one I’d introduce myself and give a bit of background as to how I got here:

My name is Alana (you can meet me in more detail here if you like), I am Mum of 2 little boys Fraser and Alfie (aged 4 and 1), and I am a physiotherapist with over 12 years experience working with babies and children. I live on the sunny Gold Coast with my husband Adam, our two babies, and our sausage dog Frank in a little pole home nestled amongst the trees and sunshine. It’s nice here.

Enough about me for now ……I want to introduce you to my other baby……..my very soon-to-be released Ebook! Eeek!

Sooooooo, why on earth would I write an Ebook? (I have asked myself this at least 30 000 times over the last few years whilst staring blankly into my computer screen at 1.30am……). Well. There’s a bit of a story.

You see, like any new mummy out there, when I had my first baby Fraser I had aaalll the heart eyes for him and was taking 37 000 photos of him a day because obviously he was the most interesting and adorable baby ever to have graced the planet and everyone needed to see that. It was ‘overexcited-new-mother’ in epic proportions. And it was bad guys. I had to get iCloud storage.

Anyway, after about 6 months my brain finally started to flicker back on, and before I knew it, I had started putting my physio hat on again....... and I thought to myself Hold up girl! Some of these photos might actually be useful for someone! (And not just for my Mum to download into 137 photo books).  You see because I am such a baby movement nerd, I was completely fascinated with Fraser’s gross motor development (nothing can teach you more about human movement than a baby who is attached to you 24/7). So without realising it I had unwittingly created a beautiful photo catalogue of just about every single physio exercise that I ever give to my clients! Interesting……

Educating parents on the importance of early movement is my passion; not only in the first few weeks, months and year, but also throughout toddlerhood and primary age. So after much dinner table discussion with pretty much anyone who would listen, the idea finally started taking shape: I would write a book and put all of my photos in it! Genius!!!   ..... But oh the hours and late nights that would go into it. Because #perfectionist. Ugh. My poor husband.

After I had agonised over every single word and photo 1000 times over, my beautiful cousin Tom took over the reigns and did the design (it’s SO lovely), and finally, after a period of 18 months of back and forth we did it!! It took so long because #kids. But now here we are. 3 and a half years and 2 maternity leaves later. It has evolved from just a little epiphany to the beautiful book that it is today. And Tom (who is obviously a saint) is still talking to me. Just.

The book has been designed for parents who want to support their baby with developmental delay who may not be able to access a physiotherapist face-to-face. It is also perfect for any parent wanting to play with their baby in a way that is going to help nurture their development. 

Here’s some dry researchy stuff to support my ideas if you are into that kind of thing…….(I won’t be offended if you skip it)

THE IMPORTANCE OF EARLY MOVEMENT

An infant thrives off movement. It is their first major learning experience and one of their greatest achievements in the first year of life.

Studies show that the amount of time infants spend in different positions in the first year of life impacts their perceptual, visual, social, and cognitive development.

ENRICHED ENVIRONMENTS INCREASE BRAIN ACTIVITY

We also know that enriched environments at home; meaning an environment where your baby is encouraged to regularly interact, play and explore with you, are shown to increase brain activity. 

In essence, babies and young children who play and move more have the potential to do better academically! Movement is like a brain booster for a baby!

PHYSICAL BENEFITS

Babies who are encouraged to move more are also less likely to develop preventable conditions such as flat head syndrome. There is also a growing school of thought that conditions such as ‘ideopathic toe walking’ (tip toe walking for no known reason) could at times be prevented if babies were encouraged to move and play more, becoming stronger toddlers and children. 

But how on earth do we help our babies become stronger? 

This is where my Ebook comes in. My Strong Little Body is an easy to follow 10 step guide with over 100 targeted early intervention exercises, designed to help you to nurture your baby’s movement in the way that nature intended. 

This means no ‘containers’. No jumpers, no activity centres, no baby walkers and no moulded seats (unless you’re showering!) This means a play mat on the floor and helping your baby enjoy their new body.

And it is a lovely time for you as a parent to stop, sit down and breathe in the present moment with that precious little thing you made. (And by the way…..You made a HUMAN! Aren’t you clever?!)

At the end of the guide are a series of fact sheets, answering the most commonly asked questions of a children’s physiotherapist; from how to swaddle a baby safely, to what to do if your toddler w-sits or walks with their toes turned in. 

It’s all there, my crazy busy brain in a book, made with so much love. And it looks gorgeous. Buy it for yourself or as a beautiful gift for a new parent or parent-to-be. Honestly, I believe it is one of the most precious gifts you could ever give to an expecting Mum.

So my Ebook was my love project……and I am now going to give this blogging thing a shot. I am on a mission to spread the word about all things baby development. Because I love it. And I hope it will be useful information for some Mummas and Papas out there (maybe even to some Grannys and Grandpas too). I am very excited. But I also have butterflies in my tummy. Eek. I’m a little nervous about it all. But I’m sure it’ll be fun.

If you think you might like to hear from me again, and if you want to be one of the first to know when this super-duper-wonderful book of mine is going to be released …. sign up here.

Thanks again for stopping by and hopefully see you soon.

Alana xx

Back where it all began…

Me in my first time mummy-hood glow, with teeny baby Fraser (who is definitely not so little anymore but still insists on being snuggled for 20 mins every night before going to sleep!)