What are the methods of flexibility training for babies?

Flexibility training suitable for babies does not require adult-style leg-pressing and stretching training. Most of them follow the baby's growth pattern and are embedded in daily caressing, games and outdoor activities. Deliberate pursuit of standard movements such as "lower waist and splits" can easily cause sports injuries.

Before the age of 3, the ductility of the baby's ligaments and joint capsules is much better than that of adults. At this time, there is no need to "train" flexibility. As long as you don't wrap the baby too tightly for a long time and restrict limb movements, you can maintain the natural softness and do regular touch. When changing diapers, gently rub along the arms and legs, and when changing diapers, help the baby turn the ankles and bend the hips, just like smoothing the branches and leaves of the newly sprouted seedlings. The force is light enough that the baby will feel comfortable and even giggle along with it, which is just right.

Nowadays, many parents send their children to learn dance or gymnastics and are required to practice softness when they first get started. This matter has been quarreling in the children's sports circle for several years. Some coaches think that children's skills must be grasped as early as possible. Starting softness before the age of 6 will get twice the result with half the effort. When they grow older and their ligaments have become stiffer, practicing more with less effort will get twice the result.； However, most pediatric rehabilitation doctors are against it, saying that the epiphyses of a child are not fully calcified before the child is 6 years old, and the muscles are weak. Forcible external force can easily cause hidden ligament strains, epiphyseal injuries, and even affect limb development in severe cases. The dance institution downstairs in my home encountered a case last year. A 5-year-old girl was forced to press down on her waist by the teacher. She complained of back pain when she came home the same day. She went to take a X-ray and was diagnosed with a strained waist muscle. It took more than three months before she dared to run and dance normally.

I followed the trend and enrolled my 4-year-old son in a soft interest class. After two classes, the baby cried until he vomited and said that his legs hurt so much that he didn’t even want to walk. Later, I asked a friend who does children’s physical fitness to adjust the method. There is no need to take special classes at all. He can just practice while playing at home. For example, when playing the game "The sapling grows taller", the child is asked to stand and reach up to reach the doll above his head, which in turn stretches the shoulders, back and spine. ； Playing the "Toe Reaching Contest", I squat down and sit on the floor with him to reach the toes. When I reach them, I give them a small sticker. I don't have to force them to touch them. He doesn't complain when he is sweating while playing. ； I took him to the park to climb jungle gyms and walk on balance beams on weekends. He would naturally adjust the stretch of his limbs when climbing and landing on his own, which was much more effective than me forcing him to press his legs before. After half a year, he can easily touch his toes when sitting on the ground, and he has never complained of pain.

In fact, the natural flexibility of each baby is very different. Some babies can do the splits easily from birth, while some babies can't straighten their legs when sitting down. There is really no need to compare with other children's standards. During training, as long as the baby shows resistance or screams in pain, stop immediately. After all, flexibility training is to make the baby's limbs more flexible, not to meet any assessment standards.