Hi
Can anyone give me information from the book How to make your child physically superb by Doman? What activities does he describe to do? Does he talk about what outdoor activites that can be done in winter? My local library doesn’t have this book and I hate to buy it.
At the age of your child, you should focus on lots and lots of floor time. Your child should be on the floor on his stomach most if not all of the day.
You should also do vestibular activities ten times a day–spinning, swining, rocking, rolling. Place the child in a blanket and swing it back and forth. Hold the child by his feet and swing upside down. (remember-be careful with neck).
Floor time and vestibular is the best place to start
In addition to lots and lots of tummy time it is time to start preparing your baby for brachiation (monkey bars).
In the very beginning this is what you can do: (quotes are from the book)
“Lay him down on his back on a flat surface, such as a bed, and put each of your thumbs into each of his hands. Let him get a good grip. Let him hold on for five seconds.”
Do this about ten time a day for a minute each.
Gradually begin lifting him off the bed during your sessions. Watch him carefully, and lower him if he begins to slip.
“After one to two weeks of gradually lifting him higher and higher off the surface he is lying on, he will begin to be able to bear some of his own weight.”
“Always lower your newborn to the bed as soon as you feel his grip loosening or see the expression on his face change from delight to concern. After a few tries, you’ll be an expert at determining how long is just enogh. He is now supporting his own weight by hanging by his arms. It is the first step toward brachiation.”
He also says that some babies prefer to hang from a wooden dowel instead of thumbs. If so, you could use a 3/8 or 3/4 inch dowel that is a foot and a half long.
Most importantly be very joyful and proud of your baby no matter what he does. Praise him when he hangs on and lets go. You want him to love to do this and have fun. If it’s not fun he won’t want to do it.
“Your goal is for your baby to hang for ten seconds from your thumbs (or dowel), taking 50% of his weight.”
For babies under four months you should follow the gentler method of the vestibular program. I attached a scan of the balance program for newborns. I hope it’s readable. It was just too much to type :wacko:
I hope you find some way to get ahold of the book it is really better to have the whole thing in front of you and does contain so much information that it is hard to retell it all here.
To answer your question about outdoor activities, most, if not all, of the activities for a small baby can be done indoors.
Thank you very much for typing so much information. I will try to get the book. Karma to you
Hi Heath,
I have most of Doman’s books. I’d rather get the ‘How Smart is you Baby’ book. This covers most and a more updated version, of Doman’s methods. It is also a combination of all his main teachings - reading, maths, encyclopedia k. It’s how you implement his programme for under 1yo and gives you the programme you can run. I was disappointed with the physical development book, as ‘how smart’ had already explained what I needed to implement.
The main focus of the book is on physical development and how you progress with an infant from birth, what exercises to start with, what pictures to show them, how to start implementing language. I found it so, so useful. It was good having a guide/programme I could work through.
As you reach each stage it explains which part of the brain you are trying to stimulate and grow.
Compared with my friends babies at around the same time, I have the most balanced, energetic 19mo. He is so strong, it is unbelievable. He had such good spacial awareness. Just yesterday, my friends toddler who is 4 mo younger, is still bumping his head of tables. My toddy when he could just crawl, could weave under tables between chairs with such ease.
To implement some of domans swinging and lifting, I would put on lively music and do the exercises to them. My toddy now has such good rythme. He loves dancing, which just cracks people up, as he will always go onto the dance floor.
The description in an earlier post of how to start the brachiating, Izaac just loved. It took ages and ages to get him to hold onto my fingers to be lifted. Just a note, that I missed - do it on the bed. In that way you are not afraid if he falls. When Izaac finally got it and held onto the dowel as I lifted him, he was just so overjoyed. He just loved it. One of the things it aids is for strenghtening of their hands for writing. When I gave him proper crayons, he had no problem holding them - his hands were so well developed.
So it takes a bit of work - but so worth it! Just enjoy the few minute sessions, I found them wonderful bonding sessions. And it’s so true, at young age, they are so bored - finally we come along and make their world interesting, rocking, swinging, swaying and grasp …
All the best,
Tracey,
Canberra, Australia
Does Doman reference BrainGym activities?
What about swimming? If is easy to teach a baby under 6 months to swim and float. Both of my sons are swimmers, and were able to do a lot more physically in the water before they could on land (ie rolling over) It is a good sensory experience as well.
Another thought, having young babies watch toddlers, preschoolers and older children at various physical activities. It is entertaining as well as gives a model for future exploration. My youngest son, now a toddler, tries to copy gymnastics, dance, hockey, and other physical activities.