{"id":28897,"date":"2022-03-06T20:36:00","date_gmt":"2022-03-06T20:36:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/?p=28897"},"modified":"2022-03-06T20:50:10","modified_gmt":"2022-03-06T20:50:10","slug":"infants-need-lots-of-active-movement-and-play-and-there-are-simple-ways-to-help-them-get-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/infants-need-lots-of-active-movement-and-play-and-there-are-simple-ways-to-help-them-get-it\/","title":{"rendered":"Infants need lots of active movement and play \u2013 and there are simple ways to help them get it"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Danae Dinkel<\/a>, University of Nebraska Omaha<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When people set personal fitness goals and establish their physical exercise routines, there\u2019s a group of cuddly individuals that is often left out \u2013 infants!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Historically, infant active movement has been perceived as a personality characteristic<\/a>. It\u2019s assumed that infants are plenty active on their own, without needing adult intervention to encourage movement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, research is revealing that the choices, behaviors and everyday habits of adults have a big influence on how much infants move.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m a physical activity teacher<\/a> and researcher<\/a>. For the past five years I\u2019ve conducted several studies exploring infant movement, seeking to identify what supports the development of lifelong physical activity habits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ve learned that many parents and other caregivers want to encourage infants to actively play and move. However, they often don\u2019t know for sure how much physical activity an infant needs, nor do they often recognize how their own behaviors might be limiting an infant\u2019s physical activity. Fortunately, there are several easy \u2013 and fun \u2013 ways to add more physical activity to an infant\u2019s daily life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why infants need movement \u2013 and how much<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Study of infant movement is a relatively new field, so there is still a lot to learn. However, one of the field\u2019s foundational studies was published in 1972, and it found that increased infant physical activity can improve motor development<\/a>. More recent research shows that increased infant movement can improve bone health<\/a> and personal-social development<\/a> \u2013 skills related to improving their independence or interacting with others, such as feeding themselves or waving goodbye.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The World Health Organization<\/a> suggests that infants should be physically active several times a day, especially through interactive floor-based play. Similarly, the American Academy of Pediatrics<\/a> recommends opportunities for interactive play throughout the day, along with at least 30 minutes of \u201ctummy time\u201d with an adult \u2013 which I\u2019ll talk more about below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yet half the parents participating in our research reported that they hadn\u2019t heard<\/a> of these recommendations and did desire more specific guidelines<\/a> on encouraging active play.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What are the barriers?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While research is ongoing, I and other researchers have identified three major barriers to infant active movement: screen time, restrictive devices and \u201cgendered play\u201d \u2013 gender-related stereotypes, beliefs and practices in relation to how children play.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The American Academy of Pediatrics and other organizations discourage allowing infants any screen time<\/a> other than video chatting. However, a recent review found that children ages 0 to 2 years may be getting between 36 and 330 minutes of screen time per day<\/a>. A 2019 analysis of data gathered between 2008 and 2010 found that children\u2019s screen time increased<\/a> from 53 minutes a day at age 1 to more than 150 minutes per day by age 3, which suggests that screen time habits begin taking shape at very early ages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Furthermore, the World Health Organization<\/a> suggests that infants should spend no more than one hour at a time in a restrictive device. Yet many adults overuse car seats, strollers, high chairs or other \u201ccontainers\u201d that constrain movement. For instance, in a 2018 study of child care centers in the U.S., Canada and Australia, only 38% to 41% of the facilities<\/a> followed this WHO guideline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Mother
Researchers have found that when infants get increased tummy time, they move more overall, and their gross motor skills and development improve. JGI\/Jamie Grill via Getty Images<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Research into adult physical activity consistently shows that males are more active than females<\/a>, regardless of age. Our research suggests<\/a> this gap may begin during infancy and be related to gendered play.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In our 2020 study exploring infant motor development in relation to parents\u2019 promotion of play, we found that parents of male infants more often encouraged play that promoted gross motor skills<\/a>: movement involving the large muscles that support activities like walking, running or kicking. Parents of female infants more often made statements that promoted fine motor skills, which involve smaller movements of the hands and arms and support activities like reaching and grasping. We found that females had significantly higher fine motor skills than male.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019ve documented additional barriers as well<\/a>, including time spent eating, tending to the infant\u2019s sleeping schedule or other care needs; a need to baby-proof surroundings; or weather and other environmental concerns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to support infant movement<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Fortunately there are many ways to break down these barriers \u2013 and none requires buying expensive baby gear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n