Dancing With Your Newborn Baby

When you think about it, dancing is one of the most natural sensations your new baby can have. The gentle back and forth sway as you move to the rhythm of  music emulates the same rocking ambiance and feelings bub felt in the womb (This is why some babies enjoy being rocked to sleep)!

At Mizzie, we know that the feelings of rhythm and flow baby receives as you dance around together are processed and internalised, just like they did in utero, and used as core memories that further develop the brain and contribute to essential skill learning!

Here is how that works:

The combination of movement and sound are processed through the vestibular system, which is in the inner ear. You baby's brain starts sending messages regarding special awareness and location. As you move side to side with baby, the brain begins to respond and correlate the movements to positions, side to side, up, down etc. This helps them to build awareness of their own movements whilst also contributing towards the development of their balance, coordination and posture. The movement helps them as they begin to understand the sensation of their bodies moving, they will begin to exercise their core strength building muscle tone as well as developing their vision, hearing and touch.

How cool is that!

Regular dancing whether with your baby in your arms, or simply you moving in front of them will help train this process as they imitate you! 

Above all, dancing with bub should always be fun and groovy! But did you know that you can do a few things to support your little ones learning journey? Mizzie recommends to: 

• Maintain a healthy body position ensuring your posture and stance protect your back and knees.
• Be mindful of the positioning of bubs, depending on their muscle tone and core strength; supporting the neck of newborns, utilising tummy time techniques, back support etc.
• Pat your baby rhythmically to reinforce the rhythm and beat they are processing, be mindful to not overstimulate them with erratic movements and fast twirling.
• If slowly spinning with baby in your arms, remember to pause before moving in the opposite direction to help them to reset their equilibrium and allow fluid to settle.
• Most importantly, make lots of eye contact, lots of smiles and enjoy the bonding time together.

Dancing with the little one's in your life is all about having fun while creating lasting healthy relationships to sound and music. It's a great way to build strong bonds between you, your bub and others can get involved too! Family members and friends to involve themselves in bubs growth and bond with them in a way that becomes personal to just them.

Mizzie knows how important dancing and music are to our babies development, and even when you might not be able to get up for a boogie together, encouraging dance through any sort of movement is beneficial to bubs. Even when listening to our “Sing with Mizzie, Nursery Rhymes” board book, you can clap along and sway with bubs as the children sing one of the well-known children’s nursery rhymes.

Good luck!