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Wee Exercise is the creation of two moms: Licensed
Pediatric Occupational Therapist Margaret Barnes and TV/Video
producer Karen LeBlanc. As young mothers, these women are
interested in promoting their infants' physical development by
providing a sensory rich environment that encourages physical
activity. There were few resources available so the women
created a 4-part video series for baby's first year that
fosters an infant's physical development by getting baby
active. Wee Exercise is packed with fun, easy to follow
exercises and activities that work on balance, coordination,
body awareness, head control, tummy and leg strength and fine
motor skills such as hand skills and hand-eye coordination.
Parents can use the Wee Exercise video series as constructive
playtime and bonding time with baby.
Encouraged by a report from the National Association
for Sport and Physical Education, which concluded that babies
need exercise too, the women began a grass roots mission to
get babies moving. The NASPE report warned parents that
"confining their children in strollers, car seats, and play
pens for hours on end could delay physical and cognitive
development." NASPE also set forth the first ever guidelines
for infant exercise. To learn more about the NASPE findings on
infant exercise click here.
"We recognize that in today's busy world, no parent has
the privilege of singularly focusing on child rearing with so
many other responsibilities. However, just spending a
half-hour each day in active play through motion and sensory
experiences goes a long way in promoting optimal development,"
says Margaret Barnes, who works with special needs infants in
her Pediatric Occupational Therapy practice.
"Wee Exercise brings parents back to the fundamentals
of spending more time interacting and playing with their
children. We hope to create a love of physical activity from
the start of life establishing lifelong healthy habits. This
is especially important in light to today's rising childhood
obesity rates," explains Karen LeBlanc, who has produced
numerous educational videos as well as documentaries for
television.
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