Everyone benefits from exercise. This includes even the very young; it is never too early to start. Even infants need regular exercise in order to remain healthy and grow properly. Let’s face it. Infants are adorable. Even fussy babies, who seem to cry a lot, can put joy in the hearts of their parents just by looking into their sweet little face.

I have seen many infants that were more than a few pounds overweight for their age. It’s only natural to find their little rolls of extra fat padding adorable, but it’s important to realize the same adorable crinkles of excess weight could possibly be a mask for a problem that is, excuse the pun, in its infancy. There’s no better time to teach them the importance of exercise than when they are still young enough to form a good habit.

An infant does not eat solid food so they basically utilize all the nourishment that they ingest to keep their bodies functioning. A breastfed baby has even less of a fat content in the milk that they are eating. This is why they are hungry more often than a baby that is given the same amount of formula to drink.

Up until the age that they are able to eat baby cereal, an infant will pretty much maintain a healthy weight, notwithstanding any other health issues. When solid food is introduced, this is the time to be careful about overdoing it. Babies do not walk, so movement on their own is limited. Eating more food than they need will put extra weight on their bodies that will continue to build until they are able to become independently mobile.

To keep your baby adorably plump but not overweight, carefully monitor how much they eat when they start solid foods. And, begin to exercise with them. You may be wondering what type of exercise a baby can do. It is not how much that is important at this point but how often you take them through the motions.

Babies have very little motor control in the beginning so you will have to control their movements for them. This is done with a few simple exercises. Have you heard about baby massage? It is a technique that parents can use to aid in getting a baby to go to sleep at night. Babies that are learning a regular pattern of sleep can get cranky at the beginning. Baby massage is used to relax their muscles and calm them.

This massage can also be an exercise for the muscles of the infant’s body. You can use your bare hand or use baby oil scented with aloe or lavender. The massage starts on the front of the body and then progresses to the back. Rub his forehead and face in a circular motion. Move to his chest, arms, stomach, legs, and so forth. The massage will keep his muscles relaxed. A massage is good for stretching those muscles gently.

During playtime, move his legs and arms up and down and gently in a circle to give baby full range of motion. This is not extensive exercise but it is good for the body. Babies sleep so much when they are that young that when they are awake, it is good to keep them as alert as possible.