The first 2 years of life for an infant are the years when the brain grows the fastest. Even before the baby can speak, movement is the most important way for them to explore and learn about their social and physical environment as well as develop new skills.

From just lying on his back, the baby learns to flip over on his stomach, push himself up on both arms, pull himself up in his crib by holding on to the bars, learning to balance by letting go once he’s up on both legs, then eventually taking a step on his own, until he learns to walk unaided. Then as a toddler, he learns to run, jump, hop, climb, dance and do other movements.

As parents then, it’s important that our babies are taught how to do these movements safely so they do not injure themselves in the process.

As adults, yoga has been found to be a very good way to stretch the muscles and introduce flexibility which we have lost over the years. As young kids we were quite supple and flexible but long hours sitting on chairs in school and at work have taken this flexibility away. Yoga is able to recoup some of that lost inflexibility. In fact, many athletes take yoga as a complementary fitness routine to lessen the chances of sports injuries. Teaching our babies yoga moves at an early age could also help their developmental growth.

Pampers supports baby yoga through the Yoga Stretchycise program, a fun and hip new exercise routine. Developed through a partnership of baby experts – Pampers, the Mother and Child Nurses Association of the Philippines (MCNAP) and Gymboree Play and Music, Pampers Yoga Stretchycise is a fun playtime routine that combines yoga moves with stretching which will help encourage the development of baby’s mind and body.

“Baby Yoga is a great way to encourage active play which is important because at this stage, the pre-schoolers and below, their way of learning is to play. The Pampers Yoga Stretchycise helps encourage your baby’s development by maximizing body movement.” said baby yoga instructor, Maritoni Tordesillas.

At yesterday’s launch of Pampers Yoga Stretchycise, Maritoni led a group of toddlers with their mommies into different baby yoga exercises like stretches, side bends, frog hops, seated forward bends, and dancing around mommy.

It also does help to wear Pampers Active Baby diapers while baby is doing baby yoga. The Active Baby line helps encourage movement through its unique stretchy side tapes that follows a baby’s body shape, allowing for a more comfortable fit so babies can play all day. Baby won’t make a fuss during Yoga Stretchycise.

To learn more about Pampers Yoga Strechycise and Pampers Active Baby, parents can visit www.pampers.ph.