Benefits to Dancing with Baby

Dancing with baby in your arms is a special, fun way to bond for sure. But did you also know that when you dance with baby you are supporting their brain and body development? In this baby playtime video you be busy stimulating your baby in many ways but we want to highlight a couple. First, you will Waltz with your baby as we do in all of our Intellidance Babies classes and a little later, you will join us in a standing dance to "Old Brass Wagon" by Denise Gagne which is a super fun group activity we do with friends in class but also something you can do alone at home. 

Here are 5 ways your baby (no matter their age) is benefitting from dancing in your arms to these and any other songs you choose:

1. Building security and confidence-  Being rocked and swayed to music reduces stress and calms baby down as it is a very familiar feeling from their 9-10 months in utero. They also enjoy the comfort of being close to you. A calm, securely-attached baby grows into a self-confident child who has an easier time practicing independence and exploration. 
2. A multi-sensory activity- Dancing stimulates all areas of the brain causing vital neurotransmitters to spring into action. When in your arms dancing, a baby's brain is very busy is processing the sensory experiences of sound, feel, AND sight.
3. The Vestibular System- Dancing activates the vestibular system in the inner ear which sends messages about space and direction. The vestibular system (sometimes known as the 6th, most underrated sense) is key for baby to develop balance, coordination, spacial awareness, and sensory integration.  
4. Teaching rhythmic patterns- When you hold your baby and dance to music, baby is gaining exposure to pitch, speed, and of course beat and rhythm. As your child's movement maker in this activity, you are teaching them the patterns of the music through your own body and their brains are busy trying to interpret it all. From utero, babies are perceptive to this type of stimulation and it's like superfood for their brains fueling important future pathways like logical thinking, emotional intelligence, and language development.

We hope this baby playtime video inspires you to dance with your baby and maybe even come try one of our baby classes! The best options for babies 4-11 months old would be Intellidance Babies or Rock-a-Baby.