If you're like most people, you bought the Otteroo because you thought it was cute. Or because you could just imagine your baby having a blast in it. But, did you know there's so much more to our cute neck float? [BTW, your baby definitely deserves better than these cheap imitations 😱]
Check out all the benefits your baby can experience with our infant neck float and early water play:
1. Love of Water
Introduce your baby to the water before they develop a fear of it. Show them early on that water is a fun place to play and you'll find they're already comfortable with it when it's time to start them in swim lessons … because no one likes to be that parent trying to coax her screaming child into the pool at lesson time.
2. Lowers Stress
You may think going to the pool with your child is super stressful but in fact, even for infants that have never experienced any sort of “swim class”, being in the pool with mom actually has a positive and calming effect. Scientists studied this by measuring the cortisol levels (the hormone we release in response to stress) of babies ages 6 months to 13 months before and after their pool sessions.1 That also happens to be within the perfect age window for using the Otteroo with your baby.
3. Motor Development
Dr. David Anderson, a leading expert in motor development and professor at San Francisco State University, is using the Otteroo in a study to explore its effects on babies' growth. Dr. Anderson thinks the research will show that babies who had opportunities to explore their movements in the water at an earlier age will be further advanced in their motor skills than babies of the same age. Click here to read about a study in Iceland where babies are standing at 6 months.
4. Cognitive Development
In the Otteroo, your baby doesn’t have to be bound by you. He has control over his or her body. He quickly learns that when he pushes off the side of the tub, his body propels backward. A simple concept for you and me, but a very important lesson of cause and effect for your baby. And especially now with Lumi’s new ClearView design! Your baby can see his hands and feet move through the water, learning that he can touch and move objects at his own will and what movements allow him to do so.
5. Social Development
Parents tell us they love to get in the tub with their babies. The Otteroo gives parents the opportunity to play together face-to-face, connecting at eye-level. And, even if you don't get in the tub with your baby, they'll be turning to you to see your smiles as you watch them float in the water.
6. Linguistic Development
The Otteroo makes the tub a new place to interact with your child. Your baby also gets exposure to new command words like “come here,” “turn around,” and others that parents don’t typically use until their child is able to move around on land, expanding their vocabulary.
7. Babies with Special Needs
Parents of children with developmental delays or physical developmental challenges swear by the Otteroo! It allows their baby to participate in rehabilitation therapy in the water as early as 8 weeks of age (and 9 pounds) and starting early can make a big difference in the long run. From drug withdrawal to spina bifida, parents tell us how Otteroo has changed their child's and their family’s quality of life. You can read about it more on our blog.
Sources:
1 Hertsgaard, L., Gunnar, M., Larson, M. Broderson, L., & Lehman, H. (1992). First Time Experiences in Infancy: When They Appear To Be Pleasant, Do They Activate the Adrenocortical Response? Developmental Psychobiology, 25(5):3 19-333 (1992)