Every small milestone in your baby’s development is a big deal, but one of the most exciting is when they start to realize just how much they can do with their little bodies. With the "Pushing Off" activity, you can give your baby the tools to explore their own strength and learn that their actions have real effects (aka cause & effect).
This playful exercise helps them strengthen their leg muscles and get a better sense of how their body can move. Plus, it’s a great way for you to bond and engage with your little one and jazz up your Otteroo baths!
Babies Are Little Scientists
It might not seem like much, but when your baby learns to push off the side of the tub, they’re actually learning a major skill: motor planning! This is a fancy way of saying they’re figuring out what their body needs to do to accomplish a certain task. In other words, they’re using good old-fashioned trial and error to master a new movement.
So, in this activity, when your baby “pushes off” with their legs and feels themselves move through the water, they’re learning that their actions have consequences - and they’re starting to understand that they can control their body to make things happen.
This is a huge leap in development, and it all starts with a little splash!
How to Get Started
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Put the Otteroo on your baby and place them on their back in the tub.
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Gently guide your baby through the water up to the side of the tub, bending their legs against the wall.
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Give your baby an exciting cue like, “3, 2, 1, Blastoff!” and gently help them push off the wall.
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At first, you’ll do most of the work, but you can make it feel like they’re doing it themselves by congratulating them each time!
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Keep repeating the manual push-off until your baby starts to understand the motion and can eventually do it on their own.
Tips for Success
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Patience is key: Remember, you’re teaching motor planning, so it might take a while for your baby to catch on.
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Use verbal cues: Fun cues like “Blastoff!” make the activity engaging and help your baby associate the action with the result.
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Repeat, repeat: Babies learn through repetition and trial and error, so give them plenty of opportunities to try and try again.
Level up!
Flip them over: Once your baby masters pushing off on their back, try having them push off while floating on their stomach.
Change the angle: Encourage them to push off from the bottom of the tub, adding a new challenge and strengthening their muscles even more. Make sure the tub is filled full enough so even if they do a strong kick, they won’t go too high out of the water.
These advanced push-offs not only enhance coordination but also strengthen their leg muscles, preparing them for standing, walking, and future milestones.
Most importantly, please remember to ALWAYS stay within arm’s reach of your baby while in or near the water.