This Saturday, September 24th, over 100 countries will celebrate the second annual Eunice Kennedy Shriver (EKS) Day. Founder of the Special Olympics in 1968, Shriver worked determinedly to combat the notion that individuals with disabilities weren’t able to compete and contribute along with the rest of the community. This year, the theme of EKS day is Play Unified. People around the world, regardless of ability, will participate in athletics together to show that playing unified means we can live unified.
Here at Infantino and Step 2 we want to inspire children and parents. Our heart is devoted to supporting families and doing whatever we can to make childhood a time of special growth.
Like Play Unified, our Everybody Plays campaign wants to show the world that children of all shapes and sizes are welcome and loved for their uniqueness.
We’re currently in the process of launching this campaign and look forward to sharing it with you at the beginning of October. No child should feel excluded, and we feel proud to share in the same type of outreach that Shriver poured her heart into.
Shriver’s daughter Maria wrote a touching article about her mother and EKS Day which can be viewed here.
So here’s the thing with tummy time. We hear the pediatricians tell us how important tummy time is and we try to make time for it, but for some of us just getting through one minute of tummy time can be difficult (for both us and baby).
Baby is uncomfortable, then cries, then we instinctually scoop them up and call it quits. Then we feel guilty because we know tummy time is important.
Having been through this cycle ourselves as parents, we set out to make a better tummy time experience. To do it, we worked with pediatricians and occupational therapists to get to the source of what really makes tummy time so crummy.
Here’s what we learned. Babies feel very vulnerable on their tummies. And lifting up their heads and torso to look around, listen, touch and get comfy with their surroundings is hard work for their weak upper body muscles. This makes for a bummer of a time.
So we set out to create something that would help make it a little easier and turn tummy time from frustrating to fun. Our solution is the Right Angle Tummy Triangle.
The Right Angle Tummy Triangle has a unique angled design that helps baby engage their lower, stronger trunk muscles and build their not-so-big upper body muscles. The angle also gives them a better viewing vantage point and makes it easier for parents to get on the floor and encourage eye contact. And as baby gets stronger and stronger you can adjust the activity arch, with its playful mirror, to keep them engaged and challenged as they grow.
To learn more, watch this video or check out the Right Angle Tummy Triangle on our website. And if you simply must have it – you can buy it online at Amazon.com, BabiesRus.com or at any Babies “R” Us store.
