The history of the book
“I don’t think anything could have prepared me for the overwhelm I felt as a new mum.”
THE GOOGLING, THE SELF DOUBT, THE FLOOD OF WELL MEANING ADVICE FROM FRIENDS AND FAMILY.... I WAS EXHAUSTED AND CONSTANTLY QUESTIONING MYSELF.
Often at 3am whilst feeding for the 4th time that night.
“Am I doing this all wrong?”
“Is my baby okay?”
One thing I was particularly surprised about was the amount of people questioning my baby’s physical milestones: ⠀
“THAT’S A FUNNY WAY TO CRAWL, IS THAT NORMAL?” ⠀
“SHOULDN’T HE BE SITTING BY NOW?”
“GOSH HE’S TAKING HIS TIME WALKING ISN’T HE?”
As a Paediatric Physio, I specialise in baby movement, and I even started having self doubt after the 10th person said something.
So if I’m worrying and second guessing myself - what chance do other new parents have?
And it got me thinking - What if I could ease some of that worry?
So.. I wrote MY Strong Little Body
FOR PARENTS OF BABIES WHO MIGHT:
Struggle with tummy time
Have a flat spot developing on their head
Aren’t rolling yet or have ‘forgotten’ how to roll
Refuse to crawl ‘the right way’
Aren’t sitting like other babies their age
Refuse to stand, and prefer to sit or bottom shuffle instead
Or are taking aaaaages to let go and walk by themselves.
THIS BOOK IS FOR PARENTS WHO:
Aren’t sure how to play with their new baby
Would like accurate and evidence based information on typical child development
Want to support their baby to learn new skills through play
Want to know what baby ‘equipment’ is recommended to support development (and what is not!)
Or just need some guided reassurance they are doing the right things and baby is developing as they should be.
SOUND FAMILIAR FRIEND?
a sneak preview…
MY STRONG LITTLE BODY IS A COMPREHENSIVE 10-STEP PROGRAM FOR ANY PARENT SEEKING TO SUPPORT THEIR BABY’S GROSS MOTOR DEVELOPMENT FROM DAY ONE. IT’S DESIGNED TO LAY THE FOUNDATION FOR HEALTHY MOVEMENT PATTERNS. TO HELP BABIES MOVE REALLY WELL.
Most importantly though, it’s fun. It’s a guide to playtime.
It’s overflowing with practical and purposeful play ideas for home; designed to help support your baby and build the skills necessary for all the major milestones, from the dreaded tummy-time all the way through to independent walking.
YOU’LL DISCOVER:
Why movement is so important for your baby’s cognitive and motor development.
What the typical age range is for each gross motor milestone and when to seek help if your baby isn’t achieving them.
What your baby learns at each developmental step and how this impacts their future growth.
How to help set the stage for a love of movement from week 1.
How to help your baby enjoy tummy time, the absolute foundation of movement for a baby.
What baby equipment to use, and more importantly, what not to use.
How to encourage your baby to achieve the important ‘four point crawl’.
How to promote balance, coordination and strength in your toddler.
How to protect your baby’s hips when swaddling and baby wearing.
How to avoid plagiocephaly (flat head syndrome) and w-sitting.
What to do about bow legs, knock knees and in-toeing.
What to look for in footwear for your toddler.
AND MUCH, MUCH MORE.
As a Mumma of two beautiful babies, I’ve been there. I’ve felt the overwhelm, all the questions and the self doubt. Even with my 15 years experience as a paediatric physio, I’ve been in your position.
AND MY STRONG LITTLE BODY IS HOW I CAN HELP YOU.
I want to make it as easy as possible for you to have your very own copy (because we all like our books served up differently these days).
So I have a beautifully crafted, full colour, 200 page paperback edition for those of you who are paper-between-your-fingers traditionalists* (yup that’s me too).
And I also have it available as a convenient online option too, perfect for viewing on desktop and portable devices.
PUrchase my strong little body here
“For new parents, My Strong Little Body is a practical guide for encouraging motor development and positioning for play. Alana’s experience as a paediatric physiotherapist and as a new parent, plus her love of children and families shine throughout the book”
— Julianne Pegler, National Chair Paediatrics, Australian Physiotherapy Association
My Strong Little Body eBook
$27.00
I wish you the absolute best on the incredible journey you’ll have with your little one. My Strong Little Body was written to help bring confidence to new parents. And I hope I can gift you that.
So you can spend less time worrying about your baby’s development and ‘achieving the next milestone’, and more time simply delighting in them, and enjoying them for who they are. Because that’s the best bit of parenting for sure.
LOVE ALANA XX
Alana Gardini - AUTHOR, BPHYSIO
PSS. THIS IS NOT JUST SOME QUICK GUIDE I WHIPPED UP ON A WEEKEND. THIS IS 4 YEARS OF WRITING AND RESEARCH (PLUS ALL MY YEARS OF PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION) PUT INTO AN EASY TO FOLLOW PRACTICAL GUIDE. THERE ARE THREE, DOUBLE COLUMNED PAGES OF REFERENCES FOR THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN MY STRONG LITTLE BODY.
PSSS. MOST IMPORTANTLY…
THIS IS WHAT OTHER PARENTS HAD TO SAY ABOUT MY STRONG LITTLE BODY
“By far the best resource I purchased as a new Mum! The activities are so simple and i love the use of photographs. When people comment on my 9 month old’s strength, it makes me so proud and thankful for finding this brilliant eBook.”
“Your ebook is hands down the best thing I’ve ever read and i’m close to tears, because I’ve been so worried about Frank, and in about 5 minutes your book has given me so many great things to try with him...Poor kid’s not going to know what’s hit him. Well done and you’re amazing. ”
“For new parents, My Strong Little Body is a practical guide for encouraging motor development and positioning for play. Alana’s experience as a Paediatric Physiotherapist and as a new parent, plus her love of children and families shine throughout the book.”
“Love this book so much! Every anxiety I had about my child not doing what everyone else’s was doing quickly melted away once I read this. My girl is 16 months and walking now but I still like to pull it out and refer to it. It would be the best gift to give to a brand new Mum. There is so much rubbish out there and this one was so practical and supportive. ”
“I just bought your eBook and it is incredible! So practical and easy to understand, with so many great ideas to try. It can be really hard finding information about development, and as a teacher, I just want to give my bub the best start possible. It really is the one guide that all new Mums need.”
“This book continues to be my most referenced parenting book! I love it so much. I have my second now who of course is doing everything super fast after I was so anxious with my first. I was just opening your book again and thought I’d reach out to let you know that I appreciate you!”
“I’ve just downloaded your eBook and holy moly I should of done this months ago! My baby is 5 months old and now we have started solids I have noticed her head control is not as good as I thought it was! I’ve already tried some of your tummy-time ideas today and she is loving it! I can’t wait to keep reading!”
“Permanently on display at my house because I love it so much and it looks so good! I’d been searching for reliable and evidence based info like this for ages and am so glad I found My Strong Little Body. It’s so easy to follow and incorporate into play.”
“I just wanted to say your book is amazing! It is in the top 3 purchases I made for baby. She started rolling back to front at 3m and is crawling and sitting (stably I might add!) at 5mths, and it’s all because of your book. I feel like I have given her a great start to life thank you so much.”
“My Strong Little Body arrived not even 30 minutes ago and I can already get a sense of how thoughtful and beautiful this little treasure of a book is! I’m on page 9 and just had to message you to say thankyou! What a labour of love you have created, I can’t wait to get stuck into this guide.”
“Purchased the eBook last night as we have a 6 month old who is hating tummy time and just wanted to say I’m blown away by how much helpful content there is. You should be charging three times the price! ”
LIKEY LIKEY BUT STILL NOT SURE-EY?
