A friend of mine left town recently. Not a huge sports fan, but he knows the meaning of team. He’d never say he’s taking one for the team, but he might be.
He’s moving to be closer to his grandchildren. That’s an important step many take, but not everyone. He and his wife are people you want in your life no matter the relation.
With young children in the picture, and more to come, I’ve offered to mentor him on turning them all into the sort of athletes who become rabid sports fans. Think of it as a public service.
It all begins with baby’s arrival home. If they were born at home you’re already ahead of the game, but that’s not for everyone.
There’s the bassinet in mom and dad’s room. Baby wakes up hungry and you want to be there, both of you. While junior fills up, mom and dad need to hum the fight song of their favorite college, like the University of Oregon Ducks.
If you don’t recall the tune, buy one of those custom bottle openers with the song coming out of the handle. It’s a good prompt and you’ll find other uses.
Once baby moves to their crib hang a mobile over them with balls attached to the rotating arms. Take note of which ball interests them most. If it’s a baseball, start focusing on baby’s left arm. Whether it’s a boy or a girl, the left arm is key.
If it’s a boy they might learn to throw lefty, and everyone knows lefties have the longest MLB careers. If it’s a girl and she learns to whip a softball by everyone standing at home plate, she’ll go to college for free.
If baby watches basketballs, baseballs, and footballs rotating over their faces they’ll get used to the shapes and colors. They’ll show a favorite by eye movement at first, then reaching. You can’t buy a ball mobile so you’ll need to go custom.
Find a good frame with strong attachment hardware. You don’t want the whole thing falling on baby and frightening them. There’s no research to suggest a fear reaction to plush baseballs, footballs, and basketballs falling on a child will turn them into soccer players, but how many European and South American parents do you think started out with a futball? I’m guessing all of them.
Once you find a mobile with a strong frame remove the moons and unicorns and stars and string up the balls. Take note of which ball they prefer, then when they learn to sit up, put their favorite ball on a string and test their eye-hand coordination.
Through eye movement and raised hand, baby showed their favorite ball. With the ball on a string they will learn to catch. Be patient. It won’t be as important to them as it is for you. If you’ve got a football on a string, baby will start by swinging at it. Help guide them by tossing a football into the air and catching it in front of them.
Baby will eventually watch the ball go up and come down in your hands. When you’ve got their attention, and you make the catch, show some excitement. Give yourself a high five, give baby a high five, stand up and do your victory dance. Just don’t over do it and break something.
With both mom and dad joining in the fun, baby will progress quickly. All ball sports require similar skills at first: See the ball, catch the ball, throw the ball. Soccer is a poor choice for infants because they can’t walk yet, but they will. When they do get on their feet and wobble around trying to kick and fall instead, don’t penalize them for flopping.
Parents of young children want their kids to talk as soon as possible to show they are on track with other kids. Then they want them to walk on their own after sitting, standing, and doing the couch-assisted side step. For parents it feels like time is crawling past. Compare newborn pictures to three month, then six, then nine months, then you’ll see how fast baby is growing.
They need that sports mobile in their crib from the start. If you didn’t get it set up for the first baby, have another. Sports need better players and better fans. Moms and dads get to be both.
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