HOUSTON – A new program for babies promises to boost early brain development, muscle strength and help with a good night's sleep.
It's called Float Baby. It's brand new to the Houston area, and perhaps the United States, and founded by River Oaks mom and entrepreneur Kristi Ison.
"I came across several papers that supported the use of water and massage for basically making babies smarter and stronger and what I found was there was one place in London doing something similar, but nothing here," said Ison. "So we combined both together and created Float Baby."
It was 6-week-old William's first time.
Amazingly, his cries stopped as soon as his toes hit the warm, purified water.
Even newborns can take a dip for up to 20 minutes after being specially fitted with a floatation device.
"There's an inner chamber that allows their chin and the back of their head to rest comfortably, so the device never actually touches their neck." Ison explained.
As they float, Ison said babies engage in cross crawl patterning of their arms and legs.
"What that does is it allows for full brain development and early brain development," Ison said. "Typically, a child won't be able to experience cross crawl patterning until they begin to crawl."
"All it took for me was once and I couldn't wait to come back, and I told all my friends about it," said mom Jana Erwin. "It's like you can see them actually learning something."
Erwin said the floating and infant massage that follows help with not only sleep and tummy troubles, but bonding as well.
"It's like you can see this new development happening, where they're figuring something out and they're enjoying it and it's really fun to watch," Erwin added.
Float Baby classes cost $40 for a 70-minute session. Click here for more information.