HOUSTON – Weigh in, suit up, float and massage. That’s what Float Baby, a spa for babies, does in classes for infants under 6 months old.
Skeptics think the idea looks funny, but former NICU twins Tripp and Colton were all smiles during their session.
"They started when they were 3 months old," mom Morgan Springer said.
Float Baby owner, Kristi Ison, said this simple technique helps babies get stronger.
“Floating gives them the ability to move around just like they did in the womb. Being in that warm environment feels really good for them but it starts to build upper-body strength and it gives them a chance to sort of learn cause and effect -- ‘If I push off of a wall, I go this way,’” Ison said.
Plus, Ison believes the float and massage relieves some of the baby’s discomfort from gas or reflux.
“Gravity starts to pull that gas down," Ison said. "They can use their legs freely to start to work the gas out and then we do the massage, the tummy massage. That helps, and so if you can manage the air and the gas then you have a way happier baby at the house.”
Springer said she brings her boys to the spa just as much for her benefit.
“It was fun to kind of get out and meet other mommies with babies around the same age,” Springer said.
“I only really expected to gauge whether the babies liked it, I did not expect the moms would be the other half of the equation,” Ison said. “They love that they can come here and be in a clean place and do something beneficial with their baby but also talk to other moms who are in the same exact boat.”
In the end, Springer met new moms and the boys met their milestones.
“They were just sleepy little vegetable babies and then they started moving. I mean look at them kicking and splashing,” Springer said. “I definitely noticed it just kind of wakes them up and let them figure out though this is my leg! This is my arm! This is my body!”
Classes are one hour, $50 to $70. They're limited to two or three babies per class, which is by appointment only.