A Parent's Honest Review of Novokrinitzky's Baby Fitness Courses

I was desperate to find an unbiased review of Novokrinitzky's Baby Fitness courses, but all I could find were glowing posts on Instagram. So, I decided to share my own experience with the 3-6 and 6-9 month courses.

My Story Begins

When my daughter was three months old, we visited our pediatrician, and she checked her reflexes and abilities. The doc tried to sit her up by pulling her arms, but her head just flopped over, and her arms stretched out. It was like she was saying, 'Come on, pick me up, I'm good.' The doc then explained that my daughter needed to learn to group her movements, not relax, and that we should get an MRI of her neck, maybe get a neck support, and then do a massage course. By that point, my daughter had almost lost the ability to hold her head up, and she'd only lie on her stomach for a couple of minutes at a time.

I was a first-time mom, so after the doc's visit, I was freaking out. I went home and started researching online, and I learned that the exercise the doc was talking about was called traction. The internet said that babies should start doing it around 2.5-3 months, but some sources said 3.5. The search results were terrifying, with stories of moms whose kids hadn't done traction at this age and ended up with cerebral palsy or torticollis.

I was frayed and anxious, and I started looking for a good massage therapist. I asked all my friends for recommendations, and most of them suggested Novokrinitzky's courses. They'd seen the results themselves and recommended against seeing a professional. So, I bought the 3-6 month course.

My Experience with Baby Fitness 3-6

It took me about a week to thoroughly study all the exercises: massage, LFK, and fitball. With my husband, we'd watch videos on how to carry our baby and how to bathe them - we picked up a few useful tips. By the way, you can find these tips in Novokrinitzky's Instagram, so you don't need to buy the course for that.

While we were studying, my daughter started holding her head up better, but she refused to lie on her stomach for more than two minutes. We found a massage therapist through our insurance, and we started doing LFK and fitball exercises, while the massage therapist worked with my daughter.

At first, it was tough: due to her tone, my daughter would tense up and struggle to move her arms or legs. To get her to lie on her stomach for more than two minutes, I'd sing, clap my hands, read her stories, show her pictures, and shake some toys - basically, I'd do anything to keep her engaged. I'd time each attempt, and at first, we'd get around seven minutes a day, then ten to twelve, occasionally fifteen, and after a couple of weeks, we'd reach thirty minutes a day.

We saw some progress, and that was a little reassuring, but my day was all about solving problems: doing the exercises, calming my daughter down because she didn't like them, getting her to lie on her stomach, singing and dancing to distract her, and then calming her down again - every time she wasn't sleeping or eating.

Having studied the massage techniques in the course, I could evaluate the massage therapist's work: I'd watch what she was doing, ask questions if I was unsure, but overall, the massage was similar to what I'd learned in the course. The only difference was that the massage therapist applied much more pressure and movement than I would have (I did the massage myself later on).

I'm thrilled to report that after a month of using the course, my daughter and I were rocking head control and mastering traction. I'm not sure what was working - the massager, the exercises, proper carrying techniques, or just my little one's growth, but I think it's a combination of everything.

My Experience with Baby Fitness 6-9

At 6 months, we were back at the neurologist's office (this time with a new doc) and were told we were falling behind – we weren't holding our backs up while sitting. By this point, we were only crawling backwards and in a circle. Forget about sitting – it wasn't happening. I bought the course without hesitation to help my daughter start crawling. We also received a massage therapist through our insurance.

Just a week after the exercises and professional massage, my daughter started crawling backwards, and five days later, she was standing on all fours. The exercises were tough, and some of them were downright impossible at first, as my daughter would start crying the moment I tried to do them. I reintroduced them later, around 2-4 weeks in, when my daughter had gained some strength.

A month after the professional massage, I tried doing the massage myself, hoping it would help my daughter stand on all fours. Unfortunately, it didn't work, but we did start sitting independently. My daughter could crawl on all fours, but she preferred to do it the backwards way – it was just her natural instinct. I ended up following her around for two days, not letting her drop onto her tummy. After that, we were 50/50 – sometimes crawling on all fours, sometimes doing it the backwards way. I continued to help my daughter stand on all fours, but now I wasn't always there to assist her. I'd just need to slip my hand under her tummy, and she'd remember to do it herself. Two weeks later, we were only crawling on all fours.

The Pros and Cons

It's a one-stop shop for all information – exercises, carrying techniques, bathing, and playtime. It's a huge time-saver and eliminates all the unnecessary information you'd find online, along with some scary practices.The developmental chart is a lifesaver. It has realistic milestones for child development, unlike the outdated Soviet-era charts that said you should be putting your baby in a pillow at 6 months and standing them up at 9.The explanations are easy to follow, and there are video instructions for every exercise.You can send in a video of yourself doing the exercises and receive feedback on your technique.Cons:

When doing the massage yourself, the pressure isn't as strong as a professional's.If your child has varying muscle tone, the course doesn't provide clear guidance on how to adapt the exercises. The instructions are there, but it's one thing to read about it and another to actually do it.It requires a lot of nerve, patience, and motivation to get through the course – you need to be prepared to put in the effort, or you'll just be wasting your money.The Q&A section with a pediatrician, neurologist, or orthopedist is more of a marketing gimmick. Their responses are too general, and you really need a personal consultation to get accurate advice.Is it Worth the Investment?

I paid 5,500 rubles per course, which is a relatively small price for Moscow, considering some massage therapists charge 3,000-5,000 rubles per session. In the regions, you could get a similar course and save time and nerves. The course is only valid for three months, so you won't be stuck with it forever.

Let's get real – no course is going to guarantee your kid will start holding their head, crawling, sitting, and walking by a certain age. If your little one has any underlying issues, a course isn't going to magically fix them, as the authors of this project themselves mention in their blog. On the other hand, kids without developmental issues will pick up all these skills without any help. I've noticed this firsthand – when we took a 2-3 week break from classes due to illness, vaccinations, and the like, my daughter actually got stronger and found it easier to do her exercises.

I have to say, the classes with my kid helped me take my mind off anxiety and gave me a sense of purpose in the early months. It definitely made my daily routine more interesting. However, it did take a lot out of me, so if you're not worried about the cost and looking for something to do with your kid, go for it. But if money's tight or you've found a great massage therapist for a similar price, don't bother. Check out their blog instead – there's some useful info there.

I also want to mention their Instagram blog, which just comes across as passive-aggressive. They post stuff like 'take responsibility for your child's physical development' – implying that if your kid is delayed, it's your fault. Or 'you choose your own happiness' – when being on maternity leave is exhausting, demotivating, and just plain miserable. They clearly don't know the first thing about emotional intelligence. And then there are the posts with 5-month-old babies crawling – yeah, right, when they themselves say babies start crawling between 7-8 months.

Anyway, take the blog with a grain of salt. You don't need to sign up for a massage course to bond with your baby, and you don't need to track your baby's every move. Not all kids need massage, so don't assume this is some kind of magic solution to all your problems.