Yoga teachers with new styles are in high demand, and baby yoga teacher training is a somewhat new specialization that allows instructors to become certified teaching babies and toddlers. Of course, many mom and baby yoga sessions can turn into mom doing yoga and the kids sleeping or crawling around the studio, but the idea of baby and toddler yoga is to get the kids into the habit early. Babies and toddlers doing yoga can have several positive effects, such as better digestion and better sleep
What Is Baby Yoga?

Baby yoga works to improve a baby's physical and psychological experience of the world. Parents report decreases in colic symptoms and gastric stress, as well as an increased quality of sleep and digestion as a result of baby yoga. In addition to these benefits for the babies in the class, the caregivers in the class also get an opportunity to experience some yoga benefits.

Different instructors will conduct varying types of baby yoga lessons. Some lessons will be geared 75-100 percent towards the babies, and others will be the inverse of that. As you decide to train to be a baby yoga instructor, this ratio is an important question to address as you design your own philosophy for the style.

Yoga Teacher Certification

Yoga certifications come in several different varieties, but most follow the 200- and the 500-hour certification guidelines. Participating in a special baby yoga teacher training does not require you to already be certified; however, you can use the hours spent in baby yoga training towards your yoga teacher certification. The baby yoga training hours would come under the "specialist" qualification hours within the 200- or 500-hour yoga teacher certification. Another similar certification is for teaching kids' yoga.

Programs for Baby Yoga Teacher Training

Itsy Bitsy Yoga offers a teacher training for both babies and small children. Two different programs exist, one for babies/infants, and another for young children up to age four. The baby training is longer (five days) and costs $750; the program for older children is only two days and costs under $400. The company has been doing baby yoga for more than ten years, and training yoga instructors the special skills that baby yoga requires. Training sessions can be held in hotels or in yoga studios, and all materials are included in the course fee. Started in America, Itsy Bitsy Yoga is expanding on the international scale.

Birthlight is a non-profit group operating in England for more than 15 years. In addition to baby yoga, several other holistic pregnancy and birthing products and practices are featured at Birthlight, such as baby massage, prenatal yoga, and holistic pregnancy and childcare. Birthlight offers courses in baby yoga, as well as several other disciplines. Started in England, the group has expanded into Europe and is enjoying success as parents discover the benefits and joys of baby yoga.

Certifications and Qualifications

All yoga instructors should hold a certain number of qualifications and certifications. Whether you want to be registered, certified, or both, baby yoga is a new enough specialization that certifications and qualifications are few. For example, completing one of the training programs mentioned above will provide you with a certification from that training program; however, there is not yet one centralized certification that is an equivalent to a general yoga instructor certification. Certified yoga instructors can add a particular baby yoga certification to their list of qualifications, such as becoming a Certified Itsy Bitsy Yoga Facilatator (CIBYF). As the name grows, expect increased recognition from the certification.

Teaching Baby Yoga

Completing a specialized baby yoga program allows you to add the specialization of baby yoga to your course offerings and to your areas of expertise. While it is possible to teach baby yoga if you have a general yoga certification, many of your students will appreciate your knowledge and expertise if you have completed a specialized baby yoga training. In addition, while it is perhaps possible to teach children's yoga without a special certification, baby yoga is entirely different from adult yoga; teaching it without a certification would be irresponsible. In most geographic areas, having a certification will also increase the number of students you can expect to have.