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Continue ShoppingOur Founder
Our business is a collaboration between family. Victoria Massia is the founder and basically runs all aspects of the store from staff training, monitoring client bookings and offering the crucial services to babies ie. water floatation, bath time routine, aquatic swim safety and skill progression and infant massage.
She holds certificates in International Paediatric Aquatic Techniques, BabySwimming Instructor Course, Developmental Baby Massage and Drowning, CPR andAED, Choking Course. She has vast experience in running the business as she was involved in opening and running the stores in South Africa professionally and profitably since 2013. She has strong sales and marketing skills and is a great fan of supporting charity institutions.
She was a driving force in assisting a little girl Phenyo Mackenzie Moropa who was born with a rare birth defect called Tibial Hemimelia Jones type 2 . Her parents extensively sought medical help to prevent the amputation of the little girl’s leg which doctors advised. Her parents, not ready to give up, did their own research and found a doctor, Dr. Paleyin Florida, USA, who had pioneered treatment that would save little Phenyo's leg.
Victoria offered to assist in strengthening the little girl's leg through water therapy and after two years of constant water therapy. Victoria further assisted the parents to raise the 150 thousand dollars necessary for the medical expenses and the air fares to Florida.
The little girl is now walking and fully recovered! Her parents are forever grateful to Victoria in playing such a huge part in saving their little girls leg.
Cleo Stephanie De Wet
Cleo matriculated in 2007 at C&N Meisieskool Oranje (Bloemfontein), she started her work experience from the age of 16 as a camp counsellor at a Holiday Camp (Sugar Bay) situated in Zinkwazi, KwaZulu-Natal. During this period, she completed her First Aid and CPR course for the first time and it was at Sugar Bay that her passion for working with children was born.
Cleo went on to study BSc Physiotherapy with Honours at the University of the Witwatersrand and Graduated in December 2011. Thereafter, Cleo completed her first year working as a Physiotherapist at Steve Biko Academic Hospital, where she obtained experience in the Paediatric and Neonatal Intensive Care units, as well as Paediatric Medical, Surgical, Outpatient and Neurology units. Cleo went on to work at various Private Hospitals such as Netcare Unitas, Waterfall City, Midstream Mediclinic, Louis Pasteur Hospital and Sunnyside Hospital. Cleo developed a passion for working with Children and with Maternity patients. During this time, Cleo assessed many children for school readiness as well as assessing and monitoring their milestone development. Cleo noticed a gap in a society where children were not developing optimally and many with mild to moderate developmental delays were undiagnosed. This inspired Cleo to find a different approach to educating parents and assisting in the development of children from birth as well as educating pregnant mothers and caregivers on tools and techniques.
In 2017, Cleo met Victoria and Helen Kanaris, hydrotherapy specialists (founders of Mind Body Baby) and trained and worked under them, gaining a wide variety of skills and experience in the industry as well as business and Aquatic knowledge. Cleo completed her baby swim and special needs hydrotherapy courses through Swim Dynamics and launched Sensory and Developmental classes while working at Mind Body Baby. Cleo subsequently got married and gave birth to her daughter, Aila who started floatation at 12 days old. She is now working on her dream of opening developmental centers that will aid caregivers, parents, babies and children in development through a holistic approach.
Our Story
Mind Body Baby is a new world for infant health, wellness and development. The Mind Body Baby concept was brought to South Africa in October 2013 and has grown from strength to strength.
Infant water safety / play begins with natural movements assisting in colic, reflux, strengthening and early water exposure, teaching vital skills such as motor, control and water confidence and safety as well as qualified techniques to assist all our amazing special needs babies. This is followed by a specialised infant massage trained by Peter Walker concentrating in the 1st 1001 critical days of life guiding in pressure points, breathing and blood circulation.
We also offer moms training in creating the Mind Body Baby lifestyle at home. We ensure a staff base qualified and trained in swim/special needs and infant massage - milestone development and specific fields required per location and specifications (playgroup, physiotherapist, nutritionist, fitness instructors etc.). Mind Body Baby believes in a holistic approach in assisting in ailments and development through consistency and understanding of the physiological and mental development of our babies helping create calmness and bonding at home. This has proved to be extremely beneficial as the babies who test 6-20 months more advance in verbal, math, and reasoning set at a playschool entry.
The water improves sleep quality as specified by Journal Reference: E. Juulia Paavonen, Outi Saarenpää-Heikkilä, Isabel Morales-Munoz, Minna Virta, Niina Häkälä, Pirjo Pölkki, Anneli Kylliäinen, Hasse Karlsson, Tiina Paunio, Linnea Karlsson. Normal sleep development in infants: findings from two large birth cohorts. Sleep Medicine, 2020; DOI: 10.1016/j.sleep.2020.01.009. This also assists in providing quality bonding time for parent and baby through interaction, relaxation, observation, and communication.
Victoria has work timelessly in the Laboratories with professionals in homeopathy and natural pressing of plants and flowers in creating the perfect natural products free of toxins for our families beginning with our Babies - Our largest number of early childhood ailments have been accustomed for skin and massage oil created using Rose and Apricot, Sleep and Teeth created using Frankincense and Chamomile, Tummy and tension created using Fennel and Ginger. Sinus and congestion created using eucalyptus and lemon grass to name a few. Mind body baby will also take you through our specialized selection of belly butter, day and night creams for mom and a beard oil and moisturizer for dad.
Mind Body Baby has built a strong family dedicated to ensuring the guidance of safe and healthy practices in the home and out the home. We welcome everyone to this new clean sterile and effective environment for a better and stronger future for our communities, it takes a village and we are happy to be that village. The Mind Creates the Body.
The first 1,001 days of a child’s life – from conception to mobility – is recognized as being the most vital time in her development. It is in this primal period that the roots of emotional, physical and physiological health are laid down. Childhood stays with us from life; adult behavior and personality characteristics are shaped by the events of infancy and childhood. The 1,001-critical-days theory recognizes that this early period has a major influence upon child and adult health and future lifestyle choices.
