So your little one is enjoying playing in standing but they are stuck and don’t know how to get down safely. There is the typical progression and the video will show you how to help them safely maneuver their way to the floor for the first time. They tend to keep their knees locked in the straight or extended position when first standing. First you typically see them keep the knees straight and bend their hips while holding onto the furniture to a controlled fall to their bot

Pulling to stand has many components and can be a dangerous skill for your child to start practicing so we want to help encourage a safe transition. Hand placement and weight shifting properly will encourage sequencing of movement that will promote balance and speed of learning the skill safely. If they can't get to their knees at least briefly in front of the furniture, then likely they are not ready to start practicing. Safety is key when working on this skill. First you wa

On All 4's (hands and knees): Crawling is an exciting skill to work on. You might see your little one attempt on their own after practicing all 4’s as instructed in our last video. If they hold all 4's easily and are rocking forward and back but can’t seem to take steps, the video below will show you how to help them. You want reciprocal movement, one knee and one hand at a time, like you would do when crawling. Things to look out for: Bunny hopping = both knees come forward

All 4's, on hands and knees, is a pre-crawling skill and if you build strength and endurance in a systematic way, you will find they tend to be successful at crawling on all 4's sooner. Once they have mastered getting into and out of sitting, this is often the time they will show interest in getting on all 4's. Sometimes you will see it before when they push up when in tummy time but often it is them trying to come up to sitting. Keeping toys out of sight is going to be impor

Transitioning into sitting is a game changer in overall happiness and ability to explore while playing without needing constant care. If they can do this, the ones that don't love being on their stomachs are more willing to be there more often because they have a way to get out of it. They can move to grab a toy out of reach from sitting and then pop back up to play with their hands. In my opinion, this skill is one of the hardest to teach a little one. They tend to resist an

Transitions in and out of sitting, to and from the floor, typically happen between 7-8 months and are the skills before crawling. Transitioning out of sitting or moving from sitting to the floor happens first. Usually, you see this for the first time when a toys rolls away from them or is slightly too far and they accidentally tip over to grab it. Often it scares them, and the parents too, when this happens for the first time. Ideally we want them to shift to the side, rotat

Pulling you little one to sit is one of the first ways you can work on neck strength and head control. You can practice early and usually improves quickly in comparison to it's counterpart tummy time. Pulling to sit works the front of the neck (and the arms if not doing the modified version) while tummy time works the back of the neck and other parts of the body. They will need the strength on all sides of their neck in order to optimize head control so you don't want them to

Over the years, I have seen many parents in the clinic report back pain with the use of baby carriers often caused by improper fit. Often they are wearing them too low or too loose. Here are the basic rules: The main strap goes around the smallest part of the waist or back For men, it is where they would place a lifting belt or the curve in their low back For women, it where the waist would be if they were wearing high waisted jeans or "mom jeans" The main strap should fit sn

The only recommended baby equipment is a high chair, defined by its high back and shoulder straps. It can be a free-standing one or one that can be placed on another chair or the floor as long as it has a high back. High chairs without these features, allowing the baby to arch their back over the chair, are not recommended. The recommendation for baby equipment use is 30 minutes total per day for all equipment combined, excluding the high chair. Many are eager to acquire this

Side lying is a great alternative to lying on their backs when playing and needing a break from tummy time. It will help keep the pressure off the same spot when on their backs to assist in maintaining their head shape. It encourages hands to midline for feeding and playing with toys. It also encourages cognitive development as it provides a different perspective to their world. Practicing both left and right will be important. If they do not stay by themselves, you can use t

Sitting is such an exciting skill to see our littles ones accomplish for the first time but how to you practice and know when it is time to start. Usually little ones are reaching in front of them and ideally also pivoting on their tummies. Sitting is typically seen around 6 months. When you first start practicing, you want to start in the prop sitting position. Many little ones like to throw themselves backward if you place them in upright sitting. We want to teach them from

By the time your baby is reaching for toys in front of them, they often appear they want to move and maybe even crawl. What we want to encourage at this stage is pivoting. At this point, you cannot have too much tummy time. You may be starting to practice sitting at this time, but until they can get up to sitting on their own, tummy time pivoting is what you want them to spend the most time encouraging in order to get a jump start on the skills after sitting. Pivoting is when

Rolling typically happens between 4-6 months. A child typically rolls from their stomachs to their back first because all they need to do is get the weight of their head shifted to the side and gravity will pull them over. This can be exciting to see them move and change positions for the first time! Watch to make sure they are not always rolling to the same side. This may indicate they are stronger on one side than the other. Practice the other side if you see a preference.

Reaching for toys in front of them, typically starts in the 4th month when they are getting better at tummy time. Many parents make the mistake of placing the toys too far in front of their babies when they are first learning. Ideally start your baby in the in the optimal tummy time position described in my previous post and place the toys directly in front of their hands, touching their hands. This will encourage them to open their hands before they are strong enough to lift

This trick is something that I have used over the years that can help keep your little one on their tummies if they like to roll over to their backs right away or your can't keep their arms in front of them. You need a beach/swim towel or a large towel that is not fluffy (not your guest towels!). I have even had parents use a thin blanket. Remember, if you use this trick you always need to be supervising them 100% of the time, in the same room and not with a baby monitor, bec

Tummy time is often one of the hardest things to work on with a little one. Over the years I have tried so many strategies working as a pediatric PT and as a parent myself. First you need to know what actually is tummy time. Many mistake tummy time as any time on their stomachs which isn't necessarily true. It is considered tummy time only when our little ones are playing and actively trying to lift their heads. Sleeping or resting with their head down on a surface is not con