baby exercise

Exercies for Preemies:  Post 2 – Legs and Trunk

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In honor of the March of Dimes’ March for Babies walks, I am providing some exercises that families can do with their former premature infant upon discharge.

The posture of a premature infant is often characterized by the baby having trouble holding themselves tucked in like a full term infant.   Instead former preemies tend to have a straighter posture.  This posture often over-activates the muscles of the back of the body and under activates the muscles of the front of the body.  This may result in difficulties with activities that require flexion like sitting, rolling and crawling.  It is for this reason that we it is beneficial to do stretches to prommote elongating of the muslces in the back of the body and exercise to activate muscles in the front of the body.   

Exercises for Legs and Trunk 

1. Elongation of the lower body

leg to ankle

  • Purpose:  Premature infants often have stiffness in the outside of their hips from laying with their legs too wide. When the hips are tight it limits the ability to shift weight (move side to side) effectively in all positions.  This exercise will stretch the outside muscles of the hips.
  • General tips: Take time during the day to exercise your baby.  Try to do exercises one time per day.  Pairing the exercise with a daily activty like ffeeding or playtime is helpful.  
  • Pressure: Babies in general prefer firm but gentle pressure versus light touch.
  • Position: Place your baby in your lap on her side with bottom at your belly and legs bent.
  • Exercise: Place your hand on baby’s back by the tailbone.  Bring your hand with gentle but firm pressure down the leg to the ankle. Follow with the opposite hand so that the baby has continuous pressure.
  • Repetition: Do this 2-3 minutes as your baby tolerates.

2. Gentle Pelvic Rocking

pelvic rocking

  • Purpose: Premature infants often have difficulties rotating their body and pelvis.  Effective pelvic rotation helps with bowel function (pooping) which can be a problem for former premature infants.
  • General tips: Take time during the day to exercise your baby.  Try to do exercises one time per day.  Pairing the exercise with a daily activty like ffeeding or playtime is helpful.  
  • Pressure: Babies in general prefer firm but gentle pressure versus light touch.
  • Position: Place your baby in your lap on her side with bottom at your belly and legs bent.
  • Exercise: Place your right hand around baby’s thigh and left hand on baby’s ankle.  Rock leg front and back so that you are rocking the pelvis as well.
  • Repetition: Do this 2-3 minutes as your baby tolerates.

3. Gentle Bicycles

real bicycles

  • Purpose: Premature infants often have difficulties rotating their body and pelvis.  Effective pelvic rotation helps with bowel function (pooping) which can be a problem for former premature infants.
  • General tips: Take time during the day to exercise your baby.  Try to do exercises one time per day.  Pairing the exercise with a daily activty like ffeeding or playtime is helpful.  
  • Pressure: Babies in general prefer firm but gentle pressure versus light touch.
  • Position: Place your baby in your lap on his back with bottom at your belly and legs bent.
  • Exercise: Place your hands hand around baby’s thighs and bring right leg to belly and then left.  Be sure to make the pelvis rotate a bit when doing this.
  • Repetition: Do this 2-3 minutes as your baby tolerates

4.  Massage Baby’s Feet

  • Purpose: Premature infants are exposed to painful procedures to their feet with frequent blood draws. This can make his feet more sensitive.  Gentle massage to the bottom of the feet helps to provide positive sensory input to the feet.  
  • General tips:  Take time during the day to exercise your baby.  Try to do exercises one time per day.  Pairing the exercise with a daily activty like ffeeding or playtime is helpful.  
  • Pressure: Babies in general prefer firm but gentle pressure versus light touch.
  • Position: Place your baby on her back or side with her bottom at your belly and legs bent.  
  • Exercise: Provide firm but gentle pressure to the bottom of his feet paying special attention to the heels with positive pressure.  If you have a great blanket or stuffed animal with a nice texture feel free to rub this on baby’s feet too.

Do exercises 1-2 on one side, followed by 3 and 4 then repeat 1-2 on the other side.  Add the arm and shoulder recommendations from a previous post

Disclaimer: If you are uncomfortable performing an exercise please consult with your pediatrician or physical therapist.

Exercises for Preemies: Post 1 Shoulders and Arms

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In honor of the March of Dimes’ March for Babies walks, I am providing some exercises that families can do with their former premature infant upon discharge.

The posture of a premature infant is often characterized by the baby having trouble holding themselves tucked in like a full term infant.  Instead former preemies tend to have a straighter posture.  This posture often over-activates the muscles of the back of the body and under activates muscles of the front of the body.  This may result in difficulties with activities that require flexion like sitting, rolling and crawling.  It is for this reason that preemies would benefit from  stretches to promote elongating of the muscles in the back of the body and exercises to activate muscles in the front of the body.

Exercises for Arms and Shoulders 

1.  Gentle shoulder stretch

shoulder down

  • Purpose:  Premature infants often have trouble with breathing,so they use their shoulders (specifically their upper trapezius) to help them pull in air.  This causes the shoulders to be tighter than we would like.  Try this exercise to help your baby relax his or her shoulders
  • General tips: Take time during the day to exercise your baby.  Try to do exercises one time per day.  Pairing the exercise with a dialy activity like feeding or playtime is helpful.
  • Pressure: Babies in general prefer firm but gentle pressure versus light touch.
  • Position: Place your baby in your lap on her side with bottom at your belly and legs bent.
  • Exercise: Place your hand on shoulder and gently pull down, hold for 3 seconds, then stroke your hand down the baby’s arm to their hands bringing hands together.
  • Repetition: Do this 5-10 times as your baby tolerates

2.  Hands to Mouth and Hands Together

hand to mouth  hand to hand

  • Purpose: Former premature infants need help to activate the muscles in the front of their body.  Practicing self calming skills (hand to hand and hand to mouth) reinforces the flexor muscles in the front of the body to activate.
  • General Tips: Take time during the day to exercise your baby.  Try to do exercises one time per day.  Pairing the exercise with a dialy activity like feeding or playtime is helpful.  
  • Pressure: Babies in general prefer firm but gentle pressure versus light touch.
  • Position: Place your baby in your lap on his side with bottom at your belly and legs bent.
  • Exercise: Bring the top hand toward baby’s mouth and stroke the side of the mouth with his hand.  The baby will want to suck on their hand.  Let him!  When he is done, bring hands together with gentle pressure,, this is very calming.
  • Repetition: Do 5-10 times as your baby tolerates.

3.  Upper Back Stretch

shoulder to hand

  • Purpose: Former premature infants can pull their arms back and have trouble bringing ands together.  This exercise will elongate the muscles of the upper back making it easier for baby to bring arms forward.
  • General Tips: Take time during the day to exercise your baby.  Try to do exercises one time per day.  Pairing the exercise with a dialy activity like feeding or playtime is helpful.  
  • Pressure: Babies in general prefer firm but gentle pressure versus light touch.
  • Position: Place your baby in your lap on his side with bottom at your belly and legs bent.
  • Exercise: Place your right hand on them middle of her upper back, right at the shoulder blades.  With gentle, but firm pressure, bring your hand from shoulder blade to wrist, following the arm.  Do the same with your left hand.  Think of this as a waterfall with continuous massages from shoulder to wrist alternating hands.
  • Repetition: Do 2-3 minutes as your baby tolerates.

Do 1-3 on the left side and repeat on the right side.

Disclaimer: If you are uncomfortable performing an exercise please consult with your pediatrician or physical therapist. If you are concerned that your child is delayed, please consult your pediatrician or a physical therapist in your area.

Honoring March for Babies Walks . . . Dedicated to Families and Children affected by Prematurity

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My tired boys and I at March for Babies 2013

My tired boys and I at March for Babies 2013

The months of April and May are filled with March of Dimes’ March for Babies Events.  These events raise funds to research and prevent prematurity, assist families who have premature infants and assist women in achieving healthy pregnancies with full term deliveries.  The next few posts this week are dedicated to my friends and families I have worked with that have endured the NICU with their little ones. Thank you for allowing me to be a part of your family’s life and allowing me to learn more from you than you have learned from me!

One of the most treasured aspects of my career so far has been my time spent as the Lead Physical Therapist in a level 3 NICU.  Seeing beautiful miracles weeks before they are supposed to be born is truly a blessing.  More importantly, being able to shape their development so intimately by providing positive and beneficial touch while they are in the NICU is extremely rewarding.  Instructing families on positive touch and instructing activities that they can do with their babies provides families with a sense of confidence that they can participate in some of the care for their babies during a time feels perhaps overwhelming.

My role as a physical therapist in the NICU was to provide care for the premature and medically involved babies that assists in preventing unnecessary delays.  Further, I provided education for parents on the importance of early therapeutic intervention which can maximize the abilities of their child.  One cannot be an effective pediatric NICU therapist if they are not aware of the possible structural concerns, sensory concerns and motor concerns that can result from being in the NICU. I have followed hundreds of premature infants through direct treatment and NICU follow up clinic throughout their development, allowing me to continue to learn how I can better care for the babies while they  are in the NICU.

Over the next few days, I will provide some suggestions for common problems seen in NICU graduates and some exercises you can do with your former premature infant.  Please remember if you have any concerns about the suggestions posted, please ask your doctor or therapist for the appropriateness of the exercise for your baby.

If you are interested in finding a March for Babies in your area, please go to http://marchforbabies.org.

Take caution with elevated sleeping for baby

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In the past few months, I have done ten evaluations for babies who have torticollis (a condition where the neck muscles are tight) and/or plagiocphaly (a condition where one side of the head is flat). The one thing that each of these babies had in common was that all of the babies slept in elevated position at all times, either in a carseat, bouncy seat, a swing or some other upright container (e.g. a Rock and Play). In fact, I have noticed over the last year that more and more parents are sleeping their babies in an upright position.

Don’t get me wrong, there can be a time and place for elevated sleeping and certainly it may be a necessity. If a baby has reflux, they need to be upright for at least 30 minutes after each feeding in order to allow the baby to properly digest their feeding and to decrease discomfort associated with acid reflux. Therefore, putting the baby in an upright seat for night sleeping may be necessary. However, out of the ten babies that I evaluated, only two were diagnosed as having reflux and were on reflux medications already. One of the parents thought that maybe the baby had reflux, therefore exercised reflux precautions to improve the comfort of her baby. Therefore, in this small sample, 70% of the babies were sleeping in an upright position because he or she “slept better” when in an upright position. As a Mom of three, I COMPLETELY understand the need to get sleep and the necessity at times to do whatever you can so that you and your baby sleep at least a few winks. However, I am going to try to help you understand why sleeping flat as soon as possible is essential for a baby’s developing muscles, head position, symmetry of movement and head shape.

Full term infants are born with what is called physiological flexion. They have tightness in the muscles in the front of their body. This includes the neck muscles. Initially a baby can only move his or her head approximately 45 degrees to either direction. In order to gain full rotation range of motion, a baby needs to be flat on his or her back allowing the weight of the head to lengthen the sternocleidomastoid muscle (the muscle of the neck that helps with rotation) and other muscles allowing for full rotation of the head so that the baby can get her chin over her shoulder. The baby also needs adequate tummy time so she can lift and turn her head from side to side to lengthen the neck muscles fully.

When a baby sleeps in a rock in play, swing, bouncy seat or another elevated surface day in and day out, gravity is not allowed to help the baby to lengthen their neck muscles fully, therefore the baby’s neck muscles remain tight. As a result of elevated sleeping, one of two things can happen

1. The baby consistently holds his/her head in the middle causing the head to get flat on the back of his or her head, called Brachycephaly . The muscles of the neck also get tight if the baby does not experience side to side movement causing restricted rotation of the head/neck, elevated shoulders and difficulties with lifting his/her head when the baby is on his or her tummy.

OR

2. Since the baby does not have enough strength to hold their head up vs the pull of gravity, the baby’s head starts to fall to one side all the time causing flatening on one side of the head, called Plagiocephaly. This position, if continued, can also cause Torticollis (tightening of a neck muscle) or generalized tightness of neck muscles. If there is muscle involvement in the neck it can affect the baby’s ability to symmetrically use his body, preferring one side over another for movement.

So, you may be asking, my baby is sleeping elevated, how do I transition him to a flat sleeping position . . . When I do an evaluation for a baby that has been sleeping elevated, it is one of my goals to help the family transition baby to a flat sleeping position, not to just tell them that the baby has to sleep flat. Here are some tips to transition baby to flat sleep.

1. If your baby does have reflux, try to place a small wedge under the baby’s mattress (not under the cribsheet). The baby will be sleeping flat, but will be slightly elevated and will help the baby transition to a flat surface. If your baby has trouble transitioning and does not have reflux, this technique may also help.
2. Infants like the containment of a bouncy seat or swing, it feels like they are being held. Therefore, swaddling baby may be effective in getting baby to transition to a flat surface. (click here for video on how to swaddle)
3. Attempt flat surface sleeping when you are awake (e.g. for naps) at first. Attempting it for the first time at night will be very difficult for you and baby.
4. If your baby sleeps in a swing, with the swing moving, try to transition the baby to no movement in the swing before you transition the baby to flat sleeping.
5. Once your baby is sleeping flat, if he or she has a preference for head rotation to one side, try to rotate head to the opposite side each time you put him or her down even if they only tolerate that for a few minutes (or seconds) so they know this will be a consistent way you put them down. With time, the baby will improve his or her rotation. If you notice that the baby is unable to rotate to the opposite side, cries when attempting to rotate to the opposite side, or has significant flattening of his or her head on one side please discuss with your doctor and see a pediatric physical therapist who will help you to integrate exercises and positioning into your day in order to progress your baby’s symmetrical skills.

Happy sleeping!

Fitting it all in! How to integrate baby exercise into your busy day!

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As a mother of three children four years old and under and working out of the home full time, it is difficult to fit eveything in. I leave the house at 7:15 and arrive home at 5:30. By the time I leave in the morning at 7:15, I have worked out, pumped once, nursed the baby once, dressed three kids, made four beds, fetched a number of snacks, gave morning kisses, wiped morning tears, got myself ready and packed a lunch. My work day is like a breath of fresh air, even though I work with kids, it is predictable, I know exactly what is going to happen that day (mostly). By the end of my work day, I have pumped twice and seen 9 patients. I then get in my car, strap on the pump and pump in the car and make any appointments, phone calls necessary in order to not waste any time with my kids. I walk in the door at 5:30 to a number of demands on my time, barely putting my bags away, I am asked for any number of things from wiping noses to wiping bottoms to cleaning spilled milk to playing outside which is then followed by making dinner, cleaning after dinner, getting snacks, bath time, reading books, playtime, snuggle time with the big ones and nursing the baby. . . My day is no different from any other mother or father with children, working in or out of the home, full! . . . So the question I get often is how are we collectively as parents expected to fit every thing in and exercise our babies and toddlers? The answer is simple . . . have the tools to exercise baby available to you at all times in a dedicated area and integrate it into your day.

Here are a few tips to integrate exercise with your baby into your busy day . . .
1. If you bathe your baby and diaper your baby . . . you can exercise your baby.

Exercise with baby can  be paired with your every day activities with baby. For example, doing some visual tracking exercises side to side to help baby strengthen her neck during bath.  After bath, doing a bit of massage while putting on baby’s lotion is a great way to bond with baby and does not add too much extra time into your day. Further, if your baby always tends to look to one side, during diaper changes position yourself so that you are to the non preferred side will help baby look in all directions and does not take any extra time, just being efficient and effective with your time.
2. If you carry your baby . . . you can exercise your baby.

Specific carrying positions can be great ways to exercise baby. Holding baby belly down in the first few months is a great way to work on strengthening the neck.  Holding baby facing out after four months is a great way to strengthen the back of the neck and the lateral (side) muscles of the neck. Using a front carrier helps baby get stronger by making him respond to your movements with neck and trunk muscle activation.
3. If you sit and play with your baby . . . you can exercise your baby.

Having the exercise equipment available to you in the baby’s play area if the key here, making sure that you have a dedicated area for baby to play and have her exercise equipment available so that it is easy for you to play with baby in an effective manner. For example, if you are working on getting baby to reach for a toys when on his or her back, be sure to have the play gym always set up in the baby’s area so that you can put the baby under the play gym and work on active reaching. If an exercise ball is used in your baby’s exercises, have it handy in your baby’s play area, so you can bring it out for a few minutes each day.

004 Create stations in baby’s play area where you work on different activities in different areas. For example, make a busy box to use to work on sitting by hanging toys on the edge of a square fabric box with links, place a mirror in the area where baby works on tummy time and a play gym in the area where baby does back time.

4. If you pick up your baby . . . you can exercise your baby

Being more deliberate when you pick your baby up from a layng down position, can help your baby strengthen his neck and trunk muscles.  Rolling baby from back to tummy after a diaper change or whenever you are picking him up can strengthen baby’s lateral neck and trunk muscles.  click on this post to see how, Baby Time: Is there a best way to pick up baby?

There are so many daily care techniques that we already do with our baby, doing these activities deliberately with intention can help us exercise our baby and have fun and bond with baby at the same time.  Stay tuned for all of the great exercises you can do with baby!

My Gassy Baby! Tips for easing gas pain for infants

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The other day my littlest love, Jenna (2 1/2 months), was fussier than normal.  I wanted to think that she was really sad that I was returning to work the next day . . . as I was . . . but I realized it was just that she was a bit gassy!  Abdominal massage is a wonderful technique to ease gas pain, to improve digestion and to aide in constipation issues for little ones.

In my practice as a pediatric physical therapist, I never thought I would be so concerned about pooping and gassiness.  But it does affect how a baby acts and how happy they are, therefore it is a main concern of mine that babies are elimintating effectively and that the mommy/baby couplet are happy together!  I am often instructing abdominal massage to new moms, whether it is in the NICU to help a fussy baby or a baby with constipation or in the outpatient clinic to provide a technique to help a Mom who is sad and upset that her baby is always gassy and fussy.   I also provide screeings for babies at the breastfeeding support group at the hospital where I work.  More often than not, one Mom expresses concern that her baby is gassy and I have a group of Moms that join in for the instruction because they have the same concern.

It is important to know why abdominal massage works.  It is not magic . . . it is just anatomy!  The ascending colon runs from right above the pelvis to under the rib cage.  The transverse runs across the belly below the rib cage and the descending colon runs from under the left side of the rib cage to the left side just above the pelvis. (click here to see an anatomical view!).  An infant’s rib cage is elevated and compact, so the belly is just waiting to be massaged!

So, even though I, of course, had a number of other things to do that night, I hunkered down for a few minutes and helped Jenna to ease her pain.  It really does only take a few minutes . . .

General instructions –

  • I have found abdominal massage effective over clothes or on skin.  I have found it is effective without oil or lotion, but if you are massaging your baby otherwise, or lotioning baby after a bath, it is great to use the lotion in the massage.
  • If possible try to avoid these massages just after baby eats as it does put a lot of pressure on the abdominal area and can make the baby spit up.
  • Make sure you read your baby, if your baby is fussing more than normal, check your pressure, maybe you are too tense and pressing too hard.  The pressure used should be a firm, but gentle touch.
  • Do each exercise for 2 minutes for 2-3 times per day.
  • You may hear release of gas or stool while doing these techniques . .  . hooray for you (and baby). .  . it’s working!

1. Rainbow Massage (AKA I love you massage)- In this technique you are massaging the descending, transverse and ascending colon in order to help push the gas or other contents out.

Image  Image  Image

You  start by placing one hand on the upper left abdomen just under the rib cage and massage down toward the left pelvis.  Then you massage from the right upper abdomen just below the rib cage across to the left abdomen below the rib cage and follow the first line. Finally, you massage from the right lower abdomen just above the pelvis, to the right upper abdomen just below the rib cage, across to the left upper adomen and then down to the left lower abdomen.  So, you are massaging the descending colonfirst, the transverse and descending colon second and finally ascending, transverse and descending colon.  You want to use a firm, but gentle pressure with three fingers.  When doing this technique, you want to be sure you are constant with your touch, alternating hands with each stroke.

2.  Waterfall – Make a C with your hands.

Image  Image

Use the pinky side of your hands to gently but firmly massage from the baby’s rib cage down to his or her pelvis.  If your baby still has his or her umblilical cord, you may want to wait a few days for this one until the cord falls off. If your baby has an umbilical hernia, on the other hand, it is ok to do this technique.  Alternate your hands so that you have continuous pressure.

3.  Knees to belly – Bring baby’s legs up toward the right side of the abdomen, keep pressure across the abdomen as you press baby’s legs into his or her belly toward the left side and then bring legs down toward the surface.

Image Image Image

4. Bicycles – Pelvic rotation is the key to elimination . . . bicycles help baby to rotate his or her pelvis in order to eliminate effectively. Infants do a lot of random kicking, this random kicking helps to rotate their pelvis and helps baby to elimiate effectlvey and get rid of gas.  You can facilitate more of the pelvic rotation by doing bicycles with baby.

Image Image

To do this, hold around the lower leg of baby with your palms facing up or down.  Bring baby’s legs toward her belly and give gentle but firm pressure to the belly, then switch.

5. Snuggle – The last but most important step is to snuggle with baby.  These massages can be uncomfortable and sometimes stressful for baby. So be sure to give a bit of love afterwards. If done regularly, your baby will be regular and more comfortable.

If your baby is often gassy, do these exercises 2-3 times per day. If your baby is sometimes gassy, do these exercises 2-3 times per day on bad days.  If your baby is constipated one day, these exercises will help until your baby eliminates, done every few hours.

Happy tooting and pooping!

What is a baby container . . . and why is it bad?

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I’m not sure where it started, and I have searched the web to determine who coined the phrase “containment syndrome” but I cannot find who started this phrase. (If you know . . . please tell me!) Anyway, containment syndrome is the description for babies who are in some sort of a container all the time. Containers are car seats, bouncy seats and swings (I would also add exersaucers).  These are helpful devices and are not bad all the time . . . but they are bad when used all the time!

Containment devices do not allow babies to move with the freedom of movement that they need.  None of these devices, if you think about it, allow a baby to do any sort of extension (movement into a straight position of the spine).  With the exception of the exersaucer, they all put baby in a position where the spine is rounded into flexion.  I had a baby once that was adopted from a mother who sadlyneglected the baby.  The baby was never moved out of the carseat.  The baby’s spine was exactly the shape of the carseat and was stuck there. It took a lot of therapy to improve the spinal alignment.  It does not have to be that severe though, I have had many well intentioned families sleep their babies in the carseat and the baby’s head is very misshapen and the baby has a lot of unnecessary tight muscles as a result.  Some families just don’t know that every product out there is not necessarily good for baby.  My least favorite product that was out a few years ago was a swing base made for the carseat.  This meant that a baby never had to get out of their carseat!

So, as parents, we cannot avoid carseats, swings and bouncy seats altogether.  We definately need them!  But, how can we allow our babies varied movement experiences even though we use them?

First, make sure that your containment devices have varied footprints.  Make sure the bouncy seat, swing and the carseat do not all have the same angle of rounding.  A flatter seat (like a sling bouncy seat) will make the baby work a bit harder, allow more extension movement patterns and be less passive than the deep bucket of a carseat.

Second, use an upright baby carrier like a BabyBjorn or Ergo Baby Carrier.  Both of these allow the baby the unique experience to adjust their body in relation to what you are doing.  For example, if you bend over the baby will activate their flexor muscles a bit more to attempt to stay upright if the baby is facing toward you. If facing out (BabyBjorn), the baby will activate extensor muscles to stay upright (outward facing should only be done when baby has independent head control).

Finally, and most importantly, I always tell my families to follow the TBS rule whenever you have a put a baby down.

TBS Rule

T – Tummy First

B – Back Second

S – Swing (or Bouncy Seat) next

Basically what this means is that if you have to put a baby down (which is a lot), try to put the baby on tummy first, then if they fuss try back then try a bouncy seat or swing.  This ensures that the baby is allowed sufficient time in the day to move his or her body with appropriate freedom and no restrictions.

 

Why exercise babies?

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As a pediatric physical therapist, I always tell people

my job is to teach children to move so that they can explore and learn from their environment

What does this really mean?  Take a baby who is seven months for example.  Typically this baby should be rolling around their environment and getting into places where Mom and Dad don’t want them!  In doing so, they touching different textures that they have not been able to get to, playing with the box that is on the floor, getting to new toys that they were not able to reach previously.  As the baby touches the new toy, they learn about the properties of the new toy.  Perhaps they put the box up to their mouth and yell into it and hear their voice echo back.  Perhaps they put their hand inside and realize that it is a hole and something is inside of it.  Perhaps they bang on bottom of the box and listen to the noise that it makes. 

What if this baby does not roll, while the baby is able to play with toys that are near them if he or she can reach them, they are not able to learn and experience new things that are self motivated unless someone brings a new toy to them.  Not every child that does not roll by seven months has a developmental problem, they just maybe lacked the proper exposure strengthen the muscles they need for rolling. 

Therefore, effective exercises for baby from the start can strengthen the muscles necessry to help her to move so that she can explore and learn from her environment.

Welcome to Babies First Fitness

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Image Welcome to my blog about fitness for babies!  This is the place to be if you are interested in putting the fitness for babies (and toddlers) first.  I am a pediatric physical therapist that treats primarily infants and toddlers.  I work in the hospital NICU, an outpatient setting as well as in family’s homes. I am also a devoted mom to three lovely (very) young children.

I have been inspired to write a blog that shares tips and tricks to exercise with baby.  When searching for exercises with baby, the internet is flooded with exercises for mom, perhaps with the baby, but mostly for Mom . . .  I guess perhaps it is mom searching for the exercises!  Some sites will talk about how important tummy time is, but they lack in telling you how to do it if your baby hates it.  Other sites talk about how important it is to be active with your toddlers, but they do not provide games and activities that will improve their balance and coordination. 

Parents who are involved in pediatric therapy for one reason or another have an advantage, they have someone telling them how to exericise their babies and toddlers.  However, typically, most parents do not have this benefit.   I am here to provide my services to offer tips and tricks from a professional baby and toddler exerciser on how to really exercise your children so that they strengthen the muscles they need to create coordinated and efficient movement patterns.  Does this mean that baby is going to crawl early or walk early . . . no. . . talk to any therapist they don’t want that, but their movement will be smooth and coordinated and delays may be averted if the baby is exercised effectively. 

So, follow along and learn ideas on how to exercise our babies effectively.