Infant Physical Therapy in a Box

Benefits of Infant Physical Therapy

When you have a baby, you note every milestone and get excited watching your baby’s development. It’s natural to be excited because, during the first twelve months of life, your baby is growing and learning, developing thinking, communication, and motor skills. They need help learning these things, and most of the time, parents can work on developmental activities with their children, and these will be sufficient to promote the necessary skills and physical development. However, for little ones who are delayed, disabled, have a genetic condition, or who have suffered a birth injury, infant physical therapy may be necessary.

What is Pediatric Physical Therapy?

Infant or pediatric physical therapy is a treatment used to help children learn to move their bodies in healthier ways. Under the term “pediatrics,” physical therapy is for children under age 18, from newborns to teenagers, and it is used to treat kids for a variety of reasons, from sports injuries to genetic disorders. Physical therapy for infants typically focuses on helping babies gain muscle control, learn to balance, and either reach or catch up to important developmental milestones. This is especially helpful for infants with conditions like cerebral palsy, spina bifida, Down syndrome, torticollis, neuromuscular disorders, Erb’s palsy, spina bifida, and prematurity.

Importance of Infant Physical Therapy

In physical therapy, infants are treated by physical therapists, who help them improve their range of motion, movement patterns, strength, and flexibility.

Baby Development Milestones by Month

The first year is one of rapid growth and development. Physically and mentally, babies are changing all the time. It’s important to know developmental milestones so that if your little one isn’t hitting them on time, you can seek help and treatment. While every child develops differently, this is an overview of typical cognitive and motor development during the first year:

• One month old: Babies move their heads from side to side during tummy time. They can track movements with their eyes, and the stare at their hands and fingers. A one-month-old baby already has a strong grip.
• Two months old: Babies play with their fingers, smile responsively, open and close their hands, and can hold their heads and necks up during tummy time, briefly.
• Three months old: Babies reach and grab at objects and can grip them in their hands. They make cooing noises and will imitate you if you stick out your tongue.
• Four months old: Tummy time gets more exciting, as babies learn to push up on their arms. They can grab objects and hold them, they laugh out loud, and they enjoy playing so much that they sometimes cry when it stops.
• Five months old: Babies begin to roll over, reach for their parents, transfer objects from one hand to another, and blow raspberries.
• Six months old: By now, babies are great at rolling over and can do it in both directions. They use their hands to rake small objects, they recognize familiar faces, and they babble.
• Seven months old: Most babies begin to crawl, scoot, or army crawl by this age, and they are learning to use their thumbs and fingers together. Their babbling becomes more complex, and they respond to other people’s emotional expressions.
• Eight months old: At this age, most babies can sit well without support, respond to familiar words, play peekaboo, and clap their hands.
• Nine months old: Babies can use the pincer grasp, working their thumbs and forefingers, and they may try to climb things or crawl upstairs. Most nine-month-old babies understand object permanence and many experience stranger anxiety.
• Ten months old: Making strides physically and cognitively, babies this age pull to stand, wave bye-bye, raise their arms to ask to be picked up, begin to understand cause, and effect, and learn to stack and sort toys.
• Eleven months old: Babies cruise around the house, using the furniture for balance, and they can turn pages when you read to them. They start becoming opinionated about food, and they’ll play mealtime games like dropping a spoon, to see how their parents will react. Most also say mama or dada, though most use these interchangeably for either parent.
• Twelve months old: Around the first birthday, babies can stand on their own and may take their first steps. They can say an average of two to five words, and they’re beginning to pretend, playing imitative games like pretending to talk on the phone. They can even help get themselves dressed, by pushing their hands into their sleeves.

The Concept of ‘Infant Physical Therapy in a Box’

While children can benefit from the interventions of a pediatric physical therapist, there are also infant physical therapy exercises that can be done at home. In fact, you can do a wide array of developmental activities with your baby, using nothing more than cardboard boxes as equipment. Demonstrate the following activities to your little one, then practice until your baby learns what it means and how to do it. By doing this you will be helping your infant learn cause and effect while also encouraging physical activity and promoting motor skill development.

• Stacking boxes: Use small boxes, helping your baby stack them up and then knock them down.
• Unwrapping boxes: Use colorful paper to wrap boxes, then show your baby how to unwrap them.
• Peek-a-boo: While your baby is having tummy time, hide behind a box and peek out.
• Reach and grasp: Decorate boxes to look bright, shiny, fun, and appealing, then place them just out of reach during tummy time. Show your baby how to reach for them and touch or grasp them.
• Where did it go? Take items the baby likes, and hide them in boxes, then demonstrate how opening or lifting the boxes reveals each object.

Developmental Activities for Infants

Just by playing with your baby, you’re helping your little one to learn, grow, and develop. If your baby needs a physical therapist, the activities the therapist will choose will be dependent on your child’s condition. Typically, exercises will include head control exercises, gentle stretching, using an exercise ball to train for crawling, muscle kneading and massaging, balance and flexibility exercises, and alternating hot and cold compresses on joints and muscles.

Communication with Healthcare Providers

When should you talk to a doctor about the possibility that your baby needs physical therapy? If your child has an injury or a genetic condition, or your doctor notices something that needs to be adjusted, the doctor will probably mention physical therapy before you do. However, you can keep an eye out for signs that your child may need physical therapy from a licensed, accredited, experienced physical therapist, board-certified in pediatric physical therapy. These signs include:

• Failure to meet key developmental milestones in the first year of life
• Favoring a certain side of the body, or tilting the head to one side
• Poor muscle tone
• Poor posture
• Difficulty with balance
• Too much or too little joint mobility
• Diagnosis of one of the conditions mentioned above

Choose the Daisy Way for the Highest Quality Care

If you are looking for infant physical therapy, we can help. Locally owned and operated, Daisy Kids Care works hard to maintain a reputation as the best pediatric healthcare provider in the region. Our team of licensed and certified professionals is here to help, dedicated to meeting your child’s needs, whether that entails private-duty home healthcare or any of our wide array of therapy services, including physical and occupational therapy in pediatrics. We do same-week evaluations, and you will never be put on a waitlist, but will always get the support you need when you need it. We’ve been voted one of the TOP Pediatric Home Health Agencies in Houston, and our mission is to improve the lives of patients 0 to 21 years of age, offering personalized care for the children we serve and a reliable support system for their families. Contact us through our website for more information, or call (713) 766-3849 for nursing or (346) 536-5834 for therapy.