How I can Help my Baby with Physiotherapy

Physiotherapy (PT) helps in the development, rehabilitation, and improvement of movement skills and performance. Physiotherapist works on gross motor skills such as sitting, standing, and walking, as well as improving flexibility, strength, and endurance.

Right from the birth a journey of developmental milestones begins. Each baby is different, not all babies develop at the same time. Parents can also help their babies to achieve certain motor developmental milestones by incorporating exercises planned by physiotherapist under the guidance of your child’s paediatrician.

The order of normal motor development is:

0-3 months

• Lift and holds head while on the stomach
• Moves legs and arms easily.
• Put hands in mouth

4-6 months

• Starts rolling from back to stomach and stomach to back
• Begins to reach toys
• Sit with support

7-12 months

• Sit down without support
• Crawl
• Stand with support
• Changes position from one to another
• Walk with support

You should seek help if:

• Your baby’s muscles feel ‘floppy’ or ‘stiff’
• Your baby isn’t tolerating ‘tummy time’ till 4 months of age
• Your baby moves one side more or tilt head to one side
• Your baby has delay in developmental milestones
  • Not sitting by 9 months
  • Not trying to stand up by 12 months
  • Not walking by 18 months
• Your child has an unusual walk or foot posture
• Your child has undergone an injury or after surgery
• Your child has poor posture.

Physiotherapy intervention:

• Exercise ball training for crawling development and strength support
• Gentle massaging like muscle kneading
• Stretching exercises
• Head control exercises
• Hot and cold compression on affected joints and muscles
• Balance exercises
• Postural re-education

If your baby is experiencing any of the above, it may be either due to delayed development o could be due to some other defect. It is best advised that you consult a doctor and post recommendations include physio in your baby’s life. Normal activations to increase the baby’s mobility always give promising results. To highlight the growth and the progress of your baby, it is advised that you keep a baby book and document all the positive steps and results.