We all want the very best for our little ones. If you’ve ever wondered if your baby is ahead, on track or behind with their motor development, you’re certainly not alone. Soon after my first baby was born, I quickly realized the huge lack of education & support for new parents regarding their baby’s motor development. We sometimes get a checklist at baby well visits of skills that our babies “should” be doing. There may be some mention of Tummy Time but no one there to show us how to do it, especially if your baby doesn’t love it. I know that transitioning to parenthood is one of the most overwhelming & challenging periods of your life. Your baby’s motor development shouldn’t be something else that you have to worry over. The Baby Movement Coach was created to provide parents with the support they deserve from the very beginning. With early education from a motor development expert (& a Mom who gets it) and easy-to-implement everyday strategies, you can confidently navigate your baby’s unique developmental journey & keep your baby’s natural development on track.

In my clinical practice as a Pediatric Physical Therapist, worried & upset parents often tell me some version of, “I was concerned at “X” months, but I was told to wait and see how they do.” or (my personal favorite) “I was told not to worry unless they didn’t walk by 18 months.” — so, it’s ok to hate tummy time, skip rolling & crawling because…they will most likely walk anyway by 18 months?? Why is that best practice? Why are we denying children opportunities practice these crucial skills during such a critical time period for development simply because they will likely walk anyway “on time”? What about all of the other important sensory, language & cognitive development that’s supported by practicing these early motor skills? These early motor skills truly lay the foundation for everything else because having a means to independently explore your environment leads to so many more opportunities for social interaction, problem solving, visual development, etc. & sadly we’re developing a tendency to just let babies skip those early skills.

Over & over again this “wait and see” model of care contributes to so much undue shame & guilt for parents who are truly just trying their best to make sure their babies are set up for success. We unfortunately live in a world where healthcare, even for our tiniest, most precious & vulnerable humans, is reactionary instead of proactive & services are dictated by insurance reimbursement. What most parents don’t realize is that they don’t have to actually just wait. There are simple strategies you can incorporate at home during playtime or daily routines to nurture your baby’s natural development (That’s where my knowledge, tips and tricks come in.) & sometimes even prevent common pediatric diagnoses like Torticollis or Flat Head Syndrome.

I didn’t fully understand the process parents go through with trying to seek help for their baby, until I had a baby who cried most of the first six weeks of her life. I found myself discussing concern after concern with my child’s pediatrician. I realized how easy it can be through the anxiety & exhaustion to just take your pediatrician’s advice, go home, do what they say, try again tomorrow & worry about it another day. I completely ten-thousand percent respect my child’s doctor & I do believe that most pediatricians absolutely have you & your baby’s best interest at heart. However, challenges I faced as a new mom made me realize that pediatricians are experts at Medicine — particularly pediatric medicine. Although they may have tons of knowledge about other topics related to child development & child-rearing, they are not necessarily the experts in breastfeeding, motor development, sensory development, feeding or any of the other challenges you may be faced with as a new parent. Ultimately, a crucial component to my daughter’s success with feeding & our ability to continue nursing for as long as we wanted to, was finding the right experts to guide us.

To help put this in perspective for you, I often have parents ask me about concerns related to sensory development. Um…Can I please phone a friend??? — Preferably an OT friend. While I have some knowledge related to sensory development & likely more than the average person, I know that I am definitely not an expert on this topic, the diagnosis of or the treatment strategies associated with it. So when parents express concerns related to sensory development, I am quick to refer them to the right expert. It would be a complete disservice for me to take on & attempt to treat something that complex, when it is out of my realm of expertise.

Oh, & one other important point that I feel compelled to make — there wasn’t much time or energy to discuss anything other than feeding, weight gain, number of dirty diapers, vaccines, etc. at those early well visits. It was obvious how things like Tummy Time get completely overlooked despite the fact that the early months are critical for the acquisition of meaningful & fun belly play.

Now, there are times when our worries truly are unfounded. I’ve been there too. It happens. I see you. We still have to do our due diligence to put our worries to rest & for the most part, I think our doctors are really understanding about this.

What I really want you to hear me saying is that “Momma-intuition” runs deep & it’s there for a reason. If you have concerns about your child’s motor development, The Baby Movement Coach is here to provide you with the information you need to either put your mind at ease or give you the confidence to advocate for further evaluation by a motor development expert — aka a Pediatric Physical Therapist. Early identification & early intervention truly are so impactful for minimizing treatment duration & improving long term functional outcomes. One other big secret most parents unfortunately don’t know is that you can self-refer to a pediatric physical therapist whenever you have a concern. In most states, including Delaware, physical therapists can evaluate & provide treatment for a specified amount of time prior to consulting with another healthcare provider.

Sometimes, your baby might be just a little “stuck” & could use an extra expert-nudge to get over the hump & conquer that next big motor milestone. Sometimes, you’ve tried a million different things but Tummy Time still is just stressful & not productive (Usually if that’s the case, there is a reason for it & it’s really helpful to have an expert on your team.). Maybe, you just have no idea how to play with your baby or set up their play-space to support their development & that’s okay. That’s where I come in…That’s where I can give you practical & effective strategies to nurture your baby’s natural development through a few minutes of purposeful playtime & your daily routines.

Together, let’s get movin’!