As promised, here are some ideas for lower extremity weight bearing! Let your pediatrician know if your child resists weight bearing with activities and play time. This is not an all inclusive list, but I tried to include my favorites! Which ones have you tried?
This is easy to do even with your newborn! Early kicking is helping those feet get ready for the pressure placed on them during weight bearing.
Put their legs on your chest and lean forward and back to improve weight bearing! This is a great position because you can face your child and they may love to sing and watch you dance!
Sitting on a bench, stool, or box is a good way to improve weight bearing in the feet. Keep in mind that the more forward and/or down the baby leans (aka to pick something up off of the floor or activity table), the more weight they are putting through their feet.
If your baby is not tolerating weight being put through the feet, try knees first! This helps them prepare for full blown weight bearing in standing one day, and it gets their core nice and strong!
The last step is to work up to standing. Lowering the surface that they are standing at helps to make it easier at first, so try taking the couch cushion off!
Comments