Supported Crawling Position

You may be wondering, 'Why are you concerned about crawling? Shouldn't you be working on torticollis-specific exercises?'. By encouraging Kellyn to learn to crawl, I am indirectly treating her torticollis. Once she starts to crawl, she will hopefully be less likely to tilt her head. Before a baby crawls, she obviously needs to first be comfortable on all four's. This exercise focuses on becoming comfortable on hands and knees, which is a precursor to crawling. Below I have a video tutorial and written step-by-step instructions to show you this simple exercise.

Video Tutorial:




Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. Position baby on hands and knees in a crawling position.

For some reason, my daughter really resists getting up on hands and knees.
It's challenging getting her to stay in this position.

2. If baby resists this position (as my girl does), you may need to use your thighs to support baby's thighs in the proper position.

3. Encourage baby to hold her head up by distracting her with a toy or mirror. When she holds her head up, she will be working against gravity to increase her neck strength.

Here's another version of this exercise to help baby become more comfortable in a crawling position.

Disclaimer: I am not a physical therapist or medical professional. If you wish to do any of these physical therapy exercises on your own child, you should first seek approval from your child's physical therapist. Click here for full disclaimer.