3 Exercises to Promote Indendent Standing

Standing is a building block skill that eventually leads to babies learning to walk.  And once baby masters walking, it's likely that the torticollis will improve.  This motivates me to do everything I can to help Kellyn master these skills.  In this tutorial below, I'm going to demonstrate three easy exercises that encourage independent standing.  These exercises should only be started when child exhibits the ability to bear weight on feet while being supported.  As always, please consult with your child's physical therapist before trying any of these exercises.

Video Tutorial





Step-by-Step Instructions

Standing Exercise #1

Start out supporting baby at the waist, while she bears weight on her two feet. Once child feels stable, slowly slide your hands down to her thighs. Supporting baby at the thighs (instead of the waist) makes her work a bit harder to balance her weight.

Standing Exercise #1

Standing Exercise #2

Find a toy with a flat surface that your baby can balance her weight on. Hold the toy steady in your two hands while the she supports herself against this toy. This exercise is more challenging than the baby supporting herself against a stable piece of furniture.

Standing Exercise #2

Standing Exercise #3

Help child to position herself against a wall to support her body weight. Like the exercise above, this is more challenging than child supporting herself against a horizontal surface.

Standing Exercise #3

Disclaimer: I am not a physical therapist or medical professional.  This post and/or video does not serve as a substitution for medical treatment.  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.