Infant Physical Therapy

What is Infant Physical Therapy?
Physical therapy that focuses on infants (typically birth to 12 months) to support motor development.
Addresses delays, asymmetries, or difficulties in achieving key motor milestones.
Often involves parent education and home exercise programs to encourage daily practice.

What Does Difficulty In This Area Look Like?

  • Tummy Time Aversion
    An Infant that resists being placed on their stomach, expresses discomfort and avoid weightbearing through hips and upper extremities or is unable to lift and turn their head when on their tummy.
  • Torticollis/Plagiocephaly
    An infant may hold their head tilted to one side or shows preference for rotating their head one way which may lead to flattening the back of the head or on one side with facial asymmetries (plagiocephaly or brachycephaly).
  • Delayed or Abnormal Crawling or Rolling patterns
    An infant that is not meeting typical developmental milestones, such as rolling or crawling may need additional help to progress their skills. They may demonstrate atypical movement patterns, including dragging one leg, maintaining one leg elevated, or consistently favoring one side of the body over another to initiate each movement.
  • Poor Postural Control
    An infant may have difficulty holding their head up, sitting without support, or maintaining an upright posture during play.
  • Standing or Walking Delays
    A child may be unable to stand or walk independently, demonstrate a strong preference, preferring to lead with their right or left leg only and rely on upper extremity support.
  • Difficulty with Floor Transitions
    An infant may be unable to coordinate and weight bear on their upper and lower extremities adequately to complete floor transitions that moving into a sitting position, crawling position, pulling up to stand and lowering from standing to sitting  

How Can PT Help Build These Skills?

  • Promote Muscle Strength & Coordination
    Guided exercises to strengthen specific neck, trunk, and limb muscles needed for appropriate movement.
  • Encourage Symmetrical Development
    Help correct head and body positioning to avoid preference to one side (e.g., in torticollis).
  • Support Milestone Achievement
    Design play-based activities to promote progression towards mastering rolling, crawling, sitting, and walking.
  • Educate Parents & Caregivers
    Teache safe and effective ways for caregivers to position, hold, and play with the baby to support motor skill development.
  • Prevent Secondary Issues
    Early intervention can reduce the risk of joint stiffness, muscle imbalances, or delayed gross motor skills.