Hi, I’m Dana and I have been a pediatric physical therapist for 25 years. You can read more about my practice at the top of my channel. I see kids for a lot of different disabilities including developmental delay, Down Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy, genetic disorders, dystrophies, and more. I cannot give individualized medical advice on social media and you need your doctors permission to try any exercises with your child. A therapist needs to be trained in order to perform these highly skilled exercises.

I see kids for intensives in Cary, North Carolina for 1,2, or 3 weeks for 2 visits per day. We are able to show a lot of progress with our little patients and I share that to bring hope to other parents around the world. You can find booking information at the link at the top of my channel.

The exercises I use are based on Cueves Medek Exercises. We give novel experiences to kids to work on neuroplasticity of the brain which allows us to improve gross motor skills.


Want to get your child sitting? Whatcha waiting for? Save this post and send to a mom that may be struggling! You can also watch my sitting highlights for more ideas!
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if your child is sitting on your lap make sure they are up on your legs and not back in the space. This makes sure her pelvis is rolled forward and helps her incorporate her abdominals. Hold as low down towards her pelvis as possible so that she works everything above your hands. You can also do this while she is sitting on your thigh and tilt her in different directions.
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Teach her to move from lying in the floor to sitting up. Roll her to her side first and then press down with your top hand at her hip. Make her do as much as possible.
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Give a gentle stretch in and out of side sitting without moving to full range. Try this in a rocking movement like Emily is to get your child to relax.
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Side sitting is the first position to try to get your baby sitting. It’s easier to bring the surface up to the child until they become more comfortable weight bearing on her hands.
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Let me know if this helps and let me know how it goes!