The Importance of Early Mobility
One of my greatest joys in being a pediatric physical therapist is helping little ones learn to thrive through the power of movement. Teaching a little one to reach their arms, kick their legs, roll around, and move themselves from one place to another can be so crucial for empowering little ones to learn to explore the world around them and build connections with others.
A baby’s first experience with independent mobility typically occurs when they start to roll, usually around 4-6 months. After rolling comes crawling, and after crawling comes walking. Each of these stages provides more and more independence and freedom for little ones to explore. Mobility allows them to go where they want to on their own terms, learn about the environment around them, and plays a huge role in their ability to connect and play with others.
For babies at risk for developmental delay (babies born prematurely or little ones with neurodevelopmental diagnoses such as cerebral palsy, Down Syndrome, or other genetic conditions), these timelines can get pushed back. They may need help from a caregiver to move their body for rolling, crawling, standing, and/or walking, which can result in a dependence on adults for mobility and decreased opportunity to learn mobility skills.
Mobility is so much more than just movement. Many studies have found that independent mobility can impact development in many other domains:
Independent mobility is linked to benefits in young children in their cognitive, social, motor, and language development (Livingstone & Field, 2014).
Exploration and interaction are believed to influence the ultimate structure of a child’s brain and related cognitive, communication, and social development (Adolph, 2003; Affolter, 1991; Chugani, 1998).
Mobility independence helps to avoid learned helplessness, formulate a sense of identity and confidence, and decreases solitary or isolated play by increasing active engagement (Butler, 1991; McDermott & Akina, 1972; Kohn, 1997).
The brain develops rapidly over the first few years of life, and research has shown that there is a critical period for infants to learn to move on their own. My job as a pediatric physical therapist is to ensure that babies don’t miss out on the benefits of mobility by providing infants with the tools to move on their own by helping them gain strength, range of motion, and by providing adaptations that fit their needs.
What I love about the Daytot Joey is that it attempts to capture that critical period and provide little ones at risk with a means to move independently. While babies do need some help in it at first, we can use it to help teach coordinating the flexion and extension of their arms and legs can help them go where they want to go without the help of anyone else. Watching confidence develop and opportunities open is truly a joy to witness, and I am so excited to see how the Joey can help other children learn to explore and connect with their world.
If you would like your little one to try the Joey out at our office, let us know!