Resource of the Week: The Movement Mama
If you’ve ever wondered about your child’s motor development and haven’t found The Movement Mama, follow her on Instagram or check out her website! She is a pediatric physical therapist and mama who has empowered thousands of families to help their children achieve milestones through purposeful play. She has so many practical, relatable posts, and you will learn something no matter how old your child is.
Throughout baby’s first year, it’s easy to compare them to other children in their timing of rolling, crawling, or walking. One of our children was on the later end of the normal range for each of these milestones, and it was hard to decide whether to trust that they would learn that skill in their own timing or whether to take a more proactive approach.
The Movement Mama provides a couple easy ways to address that decision. First, she provides educational content to help you know if your child is actually behind on a motor milestone, or if your friend’s baby is just ahead. You will find explanations of motor milestones by age, which can also help you look ahead to the next stage of your child’s development and provide an environment to help them practice new skills. Many of these techniques for purposeful play are easy to do and take only a few minutes.
She has also put together some great lists of shoes that support your child’s development, and she gives criteria for what to look for in a kids’ shoe. Personally, I’ve started looking for just one or two pairs of quality shoes that I know will be healthy for my kids’ feet, rather than grabbing several pairs of cheaper ones. The cheap ones seem to wear out so fast and don’t even make it through one kid! If you’re concerned about budget, try looking for the shoes she recommends (or similar options) on Facebook Marketplace or at your local thrift/consignment store.
I’ve also found her toy lists helpful for finding and deciding on birthdays and Christmas gifts! She includes items to help with purposeful play in baby’s first year, as well as many years beyond. You could even check out her ideas as you create a baby registry. If you’re wondering which bouncy seat, swing, exersaucer, or other baby “containers” are best for motor development, Kailee has you covered.
Rather than Googling all your worries about your baby’s development, take a look at The Movement Mama’s resources! You will feel more educated and empowered to make decisions on how to help your child.
