Things to do to strengthen toddler's core muscles

[happygilmore]

Hoping others have some tips to share!

My DD has had trouble learning to walk, partly due to her being hyperflexible and partly because of weak core muscles. Shoes have helped the hyperflexibility and lots of reaching/stretching got her walking in the end (we saw a paediatric physio when she was younger who recommended this).

She's now just turned 2 and still struggling a bit. We're waiting for physio but in the meantime I'm trying to think of things I can do that will help her, the stretching and reaching for things seems a little young for her, but doing sit ups seems far too old! If anyone has any experiences to share I'd be really grateful.

You could google thelittlegym and see of there's one near you.

I used to take the kids and it was great but sadly closed down.

Is there such a thing as toddler yoga?

You could take her to the playpark lots, just being active will work the core muscles.

We see a chiro for our DD, although she is a little younger, at 18 months. One of the main tips he gave us was never to put her down sitting on her bottom, but lie her on her back every time we put her down. That forces her to roll and use her core to push herself up to sitting many, many times a day. I'm not sure whether it's appropriate for an older toddler, but we have seen a massive difference in DD.

Btw, he also said do not do assisted sit ups (which my DH was doing, sort of loosely holding her hands and encouraging her to sit up from her back). Apparently this can wrongly develop muscles - his view is that movement should be as instinctive as possible.

Gymnastics clubs otften have classes for pre schools and toddlers which are a lot cheaper than tumbletots.

Swimming is good for building up muscle strength. In many ways going to the park and playing is as effective as more formal physio exercises. Get her to draw at an easel standing up.

Ds saw a child physio between the ages of 24 months and three and half years old because of walking problems. He also saw an occuaptional theraphist at 6 years old because of handwriting issues. Getting a small child to do physio hard.

What is she struggling with? Is it possible that expectations of what a two year old can do is unrealistic. Our NHS physio seems totally unphased by the fact that our son could only walk two steps unaided at two and half years old. There is a huge range of what is considered normal.

I recently worked with a little girl who sounds very similiar. I was her key person at her nursery and also the senco so spent a lot of time with her.
The advice we were given was to always put things just out of her reach so she would have to reach to get them. Things like putting things on the floor so she has to bend down.
I also used to make her walk (or crawl) everywhere instead of carrying her and that really did strengthen her legs.
One thing that really did help to strengthen her muscles was sitting her on a trike and letting her move herself around.
In 6 months that I worked with her she went from not being able to move at all (not even crawling)to being able to take steps unaided.
She used to enjoy pushung the shopping trolley/pram too which was scary at first because she just used to either fall backwards or topple forwards but she get very accomplisehd at it in the end.

I remember the physio getting our hypermobile ds to do an awful lot of bear walking.... (Walking on hands and feet, but knees up off the floor). Also, sitting on a low chair, with feet on the floor, and bending down to pick up objects on each side of him, first with the closest hand, then stretching across from the other side and down to pick them up. Other than that, the sorts of exercises that you can do for core muscles you really need someone to show you how to do properly, so that you engage the correct muscles, rather than putting your back out... The most helpful exercises my ds actually did were ones to strengthen a particular muscle in his hip, which merely walking and running hadn't done, but the result was that he could walk and run much better afterwards without tiring so quickly or complaining of pain.

Her main problem is she's still very wobbly and looks quite 'drunk' when walking. She locks her knees etc because I think her core muscles are still not as strong as they could be. When we saw the physio before she told us to do lots and lots of reaching/stretching and that made a huge difference, I'd kind of stopped doing it but perhaps should do it more again. We have an easel so drawing standing up is a good idea.

I think her leg muscles are OK, she crawled for months so is quite strong. Just very, very flexible (can still suck her toes!). I appreciate there's a wide range of normal but actually when I saw how much difference the stretching etc made before it seems cruel not to do it. All she wants to do is run around like her peers and is very frustrated that she can't. We go to the park most days, but actually find that it doesn't really exercise the muscles she needs to improve, so although I'm sure it's good for her, it's not addressing the main problems.

Thanks for all the tips.

My ds1 used to lock his knees, too. Actually, his problems were not really with his core at all (he could sit up with a beautifully straight back - never slumped) and I don't think your dd's are limited to the core muscles, either. If you are excessively hypermobile, you need much stronger muscles than most children just to support your joints, but because your joints are totally unstable, some muscles just cannot be engaged through normal activities, so you build up strength in those that you can and others become very weak - hence the weakness in a tiny muscle in his hip and the tendency to bend his knees back the wrong way. You could also see the effect very strongly when he did exercises like kneeling on all fours, then picking stuff up off the floor with one hand and putting it up on the table - to put all the weight on just one arm and shoulder, his shoulder blades would stick out like chicken wings and his elbows would bend the wrong way. He was hanging off his joints, not engaging his muscles. If your dd walks with locked knees, she has continuing weakness in all sorts of muscles, not just her core and needs specific exercises to engage muscles that are being hampered from developing by the instability in her joints. This was made very clear to us when ds1 was little and seen by a neuromuscular specialist and specialist physio dealing with neuromuscular disorders - they confirmed that whilst he didn't have a neuromuscular disorder, he was extremely weak in certain areas, areas which extremely hypermobile people are often weak in because of the inability to exercise those muscles without extra support. Not learning a more efficient method of movement can result in excessive stress being put on overly mobile joints and excessive strain on particular muscles, which is a good recipe for pain and fatigue if you try to run about too much.

Gym ball, gym ball, gym ball. Use your birthing ball if you had one.

Loads and loads of sitting on it and balancing (you hold her legs and she can lean everywhere - even right the way back if you hang on - hips better than thighs) and then wheelbarrow type leaning on it and rolling and rocking, and lifting legs and arms 'superman' style.

Gym ball, gym ball, gym ball....

Dd2 spent hours on her gym ball.

The other thing was great in the longer term was ballet. She started a class at 4 before she could stand independently (she could walk but had no standing balance because of her tone). Get a toddler ballet DVD and get her to hang on to a chair back.

Balancing games whilst learning to catch - standing with one foot on a step, kneeling, kneeling on one knee, etc etc. and throwing obv. Get a great big bobbly therapy ball, or one with knobbliest anyway, for better grip.

Lie on back and get a majorette baton from the pound shop (sparkly ones always good) and play 'the grand old duke of York', moving the baton (held across the body int wo hands with straight arms) up to the top of the hill (floor above head) and down again (to legs) keep arms straight! Oh, and buy spares, because every sibling in the land wants to lie on the living room floor and play too!

Get the cars out. Wheel them up and down the therapy wedge, push them around the living room floor.

And (TA da) buy a huge trampoline with a net. Dd2 couldn't stand on ours at first, but it was great to watch her get more confident, and the safe environment and constantly changing muscle needs mean that they are great for core strength.

I should add - it's really common for folk to think the problem is with the limbs, but the core is deffo what you need to work on. The limbs will follow.

A good strong core is essential and necessary before you can build up strength effectively in your limbs, but that doesn't mean there's no problem with the limbs. Basically, you can't have good, strong muscles in your limbs if you don't have good core body strength, but that doesn't mean you automatically develop strong muscles everywhere else once have a strong core. For example, I still have weak wrists as a result of my hypermobility, flat feet, loose shoulders and very hypermobile hips, and finger joints which regularly bend back the wrong way, and that has little or nothing to do with core strength and everything to do with connective tissue. There is absolutely nothing wrong with my core body strength - it has always been very good (I was very good at gymnastics and ballet in my youth...), I have always had good posture, strong stomach muscles and never get back pain. Good core body strength did not cure all weakness and problems resulting from abnormally stretchy connective tissue, however. And the muscle deep in my ds1's hip was not strengthened on a balance ball, albeit many other muscles were.

In fact, my ds1's muscles were generally assessed as strong - it was very specific muscles around the knees, neck, shoulders and hips that weren't. You don't tend to get isolated weaknesses in very specific areas of your body simply as a result of a weak core. A weak core causes more generalised low tone, rather than specific areas of weakness with relatively normal muscle tone.

Yy, get that. I just meant that often the core is ignored as a major cause and the focus is on the limbs.

Dd2 has cerebral palsy. Her fine motor is pants and she has hyper mobility and low tone, but strengthening the core meant that it was then possible to correctly identify issues with tone in the limbs, rather than them being caused by the fact that she was so low toned in the trunk, iykwim. So for school she had v supportive seating which effectively held her pelvic girdle and her chest, and then she could use her hands. Without her core being held supported, she couldn't use her hands properly (well, she can't anyway, but with out the support she was needing to prop etc). So it's always a balance with muscle tone. Once you support the core you can identify what's happening with the limbs better.

Yes, I definitely agree with that!

This is all interesting to me - I'm sure my 17.5 month old DS is hypermobile. He's walking holding one hand - and now doing 8 or so unaided steps (this is very recent) and he seems to be getting stronger, but I do worry about hyermobility as it runs in the family - though not to any huge detriment, I may add.

But he can sit perfectly straight and put his foot against his mouth. I say that's too flexible, but my DH poo-poohs me and says that all babies are flexible etc.

Who's right?

BTW, we're doing lots of soft play and play gym classes and he seems to really enjoy them and is getting stronger

Thanks for the tips. Just going on what the physio said when we saw her before - she thought it was her core muscles that are weak and her ankle joints are hyperflexible (not her other joints).

Thanks for all the tips, it definitely makes sense that some muscles may be affected. We really need that appointment to come through but unfortunately it might be months :(

I may buy a trampoline, she can't jump either so it would probably help. Poor thing wish I could just make it all OK for her, she is such a sweetie and just would love to do what the other children can.

smallwars, that sounds very flexible to me! My DD can do that too, but I remember reading in a baby book that babies (or most babies!) stop being able to do that at a few months old.

Mil can still do it and she's 70. not hyper mobile, either... I'm lucky if I can get to my shoelace.

Thanks both

If he's not walking properly in a month I'm going to get him to see a physio - I don't feel worried, but as you've all pointed out there's so many muscles that can be weak, specific exercises are helpful.

Does she have Piedro boots, happy?

Also, bucket of water and paintbrush and get her to 'paint' the fence. Just as much fun as an easel... And if you put the bucket on the floor, lots of bending and stretching too! Give her two brushes and try to paint with both hands?

no, not heard of them, are they good?

Painting fence is also a good idea, just need to mow the lawn so she can reach it I think she'd like that.

Other things that might help - get a hula hoop and have her hold on to it whilst she is walking (around her body like clown trousers) or try a short length of dowel held two handed in front. Sometimes the action of having to hold onto something can make the walking easier - no idea why, I'm sure the physio told me, but it obviously didn't make any sense. Dd2 did seem to find it slightly easier. The early years group had a number of short lengths of broom handle with animals nailed on that the kids held out in front to walk. (long enough so you can hold on with both hands, but short enough not to be too heavy - 8 inches?)

V supportive - I'm guessing her ankles roll in? You can get them through physio, they're like über - kickers. Dd2 had neuro insoles in hers which helped, too.

They don't normally bother until after two as you can usually pick up supportive boots from indie shops for tinies.

As ever, it's a balance though - if you give more external support, you aren't strengthening the muscles, but sometimes you do need the stability. Swings and roundabouts!

Worth asking if you go back though.

We've just discovered DS (7) has weak core muscles. He's got numerous other issues (SN) hence the delay in noticing it. One of the things advised to us is to encourage him to do things like painting and drawing laying on his stomach resting on his elbows IYSWIM. He is extremely resistant to all the other 'excersises' but this isn't too bad, and I think may be suitable for a younger child as well.