Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

SN children

Here are some suggested organisations that offer expert advice on special needs.

Flip

1 2

Original poster

Can anyone suggest exercises for low muscle tone in 6 month old please

32 replies

ntt · 04/01/2006 13:12

Hi,

I posted here a couple of months ago about the fears I had for my ds after we had a horrible birth with very scary consequences. A lot of you on this board were very kind and supportive . Anyway, we've had our first "red flag" from the paed;

It looks as though my (now 6.5 months) ds has a degree of low muscle tone. This is what the paed told us a couple of weeks ago. We are now waiting for an appointment to see a physio. We don't know when this will be but in the meantime I would like to do all I can to help him and I was wondering if any of you might be able to describe some strengthening exercises. I massage him everyday which he seems to enjoy, (sort of).

He is not yet sitting up unsupported, his head control could be better. He's not really rolling over - he can only roll to left on to his side. He's not doing "push ups" but can get up on his elbows for a short while. On the plus side he can bear his weight on his legs for a good few seconds at a time, so I suppose the low tone might be mainly in his upper body and arms, although the paed did say his legs felt floppy too, so I don't know...

thank you for reading!

OP posts:

misdee · 04/01/2006 13:13

have u seen a physio.

Original poster

ntt · 04/01/2006 13:14

No, we're waiting to see one, don't know when it will be, could be 6 weeks

OP posts:

Piffle · 04/01/2006 13:15

when dd had hypotonia as a baby they focussed on her core stability region, her abdominals for sitting andstuff
they did this by pull up sit ups, where you lay bbay down on back and pull them gently to sitting position with the arms, gradaulyl aloowing them to do more of the pulling on their own strength
dd is 3 and we still do this, she can do sit ups on her own
Obv the exercise above needs a degree of head control but if he is ok then just do it by degres
Have you been referred to physio?
Also swimming, is one of the best exercises for low muscle tone, so get your legs shaved and off you go
they love it too...

misdee · 04/01/2006 13:15

i cant help with exercises for 6 month old, i hare stengthening exercises for my dd2 but she is 3yrs old.

Original poster

ntt · 04/01/2006 13:53

Piffle - is she no longer hypotonic? Can babies grow out of it? I thought it was permanent. Admittedly I know next to nothing about it. There's no way I'm doing a search on the internet because I know I'll scare myself stupid like I did last time I looked up something regarding ds. The paed is referring us to a physio.

Lol at my hairy legs so true! I have been thinking about taking him swimming, but I've not been to a pool for years on my own let alone with a baby and feel a bit out of my depth ('scuse the pun). I might start a thread asking for tips actually.

Thanks anyway Misdee

OP posts:

DebsCee · 04/01/2006 15:34

ntt - we found ourselves in a very similar situation but when my DS was 11 months. We were referred to physio and had an 8 week wait for an appointment. My GP suggested I contact the physio dept and ask them to send out the appropriate exercise sheets so that we could begin them.

I spoke to a physio, explained brief history and she put some stuff in the post which I got within 2 days and we began them in earnest. I haven't yet been able to find a suitable book for exercises myself either, so if you come across one let me know!

I know you will be feeling very scared at the moment, but maybe taking some action and contacting the physio dept. will make you feel as if you are doing something and not just waiting, 6 weeks is a long time and you could be making some progress. The physio should appreciate that the sooner you begin the better.

Meant to say, the physio, if any good, will be able to tell you which parts of her body are affected and to what degree, much better than any paed IME.

Piffle · 04/01/2006 15:35

she has outgrown the worst of it tbh, she walks fine now cannot jump or run properly yet, she is a bit weaker than other children but not noticeably so
She has other issues due to her Noonan Syndrome - for instance her feet have remained flexive they still curl under when touched which usually diappears at 12 mths so she has orthotic fitted boots to help feet stay flat!
The more active they get, the stronger they get so it sorts itself out a lot eventually.

heartinthecountry · 04/01/2006 17:30

ntt - my dd also has hypotonia. Because it took several months for our referal to physio I started taking her to baby yoga classes when she was about 4 months old. I didn't know if it would help but it seemed to be a good idea and I have to say that when we did actually start seeing a physio a lot of what they told us to do was stuff we had been doing at baby yoga. Because the class I went to was appropriate for new borns right through to about 6 months I was never worried that anything wouldn't be appropriate for dd.

I guess it will depend where you live on whether there are classes available though I think there are also a few books and videos on the market. I really enjoyed it and found it a lovely mum/baby thing to do anyway.

kiskidee · 04/01/2006 17:44

try a tummy tub if baby is under say 20 lbs- can easily fit in it. my lo became v physically active when i bathed her in it.

uwila · 04/01/2006 18:20

Ntt, my baby is 7 1/2 months. And your description would have fitted him a month ago. No idea how you detect low muscle tone under all his fat, though. That said I'm not the least bit worried about my little porky. I just think you might need to hear that your baby doesn't sound too far off of normal to me. Oh well, bit of physio can't hurt, can it?

Original poster

ntt · 04/01/2006 21:22

DebsCee - I'll call the physio dept tomorrow to see if they can suggest something for me, 6 weeks is a long time to wait, especially when ds is so tiny. I'll certainly let you know if I come across a good book on the subject. How did you get on with the exercises did they make a difference?

Piffle - Glad to hear your daughter has done so well!

Heartinthecountry - I can't find a baby yoga class around here, I looked a few months ago. I think he may be too old now though anyway. I will definitely see if i can find some good yoga techniques to with him though, thanks for the suggestion.

Kiskidee - funny you should say that about the tummy tub - we've been using one since he was born and a week ago we found it impossible to keep him in it properly - he just stands up in it or throws his legs over the side so we've just bought a more conventional bath support for him

Uwila - thanks for the reassurance. I know it's normal for a lot of babies to not be sitting up/rolling/whatever until later than this. However, after what ds suffered in hospital I just can't relax. The paed has told he is in a high risk group that problems may manifest. He's also referred us to a neurologist

OP posts:

kiskidee · 04/01/2006 21:30

yes, dd loved tummy tub and learnt to do all sorts of cool antics in it to entertain me. that is why I thought using one could be a way to introduce exercise into a baby. that the water provides bouyancy (takes away a lot of the weight) and support, with the sides offering support too I think its worth a try.

(when dd started to take her feet over the top I took pictures, she went on to use it till 6 months when she would stand in it and hurl herself onto the opposite side making the whole thing rock so it was time to put it away.) sorry for the diversion but couldn't help myself

Aloha · 04/01/2006 21:32

My four year old ds has low muscle tone but is getting better. It's not the worst thing in the world (though obviously you have other worries). I think swimming is marvellous for them. And they seem to love the pressure of the water on their body - it's comforting I think. I think being able to push himself up is good, and rolling to the left also good. Don't think my ds could do either at six months.

DebsCee · 05/01/2006 10:04

ntt - the exercises have helped massively, just wish we had been aware enough to start them earlier. My DS rolled over at 4 months and that's about where he stopped! Since the exercises he can walk when you hold his hands and commando crawl and sometimes crawl on all fours, which is great to see. DS is now 17 months. We were referred for Piedro orthotic boots which have helped him most of all. It's definitely easier to do the exercises when they are younger, now he is old enough to resist if he wants to!

It sounds like your DS is doing really well though because there is no way my DS could have stood up at 6 months, his low tone is in his legs, though there is now some debate about whether he is low tone or hypermobile (super flexible joints) but that's another story!

I really hope that the physio can help you whilst you wait for the appointment.

InAHurry · 05/01/2006 10:17

Hi ntt!

I can recommend swimming as something that you and ds might find quite fun (remember that??!) as well as being helpful to him. We have done the baby swimming course (private and quite expensive), but my dd1 began swimming unaided a couple of months after her 2nd birthday as a result.

I hope you get your physio referral through soon, sitting around waiting for weeks must be so frustrating when all you want to do is get going with exercises.

Nice to see you, lots of love xx

Original poster

ntt · 05/01/2006 19:12

I've been doing a lot more floor exercises with him over the past week, and I swear he feels stronger already! I've been doing the one Piffle recommended a lot and he really seems to got to grips with it and I can feel how much it could help.

Couldn't get through to physio today, I'll try again tomorrow

DebsCee - I suppose the one good thing to come out of his horrible birth is that he's been under a paed and is being watched relatively closely, so I have the opportunity to start the exercises early. Lovely to hear how well your ds is doing

Lol InAHurry - yeah, we've not had an awful lot of fun over the past few months. I've kind of got myself hooked into this cycle of paranoia/hope/denial/worry etc. When I figure out the logistics of taking him swimming, I'll be there!! xx

OP posts:

InAHurry · 05/01/2006 19:57

Yeah, the swimming can be a faff, but it's very nice, ther are quite a few in your neck of the woods. Try and break that horrible cycle you're in!

DebsCee · 05/01/2006 20:02

ntt I know exactly where you are coming from. We too had a traumatic birth, emergency C-section, meconium aspiration, SCBU for 10 days, mentions of keeping an eye for CP and so on. We too are being monitored by regular paed appointments but clearly not as good as yours as I had to keep pushing for anyone to take my concerns seriously when he wasn't crawling or moving at 11 months. Even then, one paed told me he definitely didn't have low tone! I pestered my HV who referred me to physio and she took one look at him and agreed with me. Now the orthotics guy has seen him he favours hypermobility instead, but same difference in terms of his ability to walk etc.

Anyway, that either of us is getting help is something to be thankful for, as so many still slip through the net. Mothers instinct is something to take note of!

Original poster

ntt · 06/01/2006 14:06

InAHurry - I guess I contact the pools directly then? Think i'll get dp to come with us first time.

Debs - sorry to hear about your struggles with the system. Our experiences do sound similar - We were in scbu for 8 days, 4 in intensive care. We had a long labour after very fast dilation, he got stuck, v low heart rate, meconium, avoided a section by a whisker and he was delivered by ventouse. Then he had convulsions for a day or so, which was the scariest bit. I'm praying my instinct is wrong, but i just can't shake it. Hope your boy continues to do well x

OP posts:

Original poster

ntt · 06/01/2006 14:48

Finally got through to someone at the hospital to be told the paediatric physio is on holiday until the 21st, so can't get exercises from her.

OP posts:

Dingle · 06/01/2006 16:02

Firstly I apologise if as I haven't read all the replies so might not be 100% relevant.

My DD, Amelia is 4 now and has Down Syndrome so low muscle tone and poor motor skills were something we worked on from a very early age. I suppose in a way we were lucky that diagnosis was immediately after her birth and we managed to get on various therapy waiting lists at a fairly young age. (well for some therapies anyway!)

I have a folder of all Amelia's records and in there is a couple of physio sheets of suggested "exercises."
I appreciate all children are different and your ds's needs may not necessarily be the same but if you would like me to scan and email them to you it may at least give you a few ideas.

Original poster

ntt · 06/01/2006 16:08

Hi Dingle, thanks very much, I would really appreciate that

I am doing a bit of "sitting up" practice with him - does anyone think this might be bad for him? It's just that I read somewhere on MN that Germans think it's really bad for babies' backs if you make them sit up before they're ready to sit up under their own steam. Obviously I don't want to make it worse..

OP posts:

Dingle · 06/01/2006 16:17

I really wouldn't like to comment ntt.

I will get out Amelia's physio sheets, they are all dated so I can see how old she was at various stages.

She did sit fairly early for a child with DS, from what I remember about 7 months and was rolling over at "the average age" too.

CAT me with your email details and I will try to sort it out sometime over the weekend for you.
It may not be any use- but worth a look.

Original poster

ntt · 06/01/2006 17:08

have catted you!

OP posts:

Spatz · 06/01/2006 17:12

My DD has/had low muscle tone and had physio in the US from the age of about 8 months. She didn't move until 14months and walked at 18. She is now 4.5 and not noticeably different to her schoolmates, although I think it might show again when she does competitive sports. She does a gym class now and is actually better than most of the kids at balancing because she has to concentrate more. Sorry - rambling - thought you might like to know a happy outcome.

As far as exercises go he didn't really 'make' her do anything such as sit ups, but got her in a situppy position sort of halfway up propped with cushions and encouraged her to pull herself up reaching for toys etc. He made lots of obstacle courses using sofa cushions to get her to move about. To strengthen her neck muscles he encouraged us to call her name to get her to lift her head up because when she did crawl she did it with her head parallel to the ground looking down, not looking ahead.

Hope this helps - good luck!

Flip

1 2