Wondering why your child has weak core muscles? Learn more from a pediatric physical therapist!
As a parent, have you ever been told by a pediatrician, therapist, or teacher that your child appears to have weak core muscles?
Sometimes this observation may be related to a specific diagnosis like Autism, Developmental Coordination Disorder, Joint Hypermobility, Torticollis, or developmental delay. Or, your child may not have any diagnosis, yet seems to have difficulty with:
- maintaining their posture in a chair or in standing
- getting up and down from the floor
- poor fine motor skills
- self-regulation
Why Do Kids Have Weak Core Muscles?
Poor core strength can be attributed to many different things, including:
- Baby Containers
“Baby containers” like carseats, swings, strollers and carriers are a huge culprit of poor core strength. As a society, we are more “on the go” than ever, and babies are constantly shuttled from one container to the next for ease and convenience. Think about a typical day and see if you can identify how much time your baby has to sprawl out on the floor and explore movement with their bodies. - Muscle Tightness
General tightness (hamstrings, hips, diaphragm) can contribute to kids not being able to effectively activate the core muscles. Flexibility is so important for stability and healthy posture. - Carrying Your Child Everywhere
It can be tempting to carry your child with you everywhere you go but, as mentioned above, it’s so important for little ones to get lots of exposure to time on the floor in order to build strength and coordination. - Lack of Exposure to Tummy Time
When babies are playing on the floor, it’s so important to encourage them to spend some play time on their bellies in order to strengthen the muscles of the neck, back, and core. And, tummy time isn’t only for babies! Toddlers, preschoolers, and even older kids can get huge core strengthening benefits from playing in this position. Encourage them to try doing puzzles, playing cards, coloring, or playing board games on their tummies. - Lack of Exposure to Gross Motor Play
No doubt about it, screen time and electronic devices have contributed significantly to a decline in gross motor play in today’s kids. Too much time spent on sedentary play activities means that kids aren’t getting the same exposure as previous generations to activities like riding bikes, climbing trees, and playing at the playground. And all of these activities are natural core strengtheners!
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Lauren Drobnjak is co-author of The Inspired Treehouse blog and a pediatric physical therapist who currently practices in the educational environment. She has been a physical therapist for 18 years, with 17 of those years specifically in pediatrics. Her drive to make a difference in the lives of kids has led her entrepreneurial spirit in the direction of creating opportunities for play-based wellness and child development. She is a busy mama of 3 who thrives on chaos. To come down from the stress, Lauren enjoys exercising like she’s still 20, yoga, chocolate, a great book, browsing Pinterest, and anything crafty!
Latest posts by Lauren Drobnjak (see all)
- Signs of Weak Core Muscles in Babies and Toddlers - September 22, 2023
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