12/22/2025
Things We’d Tell You As Pediatric OT/PTs… If We Weren’t Afraid to Hurt Your Feelings 😅
✨ We love you. We love your babies. But sometimes the truth needs to be said…
1. Crawling isn’t optional.
It’s not a milestone you can skip without impact. It builds visual skills, core strength, reflex integration, coordination, and SO much more.
2. Jumperoos, walkers, and “containers” weren’t created for development.
They were created for parents who need a safe place to put the baby (which is OK!)—but too much time in them can delay big milestones.
3. You don’t need every developmental toy on the internet.
Your baby needs YOU, the floor, and a few simple, open-ended toys.
4. A 2-week-old “holding their head up” is usually tension… not strength.
We’re looking for controlled movements—not stiff, tight, or startled postures.
5. “Colic” isn’t a diagnosis—it’s a description.
And telling parents their baby will “just grow out of it” is a cop-out.
Persistent crying is communication. There’s always something underneath worth exploring.
6. Your baby doesn’t “hate” the pacifier.
Newborns are wired to suck.
If a baby struggles significantly with a pacifier, it makes us curious about feeding reflexes, oral motor skills, and tension in the jaw, neck, and mouth.
7.Feeding shouldn’t be a battle every single time.
Some frustration is normal.
Consistent stress, clicking, choking, popping on/off, or exhaustion? That’s not something to ignore—it’s information.
8.Babies don’t cry for “no reason.”
If your baby seems uncomfortable in their body, that matters.
Nervous system regulation, reflux-like symptoms, gas, tension, and movement all play a role—and support can make a huge difference.
At Strive Pediatrics, we provide holistic infant & pediatric OT/PT to support Breathing, Feeding, Movement, and Sleep
Because when the body is supported, everything works better. You don’t have to “wait it out”. Checkout the link above for a complimentary call.
