Baby Not Pulling to Stand Yet? Try Half Kneel Play👶🏼🧎🏽‍♂️ | Pediatric PT #40

Help Your Baby Practice Half Kneel 👶🏼🧎🏽‍♂️ | Foundation for Pulling to Stand | Pediatric Physical Therapy #40 Meet Ilya! 👶🏼 Ilya was born one month premature and has torticollis and plagiocephaly. He also has a history of feeding difficulties (poor suction and latch), GERD, and malnutrition — but he continues to make wonderful progress from session to session. In today’s video, pediatric physical therapist Amy Sturkey works with almost-11-month-old Ilya on holding and playing in half kneel — an important transitional position babies move through when learning to pull up to stand. 💪🏾 Ilya is now crawling independently, getting in and out of sitting on his own, and kneeling at furniture — but he is not yet pulling to stand. One of the next missing pieces is learning how to bring one leg forward while the other stays down, allowing weight to shift through the hips and legs. Amy supports Ilya in half kneel by stabilizing his bottom knee and trunk while encouraging play at chest and belly-button level. Playing in this position helps babies become more aware of half kneel and more willing to move through it naturally when they are ready to pull to stand. This practice helps babies work on: • Awareness of half kneel (one knee down, one knee up) • Weight shifting through the hips and legs ⚖️ • Tolerance of transitional positions 🔄 • Early strength and balance for pulling to stand 💪🏽 • Confidence moving between kneeling and standing 🧠 💡 In this video, you’ll learn: • Why half kneel is a key position before pulling to stand • How to support a baby safely in half kneel 👐🏾 • Where to place your hands for stability without over-supporting • Why play improves willingness to explore new positions 🎨 • Which babies benefit from practicing half kneel 👶🏿👶🏽👶🏻 🎯 Perfect for families and therapists supporting babies of all backgrounds: half kneel baby,pull to stand preparation,11 month old not pulling to stand,early standing skills baby,infant physical therapy exercises,pediatric physical therapy at home,transitional positions baby,half kneeling baby practice,early intervention PT ideas ⏱️ Timestamps (all ≥10 seconds apart) 0:00 – Wordless intro 0:04 – Welcome + Ilya’s update 👋🏽 0:20 – Current skills: crawling & sitting 0:33 – Not yet pulling to stand 0:40 – Introducing half kneel 0:50 – One knee down, one knee up 1:04 – Why half kneel matters for standing 1:21 – Supporting half kneel during play 1:47 – Who this activity is for 1:58 – Wrap-up 2:04 – Subscribe + notifications 🔔 🔔 Be sure to subscribe for more expert pediatric physical therapy tips, and click the bell to get notified when new videos are posted! 📺 Watch all of Ilya’s videos here (playlist): https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAkJbMrHyKjOe_0TzQ-5tHANgHjeBzjui ⚠️ Safety Note These videos are educational and are not a substitute for in-person physical therapy. Please do not try these techniques if your child’s skills or medical history differ significantly from Ilya’s. For individualized guidance, contact a licensed pediatric physical therapist near you. 📧 Contact: amysturkey@gmail.com 🌐 Website: www.pediatricPTexercises.com 🪶 Accessibility Closed captions have been reviewed and corrected. To turn on captions: Click “CC.” To change languages: ⚙️ Settings → Subtitles/CC → select a language or Auto-translate. If captions block details, toggle them off in the bottom corner of the player. 📚 Books by Amy Sturkey (Amazon) “P is for Poop and Pee Accidents” https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BLSRJ483 “A is for Anxiety” https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09LXQ3W6V “A is for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder” https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08QH9H5HR “C is for Cerebral Palsy” https://www.amazon.com/dp/B088TSJCYP “D is for Down Syndrome” https://www.amazon.com/dp/B079P8HH49 “A is for Autism” https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071F4FFTB Professional Pediatric Physical Therapy Books Pediatric Physical Therapy Strengthening Exercises for the Hips https://www.amazon.com/dp/0998156736 Pediatric Physical Therapy Strengthening Exercises for the Knees https://www.amazon.com/dp/0998156760 Pediatric Physical Therapy Strengthening Exercises for the Ankles https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08TX2ZCFD