Not Using One Leg to Pull to Stand? Try This 👶🏻⬆️ | Baby PT #30

👋🏽 Hi, I’m Amy Sturkey, a retired pediatric physical therapist with over 35 years of experience. Meet Ellia 👶🏻👶🏽👶🏿 Ellia is 12 months old and was born one month early. Adjusted for prematurity, she is developmentally closer to 11 months. In this video, I take a closer look at HOW Ellia pulls up to stand—specifically which leg she prefers to use. Many babies begin pulling to stand through a half-kneel position. Ideally, you’ll see variability, with both legs taking turns leading. Ellia shows a clear preference for bringing her right leg forward first. So we gently explore ways to encourage her to use her left leg as well. You’ll see a few simple strategies: • Holding the preferred leg to see if she will choose the other • Helping with weight shifting to free the less-used leg • Placing the less-preferred leg forward to give her the experience This stage is very typical—she can use both legs, but one is clearly easier right now. As a physical therapist, I’m always watching for this kind of pattern. In typical development, babies switch sides easily. When one side is used more often, it’s helpful to gently encourage practice on the other side. 💡 One key takeaway: this is hard to address during free play alone. It’s often more effective to create short, intentional practice moments. This strategy may help to: • Encourage use of a less-preferred leg • Promote symmetry in early mobility • Improve weight shifting and balance • Support more efficient pull-to-stand transitions 💛 Simple. Direct. Easy to try at home. 🌟 In this video, you’ll learn: • How to identify a leg preference during pull to stand • Why variability matters in development • Simple ways to encourage the less-used side • How to set up short, focused practice 🎯 Helpful for those searching: Baby pulling to stand unevenly Baby prefers one leg standing Pull to stand asymmetry baby Half kneel baby development Infant gross motor asymmetry Pediatric physical therapy baby standing ⏱️ Timestamps: 0:00 – Intro 0:08 – Meet Ellia: age & prematurity 0:20 – Observing leg preference 0:46 – Blocking the preferred leg 1:10 – Encouraging the left leg 1:45 – Weight shifting strategy 2:20 – Practicing with assistance 2:45 – Why symmetry matters 3:05 – Final thoughts 📺 Watch all of Eli & Ellia’s videos here (playlist): https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAkJbMrHyKjMHzxJBJ5Fa0XYo-yiNGT3C ⚠️ Safety Note: These videos are educational and are not a replacement for in-person physical therapy. Every child is unique. Please do not try these techniques if your baby’s health or motor skills differ significantly from Ellia’s. (I cannot provide treatment recommendations for a child I have not personally evaluated.) 📧 Contact amysturkey@gmail.com 🌐 Website www.pediatricPTexercises.com 🪶 Accessibility: Closed captions are available. To turn on captions: Click CC To change languages: ⚙️ Settings → Subtitles/CC → Choose language or Auto-translate If captions block details, they can be toggled off in the video 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 PT 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