Strive Pediatrics

MYTH: "A baby walker helps babies walk earlier.”

Truth: Baby walkers don’t teach babies how to walk.

Walking is a developmental skill that requires strength, balance, coordination, motor planning, and body awareness. Babies learn these skills through floor time, pulling to stand, cruising, squatting, and exploring their environment—not by being placed in a walker.

Research has shown that baby walkers may actually delay the development of important motor skills because babies aren’t learning how to shift weight, balance, and coordinate their bodies independently.

⚠️ The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends avoiding baby walkers with wheels due to safety concerns. Each year, thousands of children are injured from falls down stairs, tip-overs, and access to hazards they otherwise couldn’t reach.

Instead, support development with:
✔️ Plenty of floor play
✔️ Tummy time
✔️ Opportunities to pull to stand
✔️ Cruising along furniture
✔️ Barefoot exploration on safe surfaces

The best way to help a baby walk is to give them opportunities to move, explore, and develop the skills their body needs naturally. 💛

At Strive Pediatrics, we help babies build the strength, coordination, and confidence needed for motor milestones through play-based pediatric OT and PT.

✨ Save this for a new parent
👶 Share with a family member who is considering a walker
💬 Have questions about your baby’s gross motor development? Send us a DM!

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✨ Strive is growing, and we are so excited to welcome our newest Occupational Therapist, Lisa, to the team! ✨

Meet Lisa, an occupational therapist with over 34 years of experience helping infants, children, and families thrive.

Lisa's career began with a strong foundation in Neuro-Developmental Treatment (NDT), sparking a lifelong passion for understanding how the body moves, heals, and develops. Throughout her career, she has pursued advanced training in manual therapy techniques including myofascial release, massage therapy, lymphatic massage, and neuromuscular therapy to support the whole child.

For the past 14 years, Lisa has specialized in neonatal care as a Certified Neonatal Therapist in the NICU, helping medically fragile infants and their families navigate some of their earliest developmental challenges. She has also served on pediatric feeding teams in hospital and outpatient settings, supporting infants and children with feeding, oral motor, and developmental needs.

Lisa recently completed Tethered Oral Tissues (TOTs) training and is currently pursuing her Lactation Consultant Certification to further expand her expertise in infant feeding and breastfeeding support.

What we love most about Lisa is her belief that parents are an essential part of the therapy journey. She is passionate about listening, educating, and empowering families with the tools and confidence they need to help their children succeed.

Lisa's extensive experience in infant development, feeding, manual therapy, and neonatal care makes her an incredible addition to the Strive team, and we are so grateful to have her joining us.

Please help us give Lisa a warm welcome to the Strive family! 💛

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MYTH: “It’s fine if my baby only rolls one way.”

Truth: Babies should learn to roll both directions — to the right and left, from belly to back and back to belly.

Rolling is one of the first ways babies build strength, coordination, and body awareness, and symmetry matters.

If a baby consistently prefers one side, it may be a sign of:

• Muscle tightness or imbalance
• Core weakness
• Torticollis or head/neck preference
• Early reflex or postural differences

Over time, this can impact how babies sit, crawl, and move through future milestones.

✨ Why it matters:
Balanced movement helps the brain and body work together — supporting motor development, coordination, and overall function.

💡 Tip:
Encourage rolling toward the less-preferred side through:
✔️ Tummy time
✔️ Toy placement on the non-preferred side
✔️ Gentle, supported practice during play

At Strive Pediatrics, we take a whole-body approach to development — supporting how babies move, regulate, and grow.






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NEW BLOG POST

💡 The Role of Occupational Therapy in Breastfeeding: Supporting Mother + Infant

Did you know breastfeeding is considered a co-occupation in occupational therapy? 🤱 That means it’s a shared experience—baby and parent working together physically, emotionally, and relationally.

Breastfeeding is more than milk transfer. It’s where babies develop:
👀 Visual attention
👅 Oral motor coordination (suck-swallow-breathe)
🫶 Bonding and co-regulation

✨ How OT supports breastfeeding:

• Latch + positioning for comfort and efficiency
• Oral motor skills (tongue, lips, jaw coordination)
• Sensory regulation for calmer, more organized feeds
• Posture + alignment (including tension or torticollis)
• Bodywork to address tension and mobility restrictions
• Reflux + digestion support through positioning and pacing
• Nervous system regulation and sleep support

🌿 Why it matters:
Feeding challenges aren’t just about intake—they reflect how the whole body is functioning. When babies are supported in their movement, regulation, and oral motor skills, feeding often becomes more efficient and less stressful for both baby and parent.

At Strive Pediatrics, we take a whole-infant approach—supporting how babies breathe, move, feed, and regulate so they can thrive. 💛

✨ Key Takeaways:
✔️ Feeding is a full-body, relational experience
✔️ Early support can improve comfort and coordination
✔️ Regulation is the foundation for feeding success

📌 Save this for later
👶 Share with a breastfeeding parent
💬 DM us “FEEDING” for support or resources
🔗 Read the full blog (link in bio)

📝 Written by: Dr. Marisa Milavetz

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