When to talk to your pediatrician or pediatric PT/OT

If something specific about your baby's development is on your mind, ask your pediatrician or a pediatric PT/OT, not us. Baby Acrobatics is a general movement program for typically-developing babies. It gives you a structured way to support natural movement at home. It is not a clinical assessment, and it can't see your baby. A clinician can.

So when you're weighing "should I ask you or my doctor?", the honest answer is: ask your doctor. We'll still be here for the at-home part.

When to bring a concern to a clinician

These are prompts to start a conversation, not signs that something is wrong. Only a clinician who can examine your baby can tell you what they mean. Reach out to your pediatrician or a pediatric PT/OT if:

• A milestone feels late and it's nagging at you. Rough timings worth a chat: no head control around 4 months, no rolling by about 6-7 months, not sitting by 9 months, no weight on the legs by 10 months. None of these is a diagnosis. They're reasons to ask.
• You notice a side preference that sticks. Your baby always turns their head one way, always reaches with the same hand past about 6 months, or looks lopsided at rest.
• Their muscle tone feels notably stiff or floppy next to other babies the same age.
• You see persistent toe-curling, W-sitting that never shifts, or one leg dragging in a crawl after weeks of practice.
• Something just makes you wonder. Trust that. Asking costs little. Waiting on something that needed attention costs more.

You don't have to pick one or the other

Most parents who do both run Baby Acrobatics alongside their PT or OT, not instead of it. The clinician decides what to focus on and what to skip. The program gives you something structured to do at home between appointments. That's a healthy setup, and a lot of families work exactly this way.

What we can help with

• General developmental context and age ranges in the Movement Guide.
• A library of gentle, broadly-safe exercises - toe massage, side-lying play, slow rocking for vestibular input, plain tummy time - that most babies tolerate well at any stage.
• A parent community where families compare notes on what's worked for them.

What we can't do

• Assess your specific baby.
• Tell you whether something is "normal."
• Tell you to skip or override your clinician's guidance. We never will.

If your baby has a diagnosed condition

Hip dysplasia or a Pavlik harness, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, prematurity with complications, anything similar: your clinical team leads. See using Baby Acrobatics if your baby has a diagnosed condition for how to fit the program around their care.

If your question is whether a particular exercise is safe (hanging, inversions, tummy time), see are these exercises safe?.