(didn’t have photo rights on the kiddo so a doll will have to do)
I must say I have to give credit to this idea to a parent. I was working on head control with a kiddo and in order to isolate the head and neck muscles I had the kiddo in full flexion (her knees were bent up and her arms were around her knees). From this position we were able to move in different directions allowing the kiddo to right her head and try to hold it stable while we were moving or standing still. The full flexion not only allows isolation but it also allows her to recruit overflow from her other muscles to help with activating and maintaining contraction of her head and neck muscles. The full flexion position was getting a little challenging to maintain because she kept wanting to push her legs into extension so we stepped it up a notch and wrapped lycra around her while in this position so that it was easier to maintain and she was getting extra input into her body to help with proprioception and body awareness.
Even this position was a little challenging to maintain so that’s when mom had the idea to use the Bilibo chair. It was perfect! I could use the lycra if I wanted to provide extra input but it wasn’t necessary. I had the kiddo sit in tailor sitting in the chair and I held her hands while we rocked the chair back and forth and side to side while working on head control. The chair provides some support for the trunk and it allows the legs to remain in flexion. You can change the alignment of the chair depending on how much support you want to provide at the trunk.
If your kiddo has head control, this is a fun chair to sit in because its an unstable surface so they have to work on trunk control, balance and righting reactions while they are in it!
What other ways have you used the Bilibo chair? What other fun ideas have families helped you to come up with?
