Overcoming Low Muscle Tone: Toys

This post is second in the series Overcoming Low Muscle Tone. To read the previous post in the series, "Activities", please click here.

a) Shopping cart
We got this shopping cart for Patrick, although I found it at a goodwill for $7. I have to say, he was interested in using it only until he had learned to stand with support and he had started to give a couple side steps with support of the furniture. This toy is great because it motivated him to move (we used it outside -he loves outdoors) and you can add weight to it to fit your kid's needs, like putting toys or things he wants to move around.

A cheaper alternative? You can use a lightweight stroller if you have one. Also, the Trader Joe's store by our house has little shopping carts, and I heard some Giant stores do too (not the one by us though). Check at the stores near you if they have any and let your little one help you with some shopping.

b) Ride-on toys
Ride-on toys are GREAT for toddlers with low muscle tone. If they want to go anywhere, they will have to use their legs. A friend of us gave Patrick this one, which was great because he liked the noises every time he bounced, so he was constantly bouncing, making his legs stronger. Also, there are other ride-on toys that have a little storage area, and you could place cans or something heavy inside to make your child work harder to move, once he has mastered the use of it.

Patrick has now a lil quad, but I would not recommend this for your low muscle tone child, until he has gotten strong enough to walk and move around on ride-on toys. You can read this post I wrote to learn why.

c) Trampoline
I bought this trampoline for Patrick and despite the not so good reviews, he likes it. It is a bit expensive though, but he has had it for almost a year and still looks like new. He used to get on it everyday, but not much anymore. At first, when he couldn't stand on his own, he liked climbing on it and getting out of there (it has padding so it is safe) so even then it was entertaining and helpful for his low muscle tone. Then eventually he learned to jump on it and he enjoys it and I'm sure little Robbie will get some use out of it as well.

d) Gym ball.
Children with hypotonia lack strength and balance. A gym ball will help with both. There are exercises you can have your child do on a gym ball, here are two ideas:

1.- Place your child upside down on top of the gym ball. Slowly, move the ball forward, and help your kid to not fall by placing his/her hands on the ground. This activity will help mostly with the upper side of his/her body.

2.- Place your child sitting on the ball. Slowly move the ball to all sides. Your child will try to stay on top without falling, therefore making him learn to get more balance and more strength.

An alternative? Your back or your partner's back. Place your child sitting on your back while you bend on knees and hands on the floor, then move around while he rides on. The more you move your back, the more balance he will need, and it is fun, too! It helps if you have your partner or someone with you to help hold your child while you move to prevent falling, or at least try to do this activity on a padding surface and be ready to catch your child in case he looses balance.

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These toys are helpful for hypotonia kids that already stand with support. We addressed Patrick's hypotonia until he was 1 year old, so I don't have much insight for infants. However, I may write about  hypotonia in infants in the upcoming months, as it looks like our baby Robert also has hypotonia.

Overcoming Low Muscle Tone: Activities

Many people are drawn to my blog searching for information on Hypotonia. I have been writing a series of posts about the things that helped Patrick in this regard, which I will be posting throughout March. We have been working on his hypotonia for a little over a year... He went from not rolling over, not crawling and not standing even with support at one year of age, to completely running by age 2. It isn't a quick process. He has come a long way, but there is still much to do, like making his legs stronger so that he doesn't fall too often when running or walking on uneven surfaces.

From activities, to specific toys and clothing, there were a number of things that helped Patrick improve his low muscle tone significantly. There is a lot of information out there about what is hypotonia (here is a great compilation) so I will just focus on the specific things that helped my son.

To begin the series, below are some activities:

a) Climbing stairs

If you have stairs at home, teach your child to climb! There is no better exercise for his legs than this. It helps if you can place toys or things of his interest on the second or third step, so he will have to stand to try to reach them. Even if your child doesn't climb at the beginning, just by standing and going back to the floor will be good enough... imagine all the squads!

Take him to playgrounds and make him try to go up and down the steps to get to the slide.

Patrick wasn't interested at first, it took a little while for him to be interested on going up the stairs, so don't get desperate. Just keep trying!

b) Soft playroom


There is a RECenter near my house that has a soft playroom. It's awesome. The fee is $5 and Patrick can play there for as long as he wants. It's totally worth it. It's the perfect place for children with low muscle tone because they can't get hurt if they fall. The only problem? When is time to leave. Patrick loves it so much he never wants to leave!

If your ReCenter doesn't have a soft playroom, check out your nearest mall. Some malls have children areas, and usually everything in it is soft and safe -perfect for hypotonia kids! The best part is that these areas are free of charge. In the video below, Patrick (at around 18 months old) is playing at one of these areas at the mall. By then he had learned to crawl up the slide, but scooting on his buttocks was still his favorite and easiest way to move from one place to another (he couldn't crawl or walk). You may also be able to see his ankle/foot orthotics which he is wearing to help with his pronation.

You can buy the soft play shapes online in sites like this one, but as you can see, these things are pretty pricey. An alternative? Pillows at home. You can recreate your own soft playroom at home by placing pillows and blankets on the floor. Make your child work his way through a pillow if he wants to reach a toy, or reach you. Place soft obstacles in between baby and you, and he will be crawling/climbing in no time!

c) Parks!

Why are parks, water parks and overall outdoor activities so important? Please read this post I wrote not too long ago.

d) Cruise around furniture

You may have to re-arrange your furniture in a way that your child can cruise around. Place sturdy furniture close to another piece of sturdy furniture so that your child can cruise from one to another, like moving from a couch to the coffee table, or from the couch to a chair. You can also try placing him standing on one end of the couch, and put toys on the other end and encourage him to reach it. With Patrick, it helped to put the laptop on the other end... he wouldn't move to reach the toys, but he did move to reach my laptop!

This post, "activities", is just Part 1 on the series, stay tuned for the following posts!