Devices like swings, car seats, and strollers are designed to help parents and not cause problems for babies. However, they can cause severe medical conditions like container baby syndrome, which requires intensive treatment and physical therapy for your child’s lost strength and motion to be restored. Container baby syndrome affects a baby’s movement, speech, cognition, and social-emotional capabilities. It can affect a child’s vision and hearing or result in severe issues like neck tightness and a flattened skull.

You should talk to a physical therapist if you notice such signs in your child. They have the skill to tailor a treatment plan that will address your child’s specific symptoms. A physical therapist can help build your child’s strength and restore their mobility. Physical therapy can also address skeletal problems and recommend strategies you or your child’s caregiver can use in managing the child’s specific needs.

At Suarez Physical Therapy, we have a team of highly skilled and experienced physical therapists who handle container baby syndrome and related conditions. We can start treatment immediately when you notice the first signs of a quick and effective recovery.

An Overview of Container Baby Syndrome

Container baby syndrome is not a specific illness or disease but a collection of problems affecting a child’s behavior, movement, and other bodily issues. It is experienced mainly through infants or babies who spend more time than necessary in containers. Containers, in this case, include useful devices like strollers, car seats, rockers, bouncy seats or bouncy swings, molded support seats, vibrating chairs, high chairs, and nursing cushions. While these devices help parenting, such as car seats protecting a child while the vehicle is moving, prolonged use can harm the baby. Parents are always encouraged to use them in moderation.

Additionally, some equipment promotes a child’s development in one area while neglecting or inhibiting development in another. Some parents use them more than they should or too early, before the child needs them. For example, most equipment can be harmful if used before 7 months, including jumpers, sit-in walkers, and exersaucers. Most parents are duped into purchasing or using some of this equipment by manufacturers whose only interest is to make a sale. They recommend a particular device as necessary for your child’s development, which indirectly puts pressure on you to buy.

Additionally, some of these devices offer great convenience for parents. A parent will quickly purchase a product that does the work with minimal strain. For example, a feeding chair makes feeding times less strenuous for parents. A stroller eliminates the need to carry a baby whenever you want to go out or move from one room to another. Other devices make babies happy and keep them safe. While these devices are helpful, parents should exercise moderation when using them. Confining a child in a container for prolonged periods inhibits their freedom to move their arms, legs, body, neck, and back.  Containers also prevent babies from exploring and interacting with their environment.

A modern baby spends up to six hours in one or more of these devices or containers daily. This could explain the increasing rate of container baby syndrome recently. Medical practitioners recommend using containers for at least 20 minutes each time. If a child has to sit in a car seat, let it not be for prolonged periods without a break. Remove them from a stroller occasionally to allow the child to move their body and explore the environment. This can lower their chance of getting this condition.

Signs of Container Baby Syndrome

If you have been using containers on your baby for prolonged periods, you may have noticed a few signs or symptoms that could indicate that they have container baby syndrome. You must seek medical help immediately before these symptoms worsen and become difficult or impossible to treat. Medical experts say that excessive use of devices that keep babies in one position or place for prolonged periods can affect their physical and motor development. They affect the development of such skills as crawling, rolling, walking, and sitting.

A skill like crawling is critical in a child’s development, as it lays the foundation for developing other physical and cognitive skills. A child’s brain and motor skill development are better developed during crawling. A child can also explore the environment and attain independence, which is critical as they grow. Crawling also prepares them for learning and walking. If you keep them in a stroller for prolonged periods, these skills will not develop as they should or on time.

Here are some of the signs that your child is already affected:

  • They have a flat head syndrome, which happens when the shape of the child’s skull becomes asymmetrical or flattened
  • They have a facial asymmetry, which happens when the sides of your child’s face appear uneven or unequal because of the flat head syndrome, or skull deformity.
  • They develop torticollis, a condition in which a child’s neck muscles tighten, limiting their ability to turn their head from one side to the other or to keep their head or neck straight.
  • A child’s movement, coordination, and strength decrease significantly
  • They could develop problems with their vision, healing, thinking, or social communication
  • Obesity or overweight
  • Increased risk of hip dysplasia or toe walking
  • Increased risk of injuries when using equipment like baby walkers. Some children sustain neck and head injuries when they fall while utilizing a sit-in walker. Some have sustained burn injuries from reaching out to hot liquids while sitting on high containers.

A parent, family member, or caregiver can easily notice some of these issues, especially delayed milestones or development problems. You must seek medical help immediately if you see one or a few signs, however mild. Immediate intervention is needed since such symptoms quickly escalate into major issues that affect a child’s cognitive and physical abilities later in life. Fortunately, a physical therapist can help restore lost mobility, increase a child’s physical strength, and help them learn new motor skills to support their development.

Diagnosis and Treatment for Container Baby Syndrome

When parents put babies in containers, they do not do so to harm the babies but to make them happy and keep them calm and safe. The belief is that keeping a wakeful or sleeping baby in the correct position will keep them safe and restful. Other times, containers offer convenience for parents or caregivers, for example, when shopping, cooking, or exercising while watching a baby. However, babies in containers do not enjoy enough tummy time, which is recommended for a healthy, strong, and flexible back. This affects how your child develops movement, thinking skills, and vision. Theta also needs more floor time to develop movement, coordination, and independence.

You should talk to a pediatrician or any other medical professional immediately after noticing some signs of container baby syndrome. A physical therapist can also help if you are concerned about your child’s slow development or any other indication that their growth or physical abilities could be impacted. Alternatively, you can take your child to an early intervention service, where a medical practitioner will conduct a complete developmental assessment. The latter can work without obtaining a pediatrician or another medical practitioner referral.

Once your child is seen by a physical therapist, which is likely if they have container baby syndrome, the therapist will thoroughly evaluate their body and review their medical history. The therapist will ask detailed questions regarding the symptoms, how you have been caring for the child, and the child’s activity level. They will ask what the child does during the day and what their schedule is. These questions help them narrow down possible conditions to one or a few. If they suspect that your child has container baby syndrome, the therapist will evaluate the child for common signs of the syndrome.

They can evaluate the child for the following:

  • Delayed milestones, including general skills and movement. They will check to determine if your child can sit up, roll, crawl, lift their head, or extend their arms when put down on their tummy. The exact test the physical therapist will administer will depend on the child’s age.
  • Hearing or visual problems can be determined by whether the child can easily follow objects with their eyes or see objects from particular distances. A delayed milestone can be a sign of container baby syndrome.
  • Delay in thinking or communicating, by evaluating how well, or otherwise, they solve problems. This, too, depends on the child’s age. Children should understand some aspects of their environment as they grow up. To test the child’s communication skills, the therapist can determine whether they can babble or speak at the right age in their development.
  • Differences in sensory processes, for example, if they are lying down on their tummy. Naturally, a baby will attempt to lift their head or roll over from an uncomfortable situation. A child with container baby syndrome may not develop these natural skills fully. They will likely fuss instead of responding as they naturally should.

Physical therapists are trained and experienced to detect some issues affecting a person’s or child’s musculoskeletal system. If your child shows clear signs of container baby syndrome, the therapist can contact a pediatrician or other healthcare professionals for an accurate diagnosis. They can refer your child to a hospital for further testing to rule out other issues that could have similar symptoms to what your child is experiencing. If one or more healthcare professionals diagnose them with the syndrome, you can start treatment immediately before the symptoms worsen.

If a general doctor or pediatrician first diagnoses your child, they, too, can refer you to a physical therapist for further tests and diagnosis. Once you are ready to start treatment, a physical therapist will develop a treatment plan that suits your child’s needs. It will be based on the cause of the cognition, the extent of damage, and the symptoms your child has shown.

What a Physical Therapist Can Do For Your Child

Physical therapy can improve your child’s condition if they have container baby syndrome. After diagnosis, you can start working with a physical therapist to improve their well-being sooner rather than later. After a few sessions, you should notice significant progress with your child’s improved strength and mobility.

To achieve the desired results, the therapist will develop a treatment plan to meet your child’s specific needs. They will start the treatment by evaluating your child’s unique needs. The evaluation will include the following:

  • The shape of the child’s head and face
  • How well your child holds their neck and head
  • If your child’s muscles have developed well, and how flexible they are
  • How your child moves their body, legs, arms, and head
  • If they can lift their head or move it from side to side during tummy time
  • If your child kicks or throws their hands while lying on their stomach and back
  • If they can crawl, roll over, or change positions while lying down, or basically on the floor
  • How your child responds to objects in the environment: if they track toys with their hands or turn around to look for objects
  • If your child moves their body to interact with the environment

This evaluation will determine the kind of physical therapy your child needs to improve their physical, mental, and cognitive well-being. The physical therapist will use this analysis to develop a treatment plan to help the child achieve their milestones and strengthen their body for effective development.

Remember that it is critical to start physical therapy after the diagnosis. Younger children can make better progress with treatment than older ones. Additionally, symptoms of container baby syndrome can worsen over time, making it challenging and taking a longer time for the child to recover the lost functions. Skilled physical therapists can work with children of all ages, including those younger than three months and older ones. They can tailor your child’s treatment to include exercises that will strengthen their body and improve their flexibility and general well-being.

Here are areas where your child’s physical therapist will pay closer attention to:

Strength and movement Skills

A child’s body becomes stronger as they grow and move their muscles. Containers inhibit movement, preventing a child’s body from becoming stronger as they grow. Strength is essential for a child to perform specific tasks in all the milestones they achieve as they grow and develop. For example, they need a strong body to grab objects, sit down, develop speech, and crawl.

A physical therapist will use various techniques, including games, songs, and toys, to encourage the child to master new movements that will eventually stretch and strengthen their muscles. The child will become stronger with each session.

Positioning Routines

Remember that how you position your child from when they are young determines how they will develop some skills and their skull shape. A physical therapist will show you some routines to reposition your child when you hold or put them down. These routines are generally geared towards helping your child master general movement skills, strengthen their muscles, and reshape their skull.

These routines could include floor time, practice sitting, and tummy time for your child. You can try sitting routines without the support of a container if the child is old enough to perform them. Tummy time is beneficial, resulting in stronger muscles and a more flexible baby.

Prenatal Education

Remember that most modern parents use containers not because they want to harm their children, but because they believe that containers are helpful. While, in part, these containers are proper, moderation is key to avoid harming the child. Parents need education to safely use containers for convenience and usefulness without hurting their children. A physical therapist will offer the information you need to protect your child and subsequent children from container baby syndrome.

Additionally, you must know how to position your child on the floor and bed to encourage movement and safety when playing. When feeding your child, you will learn how to hold them instead of putting them in a container. Holding a child during meal times encourages them to play and look around as you bond with them. Your therapist will answer all your questions as you learn new techniques to handle your growing child.

Find a Competent Physical Therapist Near Me

Containers are beneficial when children are small but can be very harmful if used for prolonged periods. Parents should be aware of container baby syndrome and the harm it can cause to a developing child. However, the condition is preventable and treatable. You can reduce your child's time in a container by putting them on the floor to encourage movement, flexibility, and exploration.

At Suarez Physical Therapy, we offer education to Las Vegas parents who want to protect their children from container baby syndrome. We also diagnose and treat children whose parents suspect they have the condition. We can work with you to develop a treatment plan to meet your needs. Call us at 702-368-6778 to learn more about container baby syndrome and our services.