Vestibular exercise

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Learn about the vast benefits of vestibular exercise and exercises you can do with your baby to encourage their vestibular system development.

Misaki smiles and laughs with delight when I am holding her and we squat down and up, the faster the better and turn around in circles dancing. I hadn’t thought much about it but my gorgeous OT friend reminded me that this is vestibular training.

A baby finds these fast movements stimulating and a baby needs more stimulation than an adult to get the same fulfilment.

Vestibular exercises are really important because they help inhibit the primitive reflexes as well as develop balance. Vestibular exercises are also important to develop posture, movement and a sense of position in space. Lastly, vestibular stimulation is helpful for the development of speech and language as the vestibular system (inner ear) works closely with the hearing (inner ear) system.

Here are some examples of vestibular exercises that you can try with your baby:

  • rocking side to side,

  • forward and backward or

  • bouncing up and down whilst sitting or standing on your lap

  • slowly (matched to their level of head control) swinging in circles whilst dancing or in an office chair,

  • rolling over a gym ball (whilst holding them of course!)

  • rolling down your shins (be careful in supporting them and starting on a small gradient and then increasing as they can tolerate or enjoy this), or

  • swinging in a swing (once they are able to sit independently)

There are many more vestibular exercises you can do at home, especially as they get older. There are also classes such as Kindergym and GymbaROO which focus on developing the vestibular system too. See the blog on GymbaROO/ Kindergym: I am an Unco, will Misaki be one too? to see what they can offer your baby.

Summary

Vestibular exercise has many benefits such as inhibiting primitive reflexes, increasing balance, posture, movement, awareness of position in space and speech and learning!

There are many exercises you can try at home to stimulate the vestibular system but classes such as Kindergym too.

If you have found this information helpful, please share it with your Mummy friends.

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Melli Tilbrook is a Physiotherapist based at Adelaide Physiotherapy and Pilates Studio, Beulah Park.