“Therefore there shall be no condemnation in Crushing Container Syndrome Week...” -Movement Mama Chapter 1 Verse 1

(Lord, don’t strike me down for taking creative license with your book!)

FOR MORE RESOURCES LIKE THIS, CHECK OUT THESE OTHER MOVEMENT MAMA POSTS:

The Best Playmats for Baby
Baby Crying in Tummy Time? I got you!
Toys to Encourage Baby to Roll

This series is not in any way intended to guilt you for container use, Mama, but to empower you with the tools to feel confident in reducing container use moving forward and knowing how to entertain your baby in a realistic way in the future. The more you know, the better you can do but hear me when I say DO. NOT. DWELL. ON. THE. PAST. Move onward and upward and know that you are the best mama for your baby! I mean that. ⁣⁣
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A container is any baby toy meant to keep your child in one spot and entertain them (swipe to see examples). They are built for convenience and have been allowing mamas to get more done for years (see: the rise of working moms). But you know what isn’t convenient? Fitting PT appointments into your already-busy schedule. Shucking out thousands of dollars for a head-reshaping helmet that insurance doesn’t like to cover. Or spending countless hours worrying about your child being delayed in milestones. ⁣⁣

Do I (a pediatric PT) own some of these items?? AB-SO-LUTELY. But I use them when necessary and try to get twice as much floor time. The reason for this being primarily that children learn through movement and freedom of exploration! Yes, my baby is more preoccupied in a device that holds them in place and sticks toys at less than an arm’s length away but they aren’t building new brain connections by encountering different objects and scenery each day. With the rise of baby containers came a spike in developmental delay, attention deficits, and increased childhood obesity—aka “Container Syndrome”⁣⁣. It’s my personal mission to fight the billion-dollar baby gear industry and their marketing that we “need” all these items as parents!

As a Pediatric PT it is my job to sometimes say the hard things so you aren’t one of those parents left thinking “I just wish I would have known…” I hope you’ll check out the posts below for additional insights and practical strategies for container usage!

Some of my favorite solutions are:
A designated yes space
Choosing a super soft playmat
Babywearing
Prioritizing twice as much free play as time spent in baby equipment⁣⁣⁣