Chicago Physical Therapy Tips • Apr 14, 2021

4 Ways to Set Up Your Home to Encourage Your Toddler’s Development

Rose McLean, PT, DPT, c/NDT, is co-owner and lead physical therapist at Chicago Pediatric Therapy & Wellness Center, where she has dedicated over 20 years…

Get in touch with Rose

Rose McLean

Rose McLean, PT, DPT, c/NDT, is co-owner and lead physical therapist at Chicago Pediatric Therapy & Wellness Center, where she has dedicated over 20 years to helping children with developmental challenges achieve their movement goals. Rose's specialized focus on pediatric physical therapy, combined with her commitment to multidisciplinary collaboration, has made her a trusted resource for families navigating motor delays, neurological conditions, and complex developmental needs throughout Chicago. Rose earned her Doctorate in Physical Therapy from Northwestern University in Chicago in 2004, where she received rigorous training in both pediatric and neurological rehabilitation. She began her clinical career at Cincinnati Children's Hospital, consistently ranked among America's top pediatric medical centers, where she gained invaluable experience treating children with diverse and medically complex conditions. This foundation shaped her evidence-based, child-centered approach to therapy. Beyond her doctoral training, Rose holds certification in Neurodevelopmental Treatment (NDT), a specialized intervention approach for children with cerebral palsy, neurological impairments, and other developmental disorders. She also maintains registration with Illinois' Early Intervention Program, allowing her to provide services to infants and toddlers (birth to age 3) in both home and clinic settings. Rose's therapeutic style is distinctively playful and highly individualized. She invests time in understanding each child's personality, interests, and motivators, then designs sessions that feel like play while targeting specific developmental goals. Whether working on strength, balance, coordination, or motor planning, Rose ensures therapy remains engaging and appropriately challenging. In 2014, Rose partnered with her husband Patrick to establish Chicago Pediatric Therapy & Wellness Center, driven by a vision that pediatric therapy should be comprehensive, collaborative, and convenient. She wanted to eliminate the fragmentation families often experience when their child needs multiple therapies—instead offering coordinated care where physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech-language pathologists, behavior analysts, and social workers communicate regularly about each child's progress. Rose also prioritized creating community spaces where families can connect and children can learn social skills alongside therapeutic development.

Read Less →

baby climb occupational therapy physical therapy toddlers walk

781 views

“They’re getting into everything!”

As a physical therapist, one of my favorite phrases to hear from parents of toddlers is “they’re getting into everything!” Toddlers are little explorers learning to walk, climb, and navigate their environments. They are working on motor planning, or the connection between the brain and the body that allows a toddler to see an obstacle and work out how to overcome it (for example, how to escape their pack ‘n play or to get into the cabinet under the sink ). Here are a few ideas to create an environment in your home to encourage this multi-step problem solving with your toddler.

1) Climbing the Couch

If your couch is too tall for your toddler to climb onto, you can make a great climbing gym! Take one of the couch cushions off of the couch and place it directly in front. This creates levels: the floor, the cushion, the cushion-less couch surface, and finally the normal couch surface. If your child is mastering this skill, you can progress it by putting the cushion back on the couch and providing a shorter box or step stool to climb onto the couch.

2) Stepping Over Obstacles

As your toddler gets better at walking on flat ground, challenge them by giving them obstacles to walk around or step over. This may happen naturally in your home as your little one leaves their toys everywhere! But, you can up the challenge by using rolled up towels, pool noodles, or a line of toys to step over. It can be fun to play a game putting puzzle pieces in a puzzle board, with the board on one side of the obstacle and the puzzle pieces on the other side to encourage more repetitions.

3) Crawling Under

You can set up a “tunnel” using two chairs with a blanket draped over them. As your toddler walks up to the tunnel, they will have to figure out how to make it through! This is a great way to practice their floor to stand transitions, as you can encourage them crawl through the tunnel then stand back up when they exit.

4) Squatting to Pick Up Toys

A very important functional skill for a toddler is to be able to pick up a toy from the ground and return to standing or walking without losing their balance. You can encourage this in your home by making a trail of your children’s favorite toys or snacks to pick up. This is also a great way to introduce cleaning up!

Be Creative With What You Have

These are only a few of the endless ways to encourage your toddler to explore movement in your home. Be creative with what you have! If you have a toddler who needs help with walking, balancing during these transitions or exploring, give us a call at 773-687-9241. Our pediatric physical therapists can develop a personalized plan for your toddler to get them moving and into even more around your home!