Developmental: Comfortable Positioning Options for Infants and Young Children

These instructions for caregivers of Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) patients describe safe and comfortable ways to position a baby or young child.

Information about positioning your child:

Holding your child can help make you and your child feel better. When you are not holding your child, position them in a comfortable way. Correct body alignment and position changes can make your child comfortable and encourage play. Play also makes your child feel better!

Patient instructions for positioning your child:

Use these positions:

• When your child is awake

• To help your child relax

• To help your child use their hands together to play with toys

Back

This position helps a child to see their hands, use them together, and learn about their body by touching their mouth, hands and knees.

• Place a small pillow under your child's head if they are over 1 year old. If they are under 1 year old, do not use a pillow behind their head.

• Place a blanket roll snuggly alongside your child's body on each side. This blanket roll should begin under their shoulder and continue alongside their thigh so that their knees point to the ceiling. Make the blanket rolls large enough so their elbows are in front of their body, and they can see their hands.

• Place a roll under the child's legs to keep their hips and knees bent as if sitting in a chair.

Belly

This position helps a child to strengthen their neck and arms.

• Place your child on their stomach.

• Place a blanket roll under your child's chest at nipple level.

• Place your child's elbows in front of the blanket roll. This will help them to prop on their forearms.

• Place toys or a child-safe mirror in front to encourage them to lift their head.

Side-lying position

his position helps your child to relax and use two hands to play with toys.

• TPosition your child on their side.

• Place a large, long blanket roll snuggly against the length of their head, neck, and back.

• Put a small pillow under their head if they are over 1 year old.

• Place a blanket roll in front of their hips and on top of their bottom leg. Their bottom leg should be straight. Bend their top leg and place it on top of the blanket roll. The blanket roll should be large enough to support the leg as shown.

• Encourage your child to bring their arms forward to play with toys in front of their chest.

Infant seat

This position helps your child to relax and use two hands to play with toys.

• Place two blanket rolls inside the seat along each side of their body, reaching from their head to their hips. Be sure your child's hips and buttocks are all the way back in the seat.

• Do not place anything behind the child when riding in a car seat.

Reviewed on December 30, 2022, by Kelly Seibert, MS, OTR/L