Inchstones Pediatric Physical Therapy & Wellness

Inchstones Pediatric Physical Therapy & Wellness Inchstones Pediatric PT & Wellness offers in-home private PT and wellness sessions in Massachusetts, as well as in-person baby playgroups in North Reading, MA!

Grab your FREE tummy time guide or check out my other online resources in the shop!

You don’t need to “just figure it out” when it comes to your baby 🤍If you’ve ever wondered:“Am I doing this right?”“Why ...
04/19/2026

You don’t need to “just figure it out” when it comes to your baby 🤍

If you’ve ever wondered:
“Am I doing this right?”
“Why does my baby get fussy during touch or stretches?”
“Is there something simple I can do to help them relax, sleep better, or feel more comfortable?”

This is for you.

In this 3-week infant massage series, you’ll learn:
✨ Simple, guided techniques to support your baby’s body and development
✨ How to read your baby’s cues (so you know when it’s helping vs. too much)
✨ Ways to ease gas, tension, and fussiness
✨ How to build connection and confidence through intentional touch
✨ What actually matters (and what doesn’t) when it comes to supporting your baby

No overwhelm.
No complicated routines.
Just practical, hands-on guidance you’ll actually use at home.

Tuesdays 12:30–1:15
📍 Stork Ready – North Reading
$99 for the 3-week series

If you want to feel more confident supporting your baby (and actually enjoy it)…

Comment MASSAGE and I’ll send you the link to join 💛

Tummy time… but make it easier, more fun, and way less frustrating 🙌If you’ve ever thought:“I know I should be doing mor...
04/19/2026

Tummy time… but make it easier, more fun, and way less frustrating 🙌

If you’ve ever thought:
“I know I should be doing more tummy time… but my baby hates it”
or
“I’m not sure if I’m doing it right…”

You’re not alone—and you don’t have to figure it out by yourself.

This 3-week series is designed to help you:
✨ Learn how to do tummy time in ways your baby actually tolerates
✨ Get hands-on guidance from a pediatric PT (in real time)
✨ Try different positions, props, and setups that work
✨ Ask all your questions (yes, even the “is this normal?” ones)
✨ Connect with other parents in the same 1–6 month stage

No pressure.
No perfect babies.
No judgment.

Just real support, real learning, and stronger, more confident little movers 💛

Tuesdays 11:15–12:00
📍 Stork Ready – North Reading
$99 for the 3-week series

If you’ve been wanting tummy time to feel less stressful and more successful…

Comment PLAYGROUP and I’ll send you the link to grab your spot 👇

04/08/2026

A little playground PSA from a mom + pediatric PT 👇

It feels safer to take your toddler down the slide on your lap…

But this is actually one of the most common ways toddlers get injured on playgrounds.

Here’s why 👇
When you go down together, your child’s foot can get caught on the side or bottom of the slide while your body keeps moving.

That force = a twist through the lower leg → which can lead to a toddler fracture (a small fracture in the shin bone).

And this isn’t rare.

A hospital-based study found that 68% of slide-related toddler fractures happened while the child was riding on an adult’s lap.

The safer option?
✨ Go down next to your child — not with them on your lap
✨ Stay close, spot them, and support as needed
✨ Let their legs move freely down the slide

One small change → significantly less risk 🤍

Save this for your next park day + send it to another toddler parent who needs to know.

03/05/2026

When babies first start learning to crawl, it often looks a little… messy. And that’s completely normal.

You might notice things like:
• one leg doing most of the work
• pushing more with one arm
• a “wonky” or uncoordinated pattern
• brief asymmetries while they figure it out

Learning a new motor skill is a process. Babies are experimenting with movement, strength, balance, and coordination all at the same time. It rarely looks perfect right away.

As a pediatric physical therapist, I usually start to look more closely if:
• the asymmetry persists for several weeks, or
• there is a significant medical history (prematurity, torticollis, neurological conditions, etc.)

Most of the time, babies simply need practice, time, and opportunities to move to work things out.

Hi, I’m Karen Tanso, pediatric physical therapist and founder of Inchstones PT. I help parents understand their baby’s development and what’s actually typical along the way.

Not sure if your baby’s crawling pattern is typical? Drop your questions below.

Tummy time doesn’t have to be complicated.It doesn’t have to be 20 perfect minutes.It doesn’t have to be a Pinterest set...
02/25/2026

Tummy time doesn’t have to be complicated.

It doesn’t have to be 20 perfect minutes.
It doesn’t have to be a Pinterest setup.
It doesn’t have to involve every toy you own.

It just has to happen — consistently.

✨ Quality over quantity.
✨ Floor time > containers.
✨ Little bits during multiple wake windows add up.
✨ Engaging… but not overstimulating.

If your baby lasts 45 seconds? That counts.
If you get 3–5 short sessions in today? That’s a win.

Progress is built in the small, repeatable moments — not in one marathon session.

I’m Karen, pediatric physical therapist and founder of Inchstones PT. Follow along as I break milestones down into inchstones so you can feel confident supporting your baby’s development.

Want more simple, practical tips you can use today?
Comment TTGUIDE and I’ll send you my free tummy time guide.

02/24/2026

Hi, I’m Karen 👋🏼 pediatric physical therapist and founder of Inchstones PT.

Six months old and tummy time is looking STRONG 💪🏼

By this age, we’re often working toward:

✨ Head held up high (no bobble head!)
✨ Pushing through straight arms
✨ Weight shifting and reaching for toys
✨ Rolling belly to back over BOTH sides

This is where tummy time starts to look less like “practice” and more like preparation.

Preparation for:
✔️ Pivoting
✔️ Army crawling
✔️ Independent sitting
✔️ Crawling

If your baby still struggles with head control, keeps arms tucked back, or only rolls one direction — don’t panic. But don’t ignore it either.

Small tweaks now can make a big difference in what comes next.

Comment “TTGUIDE” and I’ll send you my free tummy time tips guide 💛

Follow along as I break down milestones into inchstones — so you know exactly what to look for and how to support your baby with confidence.

Tummy time is better together 🫶If you’re tired of doing it alone on the living room floor… this is your sign.March Tummy...
02/20/2026

Tummy time is better together 🫶

If you’re tired of doing it alone on the living room floor… this is your sign.

March Tummy Time Playgroup is a relaxed, supportive space where you can:

✨ Practice tummy time with guidance (without pressure)
✨ Try new positions + setups that actually work
✨ Ask your baby questions in real time
✨ Meet other parents in the same 1–6 month stage
✨ Get out of the house and into community

No judgment.
No “perfect baby” energy.
Just learning, cheering each other on, and building strong little bodies.

Tuesdays 11:15–12:00
📍 Stork Ready – North Reading
$99 for the 3-week series

If you want tummy time to feel more fun and less frustrating — for both of you —

Comment PLAYGROUP and I’ll send you the registration link 💛

Most parents are never taught this.But infant massage isn’t just a sweet bonding moment — it’s powerful for your baby’s ...
02/20/2026

Most parents are never taught this.

But infant massage isn’t just a sweet bonding moment — it’s powerful for your baby’s development.

✨ It can help with:
• Gas + digestion
• Body awareness
• Flexibility + muscle activation
• Calming the nervous system
• Building connection and confidence

And when you learn it from a pediatric physical therapist, you’re not just copying strokes from a reel — you’re understanding why you’re doing what you’re doing.

If your baby is 1–6 months old and you want simple, hands-on tools you can use every single day, this 3-week series is for you.

Tuesdays 12:30–1:15
📍 Stork Ready – North Reading, MA
$99 for the full 3-week series

Spots are limited because I keep this small and personal.

Comment MASSAGE and I’ll send you the registration link 💛

📊 Fun Facts FridayA 2025 longitudinal study found that infants who showed more advanced gross motor development for thei...
02/07/2026

📊 Fun Facts Friday

A 2025 longitudinal study found that infants who showed more advanced gross motor development for their age also demonstrated stronger pre-linguistic and social skills during the same time period.

Using wearable sensors to track real-world movement, researchers found that babies who spent more time in independent movement (like standing and early walking) tended to show higher communication and social engagement scores.

✨ The takeaway?
Movement isn’t just about muscles — it helps shape how babies explore, interact, and learn from their environment.

📚 Gallen A. et al. (2025). Early gross motor development is associated with prelinguistic and social development. Pediatric Research.

👇 Comment “LEARN” if you want to dive deeper into this research
(I’m happy to share the article or chat about what this means in real life.)

Hi! I’m Karen, a pediatric physical therapist and the founder of Inchstones PT 💛

Every Friday, I share research-backed fun facts about child development, gross motor skills, and early movement — so parents and caregivers feel informed, confident, and supported.

Because knowledge really is power, and understanding the small building blocks of development helps kids reach their greatest potential.

Follow along for science-based tips, guidance, and a deeper look at how milestones are built… one inchstone at a time ✨

✨ YOUR LITTLE ONE AT MONTH ONE ✨Month one is all about early awareness — not big movements or “doing tricks.”These tiny ...
02/03/2026

✨ YOUR LITTLE ONE AT MONTH ONE ✨

Month one is all about early awareness — not big movements or “doing tricks.”

These tiny changes matter more than most parents realize.

Here’s what you might notice around 1 month old:

🌙 hands are starting to open (not always fi**ed)
🌙 prefers to look at human faces over toys — you are the entertainment
🌙 jerky, uncoordinated arm movements when trying to move or reach
🌙 can see about 8–12 inches away — the perfect distance for snuggles
🌙 briefly lifts their head during tummy time
🌙 brings hands toward their face and eyes

None of this needs to be perfect.
It’s just your baby learning how their body works — one inchstone at a time 💛

If you want to know what to look for each month during the first year (and how to support it without stress), I put it all into one simple resource.

👇 Comment MONTHLY GUIDE and I’ll send you my Month-to-Month Guide for the first year of life.

Follow along for development broken down simply — so you can feel confident, not overwhelmed.





01/29/2026

Pro tip from a pediatric PT + mom 🤍
Free your baby’s legs — yes, even in the winter.

When babies can see and play with their feet, they’re building strength, coordination, and body awareness without us doing anything fancy.

During playtime, I’d unzip the onesie so my son’s legs could move, kick, and explore.
Then we’d back up when we’re done.

Small, simple changes like this support early movement in a really natural way.

Save this for later or send it to a parent who’s in the baby onesie phase right now 🤍

📊 Fun Facts FridayA 2026 pediatric physical therapy study found that infants born in a breech position were more likely ...
01/24/2026

📊 Fun Facts Friday

A 2026 pediatric physical therapy study found that infants born in a breech position were more likely to have greater neck tightness (torticollis) at their PT evaluation compared to babies born head-down.

✨ The takeaway?
Some movement differences can begin before birth, based on how babies are positioned in the womb — not because of something that happened after.

📚 Bercik D. et al. (2026). Breech Birth Presentation and Intrauterine Constraint Factors and Their Association With Congenital Muscular Torticollis Severity. Pediatric Physical Therapy.

👇 Save this post if you like learning the why behind baby movement.

Hi! I’m Karen, a pediatric physical therapist and the founder of Inchstones PT 💛

Every Friday, I share research-backed fun facts about child development, gross motor skills, and early movement — so parents and caregivers feel informed, confident, and supported.

Because knowledge really is power, and understanding the small building blocks of development helps kids reach their greatest potential.

Follow along for science-based tips, guidance, and a deeper look at how milestones are built… one inchstone at a time ✨

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217 Main St
North Reading, MA
01864

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