Allowed to Jump and Stand?

Yes!! Most babies love to jump and stand.

Every baby I ever hold does that, and all my kids did that, and their spines are perfectly fine. I think that might be a myth.

Something I recall from my childhood development classes I took way back when is that little babies (infants), while they're little, are able to support their weight (ie, you hold them, they'll stand) but as they grow, they're no longer able to do it until once again, their strength matches their body size.

So, psh, as long as you're not pushing the baby or he's overdoing anything *really weird*, it's fine!

Besides, it'll probably be a different story when he's a couch potato at 11 years old and you're wishing he were back at this age, jumping away!)

Hi there
My oldest daughter did that and I was wondering the same thing, my midwife said that she was doing it then she had the muscles to do it, she started walking at 7 1/2 months old and is very strong. She isn't bull legged either. Anyhow I wouldn't worrie, my 16 week old has been doing it also he wants to move.
Enjoy, M.

My advice is pay attention to the resources where this information or advice is coming from. Have you ever been to a local park full of children? Some as small as 7 months, or younger who are jumping/standing/walking even .. what are the parents reactions.. oh, no don't stand up-- or are they saying.. yay!!! he/she is standing look how strong he/she is!!! come on!!! I dont' know of anyone who would hold back a baby who is using the muscles he/she has just discovered!!
This is comign from a mother of 2 boys' who are 8/7 yrs old. My 8 yr old walked at 8 months old, and then crawled.. ha ha!!
My 7 yr old took his time to 13 months to stand on his own.. each child very different.. but you are the mom and you just be happy with the discoveries your child is making. Enjoy being a mom and enjoy the wonderful times your child chooses to be advanced to grow up :) take care!!

Dear L.,
I just had to respond to your posting. Congratulations on your precious baby son!

My daughter, my first baby, weighed 5 lbs 7 oz when she was born, full term. She was perfectly healthy, but she was so darn little. I'm telling you, she was never like a regular newborn. She was awake all day and slept all night and she had to be UP. On her feet. If I layed her down, she would strain and lift her head and her legs to try to get up. The child would stand and jump holding nothing but my index fingers for a half an hour at a time. By 3 months, I could let go and she could stand and balance by herself. She was walking on her own by 7 months. It was the most bizarre thing to see when you consider that she weighed 12 pounds at a year old. She just came out ready to GO! In fact, she could walk before she could sit without toppling over. She had no interest in sitting or laying anywhere. It was all about being on her feet. She is 22 now, still perfectly healthy. Walking that early didn't hurt a thing. To this day she's a walker and on the go go go. No bone or spine problems, ever. She's still just a little pixie...built exactly like my mother. In fact, when I sent out her senior portraits, everyone said she looks just like her. My mom is 5 feet tall (if she's got her hair piled up on her head).
You didn't say how much your baby weighs, so it's hard to tell if he would be putting too much stress on his joints, but obviously, he's got strong little legs and wants to use them.
Talk to the pediatrician at the next check up if you are worried. Lord knows I had my daughter checked constantly to make sure she was healthy because of her size. But, a 7 month old walking around the house was a pretty good indication she was okay.
Take care and be prepared for an early walker!
Best wishes!

Hi L.;

This is a totally natural process of "squatting." It is totally fine with your support. He is almost 3 months old and can hold his head up by himself right? My boys (also born in June, but 2007) went through the same. When they became a bit older ( I think it was around 4 months for them) they would call us to hold them and were sitting up and down on their legs. This is how they develop leg muscles to later stand and walk. I'd follow babies natural rhythm and needs, his body will not allow him to do what he is not ready to do yet.
E.

My first son was happiest when we held him to stand pretty much from birth. He was an early walker (walked at 9.5 months). And he's fine. Obviously you are not going to hold him up on his legs all day long. Personally, I think it's fine. But no, I'm not a doctor, and I can't address what others say about hurting his spine. But from my experience, it's fine.

it is no problem at all to let him do this as long as you are supporting his head and neck. No longterm issues will arise...in fact, he'll be stronger for it!

i say, follow his lead. If he wants to "stand and jump" support him to do so, just don't force him to do things he is not ready for...if he wants to put a little weight on his legs and feet, let him. just be careful of his head alignment. Better yet, lie him on his back and put pressure on his feet and legs as you change him. i think he will enjoy the pressure...move his arms around as part of the diaper changing routine too...baby "gross motor exercises" is what they are called...

Hi L.,
I think it's fine to allow him to use his legs!
People told me the same thing 23 yr's ago with my son & he has no problems at all. Everyone would tell me that if I let him put weight on his legs he would grow up bowl legged, he didn't.
My son use to like to bounce up & down on my lap.....He would laugh & giggle so much, you could tell he was just having a good ole time. One day one of those older mom's saw him doing this & said "Who would say that's wrong,he's havin such fun"....EXACTLY!
My son ended up walkin at 9 months old, long before any of our other friends kids. So we thought maybe it actually helped, allowing him to put some weight on his legs made them stronger, he table walked at 8 months & was walking on his own a month later.....Now every child has thier own time table etc but we just didn't believe ALL the old wive's tales we were being told. Good Luck & just know this, always listen to your own instincts with your child. Only you know what is truly good or bad for your child. Have Fun & enjoy the greatest expierence ever!!!
And I want to add...You had your child at home??? WOW, don't know if I could have done that! NO, I know I couldn't have...(3 c-sections)...Still WOW...
L.

I would ask his doctor, but from what I have heard is that is just an old wives tale.

I am unsure about the spin thing but my son was also standing and jumping at that age and younger while we would hold him, ad he is 12 months old now and walking and perfectly fine so I wold not worry. Your son may like a johnny jump up when he can hold his head up, around 4-5 months. My son loved it- he could jump and be upright and look around, or there are these plastic contraptions called exe-rsaucers that jump that he may like

My son was doing this straight out of the womb! Of course it was only for a few seconds, but he also held his head as often as he could. He's now 11 years old with no physical problems at all. I think some of them just want to use their muscles at an early age. I say let him!

Hi L.,

Congrats on your new son and homebirth! I have three kids and all three of them loved to stand and jump on our laps at that age! We always let them to thier hearts content and all of them have grown into athletic healthy kids. Some of our fondest memories are of the kids standing in our laps making great baby noises and faces and playing boo as they would stand up. It goes by so fast- just enjoy it and follow his lead and your instincts. Take care and have fun!

You should absolutely allow him to push up with his legs. I examine babies who might have developmental delays and one of the things I look for is whether or not a baby supports his weight on his legs and bounces.

The very best thing for your baby's physical development, though, is tummy time! (Not putting him down to sleep on his tummy, but time on his tummy while he's awake.) This is very important for strengthening his neck and abdominal muscles so that he builds up strength to sit, crawl, and walk.

Congrats on giving birth at home! All the best.

What!? My daughter started walking at 11 months....they all develop at different rates....let him do what his body is telling him to do. I feel like we inately know what to do is humans when we are babies, it's when we are older we let our minds mess everything up! Good luck!

Congratulations L. on your son! I had a son at the end of March and I know your concern. I had the same. My son, Jacob, will actually cry sometimes if you hold him on your lap, because he wants to stand up! We of course support him, but he's on his feet a lot and he'll "walk" as well while you support him. The MD didn't think this was a problem at all. He'll come to a sitting position when he doesn't want to stand anymore! Our son now, who is 20 weeks, lays on his back in his "gym" and pushes himself all over the floor, using his legs! I think he just likes using his legs!

Good luck!!!!

Hi L.,
What a great question! Anything that he does on his own is fine, as his movements will increase as his strength does. So if he pulls himself up on things and uses his own weight to move, roll, pull, bounce, that's fine. I'd limit assisting him too much, either by holding him up or by a jumper, as it will put more weight and stress on his little frame than he can support right now. But as his legs get stronger and he starts kicking more you'll see how you'll be able to assist him in trying out different movements. Just don't rush him. :)
Have fun!
L.

L. Clum, DC
Oakland Specific Chiropractic

This makes me laugh. When I had children many years ago, I was told if I let them stand too soon, they would have bowed legs. I literally would make my daughter sit down when she tried to put weight on her legs. Now I know that it was merely an old wives tale. If your baby is strong enough to stand and jump, by all means let the baby stand and jump. His/her spine will be just fine.
A.

Give him support when he is on his feet.

Yay homebirth! :)

My son wanted to push with his legs/stand since he was 2 months old. We let him. We even put him in a jumper and a saucer earlier than recommended... shhhh! ;) He is 3.5 now and fine. Our pediatrician was unconcerned as well.

I am not sure what the absolute correct answer is, but I know that my son absolutely loved to bounce and jump on our laps when he was about the same age. It was a lot of fun for him and his personality is very active. He started crawling at 5.5 months and walking at almost 8.5 months. He was VERY motivated to get up and move around. He is 13 months now and we have not seen any negatives from letting him bounce or jump on our laps. Just the opposite, we allowed him to explore his body and surrondings at his own pace and he has loved every minute of it.

L.,

It's perfectly normal and okay for your son to "stand" and jump with assistance. It is helping him to build his leg muscles and learn how his body works. He most certainly will not hurt his spine doing that. Keep letting him do it and relax and enjoy watching him have fun and grow.

Best,

N.

Hi L.,
My older daughter loved to stand up and jump when she was a little baby! As long as they want to do it, I think it is safe. It certainly did not adversely affect my daughter's growth (she is almost 6 now, and is in the 95th percentile for height). She loved her exersaucer from about 3 months on, and began cruising very early and walked around 9 months. Some kids are just really motivated to be upright.

My daughter is now quite the ballerina, so from my own personal experience, I think not only will it not hurt him to let him stand up and/or jump when he wants, but it might even help his coordination and strength. He will probably be very active as a toddler! Good luck!

Hi L.,
The only thing I would be cautious of is your son's head control. If it looks as if he can strongly support his head then jump away! Enjoy Motherhood!

Mine have all wanted to stand a bit at a young age and they're doing fine (no issues bow-leggedness, which someone once told me would happen or spinal problems). Let her do it if she wants to and as long as it's not adult-induced or excessive; just follow her lead! She's stretching, building muscle-tone and feeling all the groovy sensations under her little feet. Soon you'll be running after her and fondly remembering when she was immobile and could stand only with assistance! Enjoy her and cherish the moments! Best of luck!

I let my son stand up on his legs for short periods of time. I think it helps to build up those muscles, but let him push up on them maybe 5-10 seconds at time... I never let him stand on them for too long.

Congratulation on your homebirth and your wonderful baby boy!
I had also a homebirth and my son is now 3, but I'm writing to you as a certified Infant Developmental Movement Educator and don't agree with all the responses you've received.
You certainly want the best for your son, so why try on habits that are not beneficial for him?
Regarding Infant Development the rule of thumb is to let the baby reach by himself each new level and milestone. First he's just on his belly, back or sides and learns so much about what is his body in this new environment with air, where he's not alone. Then he exercises his curiosity more and more and wants to discover this body and this world. He starts to moves on his belly, first backwards, and then forwards, lifts himself and one day sits up. From there he will get on his fourths and eventually stands and tries his first steps. And for all that he normally doesn't need much help, but just support (emotionally as well as physically). As a human being he's meant to do this.
The body of your very young baby needs a lot of support, because his bones and musculature are still undefined. At not even 3 months your son is learning about experiencing gravity while he's lying down. He's not ready to sit, or stand without support. For example if you sit him down, he needs to have his whole body supported and not stay in this unnatural position too long. The upright position is not recommended, because he hasn’t learned yet to organize his body with gravity other than on his back, belly or sides.
I don't know if I'm clear enough, but I wish you a lot of fun wiht your little one!

I'm pretty sure there are no negatives to his body growth that can come from him using his legs too soon. My daughter loved "standing" at that age. Standing and bouncing are ways for them to build their leg muscle strength. And I think they look really cute!

Hi L.,
My son used to LOVE to jump up and down and stand on his chubby strong little legs as a baby. So many babies do this, I think they're actually strengthening their leg muscles and building them up to help with standing and later with walking. My son has no spinal problems, (he is 11 now). I'm sure it's fine, ask your pediatrician about it, E.