My youngest son, who just turned 9 months, had his 9 month check up yesterday. I told the doctor I was concerned about his development as far as gross motor skills. She suggested physical therapy, which I think is great, except we're moving out of state next month so we can't start it until then. Tummy time seems to not be enough. When we do tummy time, he throws a fit and just lays there crying or rolls over as if to say "I'll show you". Now we do have good sessions of tummy time, but for the most part he is just not motivated to do anything... more like go anywhere. On his back is a different story, he will scoot scoot scoot around. He doesn't sit up completely on his own either and there are NO attempts of pulling himself up. He is a bigger boy, but we can't use his weight (21.5 lbs) as an excuse. He can roll over both ways (tummy to back and back to tummy). Fine motor skills not a problem and social skills are off the charts :) I know every child is different, his brother was more curious and was doing these things by 6 months. So, my question is: Have any other moms gone through this with their baby? And, what are some ideas to inspire him to scoot around on his tummy? I will be happy with low crawling! I just want to get his little booty moving so we can get him where he needs to be developmentally. Quick background: When he was 6 weeks old (November 2010) he started having seizures. He finally found a medication that worked for him. They did the "Million Dollar Work-Up" and found absolutely nothing wrong with him. He was just recently taken off of his meds (June 2011) and has been seizure free since January 2011 :D
Great resources... thank you! We can't do PT now because the next available appointment isn't for another 2 months unfortunately. We deal with the military hospital and referrals for a different hospital or clinic are like pulling teeth... I don't have enough time to argue for it and by the time we would get one, we will be on the road... headache! Yes he does hold his own weight while standing. I've been trying to get him familiar with leaning against the couch and myself more. He actually seems to be enjoying it more. Sitting has improved overnight. I swear he knows what mommy is trying to get him to do and he's helping me out haha I found that toys that light up like crazy keep him interested longer. My kids get bored very easily. I tried him laying on my tummy while I laid down and he seems to like it just a little bit longer than on the floor. I totally didn't even think of massages... HELLO, that's why I have you all :) I am realizing that he might just have a slower pace than the norm, but we are going to be looking into PT when we move anyway. Normal or not, anything that improves a child's well being is alright in my book. I agree, the younger you fix this the easier your chances of achievement are. THANK YOU!!!
The important thing is that he is moving whether tummy or back. Place objects in front of him that will entice him to move more. Give it some time and help stretch his limbs by standing him up sometimes and sitting him back down.
My son wasn't crazy about tummy time at first, but he sure liked laying tummy to tummy on MY tummy.
Early on I felt like I was his own personal play mat.
He LOVED his bouncy seat.
At day care they had bouncy seats that the kids loved, too and it was like they were doing spring assisted sit ups.
I think it really helped to strengthen his core body muscles.
He did eventually get to like tummy time.
He'd roll from front to back and then back to front again (I'd be sitting on the floor right next to him) and he'd scoot all over to reach toys that were just out of his reach.
He crawled a long time and walked at 14 months.
Soon after that it was all run, run, run!
My mother said I never crawled--just scooted on my back and I turned out to be fine.
If your instinct tells you something isn't right, find an early childhood program near your new home. You might contact one where you are now for a referral. Services are free until 3 years of age. The therapists at the ECI program will also be able to direct you to the best pediatricians in the area.
From what i can glean it doesn't sound like he is necessarily at all slow in development - crawling is a skill that some babies never use, and the range of 'normal' walking development is really really long. Especially if his other development seems normal, it seems as if this could just be his 'normal'.
One thing you could do, though, is ask to get an evaluation appointment with an occupational therapist. (They have good ones at Children's in Seattle, if you are near here.) It might help to have a more expert opinion on his actual development and conditioning. If that second opinion suggests that you need intervention, then you'd know to start looking soon once you move, and you'd have some information to use while you looked for your new doctors.
My daughter never enjoy tummy time. I spent awful amount of money on toys and nothing helped. She did like sitting though once she was able to, she also didn't crawl on her "four" she crawl sitting (in my culture is very normal that so I wasn't worried about it) She would sit and the move around, slide herself.
I've heard that therapy helps when a child has developmental delays. A gentle reminder though, when you are with him try to not stress as he can sense it and it will make him uneasy (I know it is hard not to stress about it but the more relaxed you are the esier it might be for him?)
Good luck :) you are a great mom for worrying already about him and trying to help him!
Well... I'm concerned, too. (although I'm biased)
Mostly because what you are describing are the exact same things that several of the parents I've met at Childrens Seattle were dealing with with their babies, and are now living here weeks and months on end (with their babies or toddlers)... after months, and even years dealing with doctors and neurologists in Tacoma, Everett, and Spokane. ESPECIALLY if your child likes his head "back" (kind of chin up looking at the sky, or down his nose to be able to see). Some had seizures, some didn't... but it's a "What're you in for?" story I've heard time and again over the past few months.
If you're not schlepping up here already for diagnosis and treatment, I can't recommend Children's Hospital (Sand Point, Seattle) strongly enough for a complete 2nd opinion/ eval. It's the regional children's hospital for Oregon, WA, Alaska, and neighboring states... although parents from other cities in this state often have to fight for the referral *from* their local hospital or children's hospital to Children's, and a few I know just ended up phoning Children's directly and got the hospital to demand that their child's case was transferred over to them.
He actually sounds perfectly normal to me.
I am a big fan of swimming time for kids--even for kids your child's age. It will force him to be on his tummy. In addition it will encourage him to coordinate his left right movement of hand and leg action. It will also encourage him to hold his head above water.
When you put him on the ground to play with put his toys out of reach, further and further, just far enough so that he can reach them. Big hugs and laughter when he gets there. When he is in his car seat put something hanging above his seat that he can reach for.
I had a big 10 lb baby and he stayed weight and height above average throughout his entire life. He had a lot to move around at first and was slower to role over and sit. That doesn't mean things weren't happening inside his brain. Once my son started crawling he caught up fast. So you are right in wanting him to start crawling. I would try massaging his body gently with baby oil every day to get sensation going into those muscles. That might help too.
I agree that physical therapy is probably a good option. Even if nothing is wrong and he's just not interested in crawling, it will give you some peace of mind.
Don't let your move in a month slow you down. Talk to your pediatrician and find out about some basic exercises that you can start doing at home now to build his muscles. Start researching PTs in your new city so that you've got something lined up to start right away.
Everything I hear from parents whose children have motor delays is that early intervention is the key.
Also, not all babies crawl. He has found a way to move around and it's possible that he's content with that. My son used to scoot on his bottom and never once crawled on his hands and knees. I know you said he's not trying to pull himself up, but can he bear weight on his legs and stand if you lean him up against something?
I wish you all the best.
We did P.T. with my son... love it
Our Physical therapist told us to get one of those big work out balls & put him on his belly (holding him) to help his core get stronger, we did this everyday for about 10 min to start and worked our time a little everyday
P.S. My son also was not a fan of Tummy time
good luck :)
My daughter has some motor delays and is now four. She crawled when she was 11 months, pulled up at 13 months walked almost 18 month. She didnt roll over as a baby but did sit unassisted at 6 months. She hated tummy time so I always kept it brief. Her doctor always encouraged me to wait it out so I didn't get her any early intervention because she made all her milestones just in time. As a toddler and preschooler she had trouble with pulling onto to play equipment, peddling and running. She is receiving physical therapy and has improved tremendously. She can peddle small bikes and pump herself on the swings and is closing the gap of those in her age range. People actually are shocked to discover that she needs services because she is now so mild. She was also diagnosed with mild sensory integration disorder which affects her motor planning and she
Has low muscle tone. My advice is to give a call to early intervention in your state. It is free. He may be just fine but it never hurts to check even for your own piece of mind. Take Care.
I would call about early intervention, just to be on the safe side. Our son was 2 1/2 months early and needed some physical therapy because he was a preemie. He was a strong little guy for being early and we didn't see any really evident signs that he was delayed in his gross motor. He was rolling from belly to back, but he had learned to do it using the strength of his back and weight of his head rather than his anterior body like he needed to. We did some simple pt with him and it corrected quickly.
I was really glad that we got him checked early though. Babies are resourceful and will use what feels easiest, but when they aren't using the proper muscle groups it can cause other problems later. The sooner you start PT the easier it is to resolve some of those issues, and the less you have to fight them to do the exercises.
Early intervention specialists will see things that you may be unaware of. It's worth them coming for a home visit to observe your little guy and set your mind at ease.
He is just developing at a different rate. He's scooting around on his back from place to place. Does he sit up and stay up when you put him in a sitting position?
I remember some great books on baby massage. It's for the Mom to do to her baby. It helps their movement to develop. Good thing you are moving. You will have a new doctor and a second opinion on your son's development.
You can find the Early Intervention office by calling the school district in your new home city. In the meantime, you could get an appointment with PT so that they can show you exercises and ways to help your baby until you get to the new location.
