So I don't like calling my baby girl lazy, but she is definitely unmotivated! She never learned to roll over, but she was sitting up on her own at 5 months. I make sure she has at least some tummy time every day because I know it is important for development. She can hold herself up on her arms and look around, but after about a minute she will start to fuss. If we don't pick her up she will just lay her head down and wait until someone does. I try not to pick her up until she is really crying because this was advice from the pediatrician. Obviously she isn't going to make any progress on crawling because of this. We have tried enticing her with toys and treats in front of her just out of her reach but this just makes her fuss more. From the sitting position we have also tried this enticement, but she will only lean over so far in front of her and then pull back so she won't fall onto her stomach. Most recently she will lay back down after sitting up especially if I'm sitting or laying on the floor with her. It is almost like she is thinking "enough of this sitting up business...mommy will let me lay on her so I don't have to do any work"...if only children came with thought bubbles from cartoons!!
Any advice for tummy time??
Just wanted to let everyone know a couple days ago my daughter randomly started rolling over! Now she won't stop and she is like a monkey doing tricks! Thanks for all the encouraging responses!
Socialize...get her around more children her age or a little older that are moving. She will want to be like them and eventually start moving. She also may just need to build her own strength. My son has a friend that didn't crawl until 1 year and was basically a big beached whale until then. He finally started moving when the younger kids started climbing on him. Good Luck and don't stress out.
Question: is her head tilted slightly to the left or right often? IF she has Torticolis (a tilted head, which can be very mild but needs physical therapy) can make it nearly impossible for a child to roll over, crawl, etc. My son had it and the pediatrician missed it completely. Early Intervention caught it and they and my chiropractor were fabulous. He was walking at 11 months (but couldn't even roll over at 8 months).
I don't think 8 month olds can really be lazy or unmotivated. I think all babies develop at different rates, so I don't think she is behind either. Sounds like she just might need a little more reassurance and cuddles to me. When my little one gets fussy about tummy time, I rub his back and tell him he can do it. If he protests, I keep reassuring, but once the verbal protesting ends, and the crying begins, I stop and pick him up and say we'll try another time. She'll do things when she is ready and I wouldn't rush her too much. :)
Don't worry. Each baby has her own agenda and personality.
Also, they all develop at their own pace. While she is not "motivated" to roll or crawl, she might be building strong speaking skills and be an early talker. Whether she is a mover or an observer, she is now developing so fast and learning so many new things that she has no time to be lazy (and may be no time to crawl)
If she is not behind developmentally I wouldn't worry.
Just keep doing what you're doing. Instead of toys and treats in front of her, try mommy and daddy: lay on the floor on your tummy your face next to her face, so she tries to touch your face. My daughter, on tummy time, loved trying to reach for herself in a safe baby mirror.
Tummy time will help her build muscle tone, and some expert believe that crawling is good for babies but crawling isn't a milestone. Some babies just never crawl and go directly to walking. My son crawled at 11 months.
We didn't do "tummy time" with my daughter... she crawled at 9 months. She was pulling herself up and even attempting to climb before she could crawl. She started walking just after one year. Some kids are crawling sooner, some later, some that crawl early walk late, and vice versa. My point is, don't stress. "Tummy time" is a relatively new thing - billions of babies have survived without it. She'll be fine. No need to put labels like "unmotivated" on such a young baby.
You can have your child evaluated at Easter Seals. It is a free service for children under 3 years of age.
http://southerncal.easterseals.com/site/PageServer?pagena...
I found out my son had hemiplegia (a form of cerebral palsy) when he was two years old. Looking back at video you can tell he had it from the day he was born. No doctors want to tell you for fear of being sued! He never crawled and hated tummy time. By checking you will know. If your child does have any sort of issue at least you will know and can help treat it right away, or maybe it is nothing. Wishing you the best.
Kids develop at different pace! I would suggest you keep doing the tummy time! If she starts crying then turn her on her back for some break! I use the Baby Einstein exercise mat with my son that has the lights on the top. He loves it! So it's like a reward after being on his tummy to enjoy all this music and lights on. Keep doing this until you know you've got at least 10mn each time. If you're able to do it 3 times a day! That would be beneficial to her! The key is to make the experience fun and exciting! Try hanging different toys for her everyday, or start making some animal sounds that's gonna make her giggle and will get her attention so her head is up looking at you!
Good luck!
Does she fuss when on her back or just her tummy? If you haven't already I would suggest looking into the possibility that it may be painful for her to be on her tummy. Maybe the pressure of of being on her tummy is causing a problem. I don't want to freak you out but thats the first thing that popped into my head.
Relax though and don't let anyone say that she is "stunted" in anyway. I myself have 3 boys, the youngest is a 7 month old and it took a long time for him to like being on the floor. He has yet to start crawling, and rolls over just fine. It is entirley possible that she has just skipped a step and gone straight to sitting and standing. Soon after the standing comes the walking. I wouldn't say she is lazy either, (not sure of the correct word but) Maybe she is just "evolving" more quickly and skipping some things along the way. That doesn't mean she wont learn, she'll learn later. She'll be playing and a toy will fall under a table and she will crawl under and get it. I don't think you have anything to worry about. Just relax, it will come.
Hello, My oldest grandson (now 14) didn't crawl. I kind of laughed sometimes, because I thought it hurt his little tummy. He was, after all, a real butterball. All of our children walked at 10 months. He didn't walk until he was 13 months old. He didn't talk much either. He is now in all excelled classes and gets almost straight A's. Did it matter that he was not doing these things by our schedule? Apparently not.
Good luck with your precious little girl.
K. K.
Tummy time is a waste of time! It is designed for people whose babies lie in cribs or car seats all day. If you are carrying your baby, she is developing core strength anyways.
She seems right on track to me. My first son HATED tummy time, so we didn't do it, but he sat, rolled, crawled and walked a bit later than some, but was fine and the pediatrician could have cared less. But we joked that he was a blob. Just happy to lay around and watch the world go by. He's an active, bright, outgoing 2 1/2 year old. Just didn't need to get moving too early.
Her needs are being met right now and she doesn't seem to have the need to be enticed. She will crawl when ready.
And yes, ignore those who want her tested...she is just doin' her thing.
My second one does tummy time for 30 seconds, then flips himself over to his back, so there's no sense in doing it with him either, or I'd be flipping him back and forth the whole time.
These are all just guidelines. Enjoy the late crawling....she will wear you out when she starts! :)
I think she is past the age of needing tummy time. That is really for helping develop neck muscles, which she obviously has since she can sit up just fine. Tummy time does help a bit with crawling and such, but she may never crawl (especially if she is pulling up as you mentioned). I wouldn't worry about that, but I would try to entice her into moving more. Find something she really likes that she will go out of her way to get, even if it's something she shouldn't have, like your cell phone. It does sound like she is unmotivated, who needs to move if someone else will get things for you? You're kind of lucky in a way, you can still leave her for a minute and she will be in the same place when you get back :) I miss those days, my son is climbing on and getting into everything. Don't worry, she will be all over the place soon enough.
Tummy time by the chart I have in my daycare says 20 minutes a day.It's ok if she cry's or even screams. My 3 month old in my daycare starts crying after like 3 minutes of being put down on his tummy, i don't pick him up, yesterday he was really crying out of frustration, but he stared scooting forward. His mom was thrilled. You probably are picking her up to soon and she knows you will. Leave her down it won't hurt her. J.
Updated
Tummy time by the chart I have in my daycare says 20 minutes a day.It's ok if she cry's or even screams. My 3 month old in my daycare starts crying after like 3 minutes of being put down on his tummy, i don't pick him up, yesterday he was really crying out of frustration, but he stared scooting forward. His mom was thrilled. You probably are picking her up to soon and she knows you will. Leave her down it won't hurt her. J.
Hi Stephanie-
hi I'm a pediatric PT. Your little one sounds pretty close to being on track but just may not like tummy time. I would keep trying and she should get it. Things you can do would be to lie her on your stomach so you are face to face and she's motivated to stay on her tummy, you can prop her up on a rolled towel under her arms and upper body or use a couch cushion so she is elevated and can see a little better. You might have to lie with her to keep her there and motivated to stay for a few minutes at a time. You can also put her over your leg in this position as well. Use toys or a mirror on the floor. She should get it with some practice after a few
months. Keep trying as crawling can be an important milestone for some kids. If you are worried about her, it wouldn't hurt to get her checked out by early intervention just to get some ideas and peace of mind. More questions, check out my website and email me: www.totalrunningperformance.com
As tempting as it may be to pick her up, you need to let her cry it out and figure out what she needs to do. Of course I'm not saying to just let her cry for hours. What you are doing is right. There is nothing else I would do, but keep trying to encourage her and entice her to move around, and do what you want her to do. Just don't give up no matter how tempting it is. All children are different and they all do things at "their" time. So, don't worry and just try taking a day at a time. Follow the pediatrician's advise :) She will get there eventually. You just need to remember that as she gets older she is going to want to find things out on her own, and she will get the point of doing things on her own. For now, just enjoy her :) and if you can record her so she can see how "non-motivated" ('lazy') she was when she was a baby. :)
My son also hated tummy time. He didn't crawl until he was close to 10 months old and walked at 14 months. I've since been told that he has low muscle tone, and there's nothing you can do about that.
We would sometimes try to put him on all fours and "show" him how to crawl (e.g., help his arms and legs make the movements), but honestly, I didn't mind that he was on the late side of normal (but still within the normal range). Enjoy her immobility while you can. Once they start moving, it's a whole new world of baby proofing and worry.
It sounds like you doing things right just keep trying she has created a habit and it will take some time to break it. Try putting a rolled up towel under her tummy for extra support see if that doesn't help. If, by 8 months nothing has changed then I suggest consulting a developmental pediatrician
Penny Amic CEO/Clinical Director
Special Beginnings, Inc.
An Early Intervention Network
I baby-sat a baby like that once... I recommended to the parents to have her evaluated, but they never did. And they NEVER told the Pediatrician about it either. As she has grown up... (I baby sat her for 2 years), she has always had delays and did not progress on par. I hear, she is still sort of not on par.
Sure, each baby is different and it may or may not be anything... but, so ask your Pediatrician.
all the best,
Susan
I recommend that you have her evaluated by A Early Childhood Intervention team. You contact them thru your local school district. I feel concern because she's seeming to not want to sit up either and when she does sit up she is still not balanced. ie she leans too far forward. Yes, she may be a "late bloomer" and an evaluation will relieve your mind. But if she is in need of some special physical therapy the sooner she gets started the better off she will be.
The Early Childhood Intervention evaluation is free and so is the treatment if the child needs it.
My daughter waited to get an evaluation for her son thinking he was just a late talker. We wish that he'd started therapy sooner. He's 6 and still in Special Ed because he isn't able to talk clearly. Along the way they found that he also has some sensory integrations issues. He developed behavior issues which if not caused by were at least increased because of his frustration.
Geez, this does not sound normal... Is the pediatrician saying anything about it? My baby seemed OK, but was not hitting milestones and at 5 months, she was evaluated at CHOC and she had Torticollis, which is a condition where muscles on one side of her body are stronger than the other. She attended physical therapy 2x per week and we did some exercises daily for a few minutes at home and she was totally fine after that. She's 8 now and takes dance and swim lessons and is a fantastic tree climber. I would express your concerns to the ped and ask for a referral to have her evaluated by physical therapists. The sooner you know, the easier it is to do therapy and the faster they gain strength!
I would HIGHLY RECOMMEND calling the local Infant Toddler or Early Childhood agency!! If you are not sure who to call- then your best bet is the local school district for help in finding out who to call. I am a speech pathologist and work with children 0-3 through the Infant Toddler Services of our county in here in Kansas. I would refer you and your son to a Physical Therapist in a heartbeat! Any type of special education services is free from 0-21 years of age. From 0-3 it is covered by "part C" of the government and through Infant Toddler Services, then - when a child turns 3- it is through the school district. This includes speech , physical therapy, occupational therapy, early childhood special education, etc.
At the very least- you will have caring professionals come out - and even if your son does not qualify for services- they will give you some great suggestions for you to carry out at home!
Early childhood intervention is KEY to a child's development and learning- I would not take the "wait and see" approach ever! There is no harm in making sure! It will only benefit you and your son!
p.s. I think that some pediatricians take the wait and see approach- NOT because they are bad Dr.'s- unfortunately that is just what happens.
Just wanted to add: your son is NOT lazy/unmotivated!!!
