Concerned about baby's development

pmlindyloo

Please don't worry.

I had twins. My son crawled at 7 months and walked at 9 months.

My daughter never crawled/bum shuffled or anything. She just sat there! Doctor suggested I put her toys further away so that she would move to reach them - some chance!

At about 18 months she started walking - she couldn't pull herself up or get herself back down - would just walk if she was lifted to her feet!

Needless to say she did all these things eventually but just when she was ready. Perfectly normal, bright adult.

You will be laughing about this when he is into everything. If the HV is happy then so should you be too.

custardy

meer53 wrote: »

My daughter was 5 weeks prem too. She didn't walk until she was 18 months. I wouldn't worry Some babies never crawl, one day they just set off walking !

yup,my boy was late crawling and then jumped to walking quite quickly

sassyblue

Always_Alone wrote: »

He is currently 10 and a half months old (although 5 weeks prem) and no where near crawling, walking, cruising on furniture, moving etc I am getting concerned about whether he is developing as he should.

Hi always alone, as your baby was prem his development rate is really only around 9 and half months, don't they calculate development rates from their intended birth date and not their actual birth date? So don't worry (easy to say l know!) but there's always something you're fretting about when you have a baby and 99% of the time they turn out okay, l know from experience.

My little one never crawled or was that bothered about getting on all fours but he did get up in the end, you've probably just got a lazy boy there.

themull1

My kids were late walkers, older daughter didnt crawl at all, just started pulling herself up using the furniture, younger daughter crawled everywhere, and was late walking.

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

DD2 didn't shift her butt until the day she was 11 months old, when she decided she was going to stand up and wander across the room for the first time.

She had spent the previous months developing her speech, specifically so she could argue with me and her older sister before any other child, I suspect :cool: and working out how to use DIY equipment so she could catch her father unawares when he persisted in leaving unfinished tasks and tools around and not paying attention to where she was when he decided to have another fag break.


Other babies take longer because they are heavier set children, so need a little bit more muscle strength. But they're mostly designed to confuse and worry you - right up to the moment that you turn your pack on the cat, the bowl of dogfood or the Christmas Tree.



If he's 18 months old and still not moving, then speak to the HV again.

quietheart

my friend's son was over 20 months before he walked. he did this weird one sided commando shuffle that made me feel *sure* there was a problem. he's 11 now and completely normal developmentally. just did things his own way.
my son didn't crawl but learned to walk before he had the balance to stand so he'd pull himself up and dash across the room but couldn't stop. it was a nightmare, he walked into every wall or door we had. he was black and blue!

Always_Alone

Thanks everyone, your experiences have put my mind at rest somewhat. I know that this probably won't have any effect on what he does in years to come but it is something that plays on my mind constantly.

As hard as it is not to compare to other babies, i can't help it and i seem to be surrounded by babies that will be running marathons by 12 mths!

I don't think it helps that he doesn't really roll either, has only done it a handful of times and this makes me think that there is something else going on (even though there probably really isn't and he's just lazy).

Oh, no-one tells you about this part of being a mama do they?? :rotfl:

kettlefish

Echoing what others have said, 10 months is still really young especially if prem. Out of the 8 babies in our group of friends (we met at antenatal classes, not just something in the water haha) my daughter crawled the soonest at 6 months but the boys especially seemed to miss the whole "crawling" bit of the baby book and have gone straight to walking or a funny monkey shuffle around 12 - 12.5 months ... Meanwhile my daughter is still happy crawling at 1 year old.

lainey29

Hi, I work for a Children's Centre (do you have a Sure Start near you?) and we are always advising on child development. I agree with the other answers that 10 months is still quite young and you needn't worry. There are things you can do to help with your baby's development. Have you heard of 'tummy time'?

The guidance is: 'back to sleep, tummy to play', so while it is not advised to let your baby sleep on their tummy it greatly helps their development if they have some 'tummy time' while they are alert and playing during the day. This is where you place them on a mat/carpet area on their tummy with something to stimulate them in front of them, this could be their favourite toy. You can also get down onto the floor to be face to face with them and encourage and interact with them at all times.

Don't worry if they are unsure at first. The idea is to build this up gradually while they get used to it. If they are upset or distressed in any way try to encourage them but if this does not work just try again another time.

Remember also to stay near to baby and always keep an eye on them while doing tummy time.

The benefits of tummy time greatly linked with child development. It helps with co-ordination, balance and posture, which will all help with crawling, walking.

It builds up the strength in their core muscles and increases confidence and independence in exploring and moving around as they gain control of their body movements.

Just try for a few minutes every day and see if this helps in any way. You might see their arms and legs moving (this sometimes looks like 'skydiving'!) this is their brain making the connections between left and right and all helps with hand-eye co-ordination.

Try searching for tummy time for more information. It won't let me post links as I am a new user but there are plenty of pictures online to explain more what I mean. Hope this helps!

CRANKY40

My pride and joy didn't pull himself up on furniture until he was 13 months. He never crawled - he bum shuffled and he finally decided he may as well walk on his own at 17 months. He scored above average in his last sats even though his predicted score was average. He is just a lazy boy ha ha!