Question about crawling, etc

[billysmommy]

You would think with Benjamin being our 2nd baby I would feel more at ease with these things. He is 8.5 months old now. We have multiple friends with babies born around the same time he was and they are doing way more. For instance, he can sit if we put him in a sitting position but cannot get into or out of sitting by himself - really has not even attempted it. He is kind of commando crawling but his big belly gets in the way and he ends up going in circles :) , he cannot and does not try to pull himself up on furniture, he does not wave.

Now I know that all babies develop differently and in the next couple months all these things will probably happen but is there anything I can be doing to help him with these things. Billy just kind of did all these things - I don't remember teaching or helping him with anything. He was also in daycare and with other children doing these things. I just feel like we should be doing more with him to help him "get" these things.

Thanks :)

[JulieL]

Sounds fine to me. My daughter has low muscle tone, and just started crawling last week, at 15 months. She's been in therapy, and has been assessed by a neurologist. For her she started sitting a tad after nine months and didn't commando crawl till 13 1/2 months. My son though, sat when put there at 7 months, crawled at 9 months, pulled up at 10ish months, started creeping along the walls at 11 months, didn't let go until 18 months. He was fine, just went at his own pace.

Your son sound like he is fine, hitting his mark just fine, at his pace. More relaxed laid back babies just don't rush and they are fine as wine :)

[brittone2]

Julie-I never got to respond to the post about your DD crawling and wanted to! Congratulations to you both :) What a great milestone! I'm sure you are celebrating and enjoying seeing her mobile :)

[brittone2]

NAK-
obvious disclaimer is without seeing your son I can't say for sure, but IMO what you describe isn't really delayed. Still pretty well within the realm of normal in terms of milestones. Later end of the range, but nothing to get excited about at this point in time. Does he feel "floppier" than your older DC? Sometimes lower muscle tone (Julie mentioned this) can affect things and they may be a little later.

If he wasn't moving at all on his belly, it would be more of a concern. Not all kids crawl, although there are some good benefits to having them go through that milestone. How long has he been sitting for? it takes some time to learn to get in and out of sitting, so if it hasn't been that long, that's a factor too. If he's in sitting, can he sit without using his hands for support? Can he hold a toy? Can he reach for a toy on the ground while sitting? If he's at the point where he's able to sit without needing his hands for support, you can encourage him to hold a toy, or to reach toward the ground to pick something up. Gradually move where you put the toy so he's reaching a little outside his comfort zone but not so far that he topples over or refuses to try (and be ready to catch him ;) ) Slowly developing that balance will get him ready to be able to move out of sitting. When he seems more ready to work on pulling to stand, try removing your couch cushions if possible. It gives them more edge to grab and something to lean forward onto when they are still really unsteady. If he'll tolerate kneeling you could encourage him to kneel at the couch for now while playing. Put toys up on the couch and see if he'll stay in kneeling (if not, I wouldn't push it).

Can he get on all 4s yet? Even if he can't crawl that way? That position is helpful for getting in and out of sitting.

Just keep an eye on things and if you are worried talk w/ your ped. Right now nothing you describe stands out as a red flag or anything IMO :) If you become truly concerned or don't notice him continuing to advance, you can always call early intervention and hopefully put your mind at ease.

[billysmommy]

Thanks for the specifics Beth :)

He's not "floppy", he's a very solid little boy. He has been sitting for a couple weeks now. He sits without support and is able to reach for and play with toys. He will kneel sometimes if Billy is doing it too.
He doesn't get on all 4's. He can push his whole upper body and most of his stomach off the floor with his arms but doesn't get back onto his knees. I think part of this may be due to him being such a chunker :) Billy was 3 pounds lighter at this age.
I really think part of it is him wanting to do what Billy is doing. If Billy is walking or running around while Benjamin is on the floor, he screams bloody murder until he is held up into a standing postion and is then fine. When held in standing he really only requires a light hold of his pelvis - he is able to balance himself and bears weight equally. The ped was suprised he was able to do this when we there last month.
We'll just watch and see - he's had a lot of night wakings the past couple nights so something big could be right around the corner. Billy always woke up a bunch for a few nights before hitting his big milestones (crawling, walking, talking, etc)

[Mcgbaby]

I know exactly how you feel. My second child, Elle, is 9.5 months and not crawling. She never rolled over either. Her doctor said everything is completely normal but I still worry. We never had to "teach" anything to our first son, so I wonder if I need to be doing more with Elle. She loves to try to pull up but needs a lot of help to do so. I always attributed her not rolling over to her very large head (99% percentile :) ) and she has never liked being on her stomach (always had to rest her head) but I still think - should I be doing something? or is this ok?
I'm sorry that's not really any help but others have the same questions!
:)

[KrisM]

DS sat really early, like 4 months. But, he didn't crawl until 10.5 months and it was then when he finally figured out how to get into a sitting position by himself.

He really just did not like his tummy. He rolled 4 times at 5 months and didn't do it again until he was 9 months old.

DD is so the opposite, it's funny. I really think Billy is fine and he just has his own pace.

[lizajane]

schuyler didn't crawl until 10 months. he rolled. but didn't crawl. and frankly, he is one of the fastest running kids i know! so don't worry. crawling doesn't mean anything. many kids skip it and go straight to walking.

[billysmommy]

Thanks for helping to put my mind at ease :) I really don't think anything is wrong with him and if we hadn't just gotten together with all our friends with babies the same age I wouldn't even have thought of it. And then DH brought it up last night.
I'd forgotten to mention the rolling - Benjamin is definately a "roller". He rolls across the room, under the Christmas tree when it was up, to where we are in the room.
Thanks again :)

[brittone2]

Glad you are feeling reassured.

Yeah, if they are mobile in any form (scooting on their butt, rolling places, etc.) they are not always as inclined to crawl since they already have a way to get to things, even if it is a little unconventional ;)

I'm sure he'll learn some new skills very soon :)

[Momof3Labs]

Nobody commented on the wave (I don't think) so I wanted to mention that DS1 didn't wave until he was like 15 months old. The ped was worried until we assured her that he had 20 signs, so he must be fine.

DS2 at 11mo may have waved, but does not do it consistently or often, so I don't know if it was an arm motion or the "sign" for wave. So at 8.5mo, I wouldn't worry about waving yet!

[JulieL]

thanks :)

[maestramommy]

ehhh, wouldn't worry. Dora started belly crawling around 7 months, but didn't start crawling on all fours until 9 months, and even then it wasn't consistent for a couple of weeks. She did start pulling up around the same time she started crawling on all fours.

She just started waving at people more consistently in the last month or so. She is almost 16 months.