5 month old development- shoud I be concerned?

[Krisrich]

My five month old daughter is not yet rolling over. Initially, she hated tummy time, but is doing better and tolerating longer periods in the past couple of weeks. She can lift her head and her chest and support herself on her forearms while on her belly. She cannot lift herself on outstretched arms, however, and does not reach for objects when on her belly. She is great at reaching for things when on her back in her little gym. She does not like to bear weight on her legs- she'll do it for a few seconds only and then she cries and collapses. She is a big baby- 16 and a half pounds at her four month check up! She has good head control and sits nicely in my lap. She cannot hold herself up in a tripod position when sitting by herself.
Also, she does coo and squeal and laugh but she is often quiet and prefers just to look at things. She makes eye contact and laughs for me easily but hates strangers. And, as far as "talking" she mostly does this when alone in her crib. She does not often have "baby conversations" with me but just smiles and moves her arms and kicks her legs when I talk to her.
So, sorry for the long post, but what does everyone think? The more that time passes, the more concerned I am getting!

[KrisM]

Sounds pretty normal to me. There is such a range of normal on all these things, I try not to get worried if one thing isn't exactly as a book describes. I think she sounds like she's doing great.

[BeachBum]

I would definitely talk to your ped. You are right in that several of those behaviors aren't typical of a child her age----but as to if they are really "missed milestones" or something that needs to be investigated further I think that is your Ped's call. I'm sure you Ped will want to follow closely and see if progress is being made or not. If there is a problem, the sooner you can work to resolve it the better for her.
HUGS and good luck!

[justincase]

I would definitely talk to your ped just to ease your mind and to avoid missing anything that could turn out to be an issue. BUT I will also say that I could tell you numerous anecdotes of DC's of friends who had similar timing to what you describe and are just fine. Most notably, two good friends had DC's born on the same day... one rolled over at two months and the other at seven months. One walked at nine months and the other is still not walking at thirteen months. Both are perfect. You can guess the trouble these two moms have *not* comparing their DC's despite being determined not to! Anyway, I would try to put your mind at ease until you can get reassurance from your ped.

[Snow mom]

My slug baby rolled for the first time at about 4 1/2 months. She still doesn't do it regularly. She also didn't like tummy time much until recently (well, I'm not sure I'd say she likes it now) and I think that slowed down this milestone. A friend of mine who had an early walker swore his DD walked before she rolled over. I think there is a range of normal and I wouldn't worry about what you describe, but maybe mention it at the 6 month well-check.

[LMPC]

I agree with Snow Mom that you could just mention it at the 6 mo check up. But I bet that your ped says it's normal. Babies do things at different times. I was a little lax on the tummy time to begin with, so DD was a little slow to roll over. But she figured it out eventually. Try not to dwell too much it...you might miss some of the fun stuff! :waving4:

[bobeNC]

Agree with PP. Definitely mention all your concerns at the 6 mo check up to ease your mind and so that at the next check the ped follows up. My DD hated tummy time and I did not press the issue much but about two weeks ago she rolled over for the first time and now she happily rolls over all the time. Now she is just mad that she can't roll back on her own yet! Sounds like your DD is doing fine, hang in there.

[KrisM]

Maybe I'll add to my answer, since most disagree a bit.

DS1 rolled 2 times at 5 months and then not again until just past 9 months. He walked 2 weeks later. He hated tummy time. Hated it. He was sitting by 6 months though. We would rotate where we put him in his crib because he was denting the matress as he never moved. Never. It seemed odd, but everything was within normal ranges. He's 5 now and walks, jumps, and does everything he's supposed to.

My DD rolled earlier and crawled earlier, but walked much later. DS2 is rolling and crawling, but not walking.

Until we had DS2, we didn't realize how little the others babbled as babies. DS2 is a big talker and the others weren't, in hindsight.

I guess I am not a big worrier, so it wouldn't bug me. Most of those things will come up from the ped at 6 months anyway, so I'd wait until then.

[WatchingThemGrow]

I'd mention it at the 6 mo appt, but IME, the "range of normal" is huge. If you're reading the What to Expect book, I have to tell you we ALWAYS felt our DD was behind the curve. We didn't read that book with DS and felt like, "Wow! He's developing normally!" because we didn't have these preset expectations in our head that he should be doing this or that exactly at a certain time.

We definitely didn't give enough tummy time with DD, but once we realized it, we started putting her on her tummy in the crib after every diaper change while we washed our hands. We also put a washable blanket/pad in every room so we'd give her tummy time when we were folding laundry or doing whatever.

[justincase]

we started putting her on her tummy in the crib after every diaper change while we washed our hands. We also put a washable blanket/pad in every room so we'd give her tummy time when we were folding laundry or doing whatever.
I love these ideas. I hate just sitting/lying there trying to be cheerful and engaging while she struggles.

[Krisrich]

Thanks everyone! I will definitely talk about it at her six month check-up. Until then, you've helped me relax. LPMC- you are absolutely right- I don't want to miss the fun stuff!!!

[HIU8]

My DD rolled over once at that age and NEVER AGAIN. She would get stuck at her shoulder all the time. The ped wasn't worried b/c DD was HUGE and he felt that larger babies hit milestones later anyway. Since she rolled over once she did it and that was that. FWIW DD didn't crawl until between 11 and 12 months and didn't walk until 14 months.

[seedoubleyou]

She will in HER time, though you can try showing her how to, maybe she hasn't figured it out yet.

I do not believe in milestones in guide books as I believe each baby is unique. Like DS should be able to soothe himself to sleep already but he still can't, though he's progressing really quickly in coversations able to speak a few English words purposefully knowing their meaning, without being taught since age 2 mos.

[nrp]

I do not believe in milestones in guide books as I believe each baby is unique. Like DS should be able to soothe himself to sleep already but he still can't, though he's progressing really quickly in coversations able to speak a few English words purposefully knowing their meaning, without being taught since age 2 mos.

I don't mean to hijack - nor do I want to challenge another mama - but did I read this right to mean that your DS was speaking purposeful, intelligible words at two months???

[Kindra178]

Keep pushing tummy time. Also, if you are concerned, at your 6 month appt, don't be afraid to push for a px therapy consult or f/u 7 month check.