9 months and really not at all mobile - call EI or wait?

[lmh2402]

UPDATE:
Had our EI eval today. Coincidentally she is 10 months today too.

She qualified for services - they sited significant delays in gross motor. and also in communication, which totally caught me off guard. she is a quiet baby, but i think i was actually fairly grateful for that given the not-quiet-ever state of DS. it's not like she's silent. just quiet.

I think I was actually sort of expecting her to not qualify, even though I had obviously initiated the call for a reason. So I'm feeling kind of anxious/bummed that something is obviously not quite right. but hopefully we'll be able to address fairly quickly.

Thanks for the feedback and suggestions to call.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

DD turned 9 months this week.

She rolls like a fiend. But that's it.

She shows absolutely no interest, or ability, to crawl.

I know not all babies crawl, but don't they usually find some other means for movement other than rolling? Like scooting or something?

She literally just sits where you put her and reaches and reaches for stuff if it rolls out of her range. And then she'll cry.

She has never, ever gotten up on her knees.

She seems to not know how? Or maybe she's lacking the strength?

She also still really doesn't do much standing. Meaning, if we're holding her up, she will still very often collapse her legs - she doesn't push up for long at all.

I'm starting to get worried.

Thoughts?

Thx.

[crl]

If you are worried, call EI. That's pretty much my standard advice, but I learned with my first kid to really trust my instincts if I thought something was off.

Catherine

[TwoBees]

What does the ped say? Is he/her worried?

If you can get an EI eval at no cost, I say definately have one done. At the very least, it will put your mind at ease.

[Philly Mom]

DD did not crawl until 9 months and a couple days. She did not even roll much even though she could. I think the pudgier babies have a harder time crawling. DH never crawled. He only rolled. I know lots of babies who only rolled. I would not worry about it. My ped said to just make sure to give opportunities for DD to pull herself up to a standing position.

[PZMommy]

I don't think it would hurt to call EI. My son wasn't even sitting or really rolling by 9 months, so we called EI, and he has been getting, PT, OT, and speech, and it has made a world of difference.

[AngB]

What does the ped say? Is he/her worried?

If you can get an EI eval at no cost, I say definately have one done. At the very least, it will put your mind at ease.

I have a few friends who had their kids evaluated for speech that I never would have guessed would qualify b/c they both say a lot of words, but they both do and are now getting speech therapy. (One is 2 and not saying phrases/sentences at all. The other has lots of words at 15 months but uses the same sound or something like that.)

It can't hurt to have her evaluated, I probably would.

[lmh2402]

i can get and EI eval for free

I haven't really asked pedi about it yet - she's not being seen for check-up until early May.

Was thinking maybe I should wait until after that appt - maybe by then she'd be doing something movement-wise.

But I just getting increasingly anxious

Philly Mom -does your DD try to pull to standing?

I guess part of my concern is, DD is literally not trying to do anything.

If I lay her down, she rolls around and that's it. She does not try to get into crawling position. Doesn't try to push to sitting. She really doesn't push up much at all.

And she never ever tries to pull to standing. Ever. As I said, even when I put her in standing, she usually collapses her legs.

[BDKmom]

My DD will be 11 mos next week, and only started getting mobile in the past couple of weeks. Right now she can push herself around in a circle if she's on her belly and scoot on her bottom in a circle. Just this week was the first time she got herself into a sitting position from laying. And yesterday was the first time she got up on all fours, but she couldn't figure out what to do from there. She will stand if I hold her up, but doesn't attempt to pull up on her own.

Has your DD had her 9 month check up yet? I would talk to your pedi. Ours said that my DD seems to have good strength and muscle tone, so he's not worried yet. She spent all of February and most of March with ear infections, which he says may have set her back a little, with her not feeling well and her balance possibly off.

Whether you go with EI eval or check with pedi, if you are concerned, get her checked out. But I think there is a wide range of normal with this stuff.

[waitingforgrace]

I'd call EI for the eval. It may take a little time to get the eval done so I would call now. No harm in having the evaluation done then you can decide what to do from there.

[BDKmom]

If I lay her down, she rolls around and that's it. She does not try to get into crawling position. Doesn't try to push to sitting. She really doesn't push up much at all.

And she never ever tries to pull to standing. Ever.

I didn't see your post before I posted above, but this was my DD exactly until about a week ago.

[Katigre]

If she is on her tummy, does she push up on her hands enough to lift her chest off of the ground and her arms to straighten?

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[MamaMolly]

Lula was a lump of a baby. She didn't really crawl until about a year but then walked at 14 months. She loved to pull up and jump though. I think some babies are less mobile than others, but if it will reassure you then there is absolutely no harm in getting an eval. May isn't far away if you want to wait and talk to the ped. Two weeks or so won't make a huge difference in treatment if she does need intervention, right?

Gee, that is kind of like me saying a lot of nothing! ;) I guess I mean you can't go wrong by waiting or by going ahead.

[lmh2402]

If she is on her tummy, does she push up on her hands enough to lift her chest off of the ground and her arms to straighten?

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no, definitely not. she pushes, but never to straight arms

[crl]

My Ped wanted to wait with ds and I decided to call anyway. He qualified for speech and OT both. I loved my Ped, but I don't really rely on them for the more subtle developmental stuff.

Catherine

[brittone2]

Does she pivot in prone? Like if she's on her tummy, does she spin around a bit to reach toys (like a clock hand would spin on a clock?).

Does she mostly push up on forearms then, not hands?

When she rolls, is she pushing up on straight arms to get herself over? Is she rolling both back to belly and belly to back?

Not crawling (belly crawl/military style) and not creeping isn't necessarily enough to get her qualified at that age. My DS1 didn't belly crawl until 8.5 months and I worked as a pedi PT. THat was still in the range of normal.

If you have concerns, an EI eval wouldn't hurt. It is hard to say without seeing her to know if low muscle tone, etc. might play a part.

Is she sitting well? Does she need to use her hands to prop up? Can she play with a toy using her hands while sitting? Does she get into sitting on her own?

[Katigre]

I personally would be concerned and very an evaluation. If she had weak core Malta is better to get that addressed since rather than later,

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[lmh2402]

Does she pivot in prone? Like if she's on her tummy, does she spin around a bit to reach toys (like a clock hand would spin on a clock?). YES, SHE CAN SPIN

Does she mostly push up on forearms then, not hands? I HAVE TO LOOK -I'M NOT SURE

When she rolls, is she pushing up on straight arms to get herself over? Is she rolling both back to belly and belly to back? SHE'S GOING IN BOTH DIRECTIONS. NOT SURE ABOUT STRAIGHT ARMS, WILL NOTICE

Not crawling (belly crawl/military style) and not creeping isn't necessarily enough to get her qualified at that age. My DS1 didn't belly crawl until 8.5 months and I worked as a pedi PT. THat was still in the range of normal.

If you have concerns, an EI eval wouldn't hurt. It is hard to say without seeing her to know if low muscle tone, etc. might play a part.

Is she sitting well? Does she need to use her hands to prop up? Can she play with a toy using her hands while sitting? Does she get into sitting on her own? SHE IS SITTING WELL AND HAS BEEN DOING SO SINCE SIX MONTHS - ABSOLUTELY NO ISSUES IN SITTING. BUT NO, SHE'S NEVER GOTTEN INTO SITTING ON HER OWN

thanks, everyone

[AnnieW625]

Don't take this the wrong way but I don't think you need any additional stress in your life so I would think about enrolling her in a city activity class, Gymboree, Little Gym, or My Gym class before calling EI. I had some concearns with DD2 at 6 mos. (she wouldn't roll over or sit up) and after she was going to the class (Gymboree) she started doing much better. It was also easier for me to go to Gymboree once a week vs. schedule a visit with the ped., get the referral to EI, get approved and potentially take time off work for PT. . DD2 didn't crawl until close to 10 months and she didn't walk until two weeks shy of 18 months. DD2 was my reflux baby as well.

eta: my mom said I never crawled, but scooted around on my butt, and started walking on my own one day at 15 months. I just got up and walked with no help. My mom said that has been my personality since the day I was born.

[MSWR0319]

DS1 did not do anything but roll until about 11 months. Some point between 9 and 11 months he would lay on his back and push with his feet to get somewhere and then he started trying to pull about about 11 months. He didn't start getting into a sitting position until about 10 months maybe and it was not in the "normal" way. He started walking about a week after his birthday and then started crawling!! Our ped was not worried, as she said some kids just don't crawl. I did not know what "normal" was so I just listened to her. DS2 crawls and sits and does all the stuff he's "supposed" to. If I had had him first, I would have been terrified of the things I saw with DS1 and worried he wasn't developing right. My kids are very different in their development. If you think you'd feel better getting an eval, I would. But given what you've described I wouldn't be overly worried. Sounds like my DS1 and he's perfectly normal! FWIW, I almost wish DS2 didn't crawl because he won't even attempt to walk unless he's holding on to something because he knows he can drop to his knees. Where DS1 didn't know how to crawl so he just started walking.

[flashy09]

Just as reassurance, my DD didn't crawl until 10.5 months. She pulled up, but not until 10 months. No scooting or anything. She walked at 14 months, which is also on the later side of normal (at least compared to her friends, she was the second to last one). However now at 16 months she is running and climbing all over the place and there is no difference between her and her peers. I personally wouldn't worry about no crawling at 9 months.

She also mostly made sing song noises rather than babbled until 10.5 months and I was worried. Now she has many words and her Ped. said she is ahead of the game.

I posted about both issues at the time at about the same age as your DD. Hope that helps!

[tabegle]

Call EI. If nothing else, it will put you at ease. If not, you'll be glad you started earlier than later.

I called EI for my son's speech. They came out, did an evaluation, and made me feel so much better. I felt bad about using the county's resources for the evauluation, especially after the specialists said he was fine, but they put me at east for that too.

That's what they are there for. To help.

[Philly Mom]

DD basically just woke up one morning and was sitting up in her crib. I have no idea how she got there (I ran and grabbed my camera). I brought her downstairs and within 20 minutes she was crawling. On her first birthday, she all of sudden was just standing in her crib, and she took her first unassisted steps later that day.

[edurnemk]

DS crawled until he was 10.5 months, until then he rolled to get to places, he did start doing a military crawl at some point, but 9 months is still early to worry IMO, unless there's other factors.

DD is about a week older than yours, IIRC, she's nowhere near crawling and she can't get to sitting on her own. But she rolls, can sit up without using her hands for support, etc. However she does have some motor issues in her left arm for which she is receiving PT and OT, so she's not a typical case.

BTW my eldest brother and I never crawled and we did fine!

I'd just mention it to the Ped at her next check up.

[happymom]

Your DD sounds like mine was and she qualified for PT right about that age. My pediatrician expressed concern at 9 months that she wasn't bearing any weight in her legs at all so I had her evaluated. Here is an excerpt from the PT report (this is from the end of the report, so basically a summary)- thought it might help you.

"X is a cute 9-month old girl who presents with low muscle tone (floppiness) and weak muscle strength. She exhibits significant gross motor delays. X is not playing in prone through extended arms, nor is she pivoting or crawling. X also exhibits an abnormal response to supported standing. She retracts her legs off the surface and will not put any weight through them at all. X is not attempting to move forward in prone or to pull to standing. She is therefore not exploring her environment appropriately. X's poor motor planning skills and delayed gross motor development can negatively impact on other areas of development. As a result, physical therapy services are strongly recommended at this time."


Good luck!

I can email you the whole report if you want- PM me. But I think its worth having her evaluated, even if just to put your mind at ease as PP's said.

[Kindra178]

If you are worried, call EI. That's pretty much my standard advice, but I learned with my first kid to really trust my instincts if I thought something was off.

Catherine

This. Call EI. Sometimes it take a few months to get the evaluations scheduled. You could also ask your ped for a private pt eval if your insurance covers such.

[MSWR0319]

I just remembered this and wanted to post. DS2 (11.5 months) was getting into a sitting position on his own, crawling, or pulling up at his 9 months checkup. They told me to call in a month if he wasn't attempting any of these. They told me just to encourage him to try to pull up. I'm not kidding you, after giving him a little help by holding his bottom a few times, he was pulling up. Within 2 weeks of the appt he was crawling, pulling up and had just started getting into a sitting position.

[amom526]

If she is sitting and rolling etc, I would not be worried, but I would definitely call. DS has some motor planning things and just couldn't figure out how to do any of the things you mention. Once he got PT, he made pretty quick progress. He was not mobile at all until close to 12 months, then started scooting. With PT he learned to pull up, and eventually walk at 19 months.

The fact that she has made enough progress to be rolling around and sitting up etc. tells me there is nothing major to be concerned about. But IME pediatricians are not good at these kids of things. My ped just told us to wait - I'm sure DS would have walked eventually but it may have taken a lot longer. They can pick up major issues, but don't really get how things like PT or OT can help in the early stages.

[lmh2402]

Thanks, guys.

I never crawled either, but I apparently scooted.

And I also walked at 10 months.

So I guess I was just thinking that if they're not mobile in one way, as long as they are trying to get mobile in another manner, than it's ok.

My worry is she seems stuck. I paid more attention after this post - she really WANTS to move. but she is definitely not pushing much with straight arms, if at all. And she really doesn't push with her legs either.

I think I'm going to call just to see what the wait is like. I can always cancel if she starts moving, right?

[mommylamb]

DS2 is on a similar trajectory. He didn't start crawling until he was 10 months, and also rolled everywhere. He is 14 months now, and apparently he took a couple steps yesterday at daycare, but I am yet to see that happen. I'm hoping he's solidly walking by the time we go in for his 15 month appointment, and if not, I'll probably be calling EI. But I"m hoping it doesn't come to that.

[teresah00]

I dealt w the IU for speech in the 3-5yo. It was a huge hassle. DD is 8m and gets PT from the IU 0-3 program. I was amazed at how quickly everything went from my initial call to PT starting in my home. My ped wasn't concerned but

Hit post too soon.. She singed the papers anyway
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[AngB]

Thanks, guys.

I never crawled either, but I apparently scooted.

And I also walked at 10 months.

So I guess I was just thinking that if they're not mobile in one way, as long as they are trying to get mobile in another manner, than it's ok.

My worry is she seems stuck. I paid more attention after this post - she really WANTS to move. but she is definitely not pushing much with straight arms, if at all. And she really doesn't push with her legs either.

I think I'm going to call just to see what the wait is like. I can always cancel if she starts moving, right?

Honestly, I think they would rather see her and tell you it was nothing or it may be an easy fix, then wait until she may be further behind* and more work.

(*Not suggesting she is behind at all, I really don't know, just hypothetically speaking.)

It seems like to me a lot of ped's say "oh that's normal" or okay with speech/motor development when in fact the child does qualify for services/therapy. I know that was the case with at least one of the kids that qualified for speech. My doctor has mentioned to us that his daughter didn't walk till she was 18 months and that's perfectly normal, I don't know that I would wait till 18 months with either of my kids without having them evaluated if they weren't walking by 18 months.

[brittone2]

DS2 is on a similar trajectory. He didn't start crawling until he was 10 months, and also rolled everywhere. He is 14 months now, and apparently he took a couple steps yesterday at daycare, but I am yet to see that happen. I'm hoping he's solidly walking by the time we go in for his 15 month appointment, and if not, I'll probably be calling EI. But I"m hoping it doesn't come to that.
Walking even at 15-18 months is still in the normal range. Of course, a lot of the kids who walk on the later end of normal may have lower muscle tone pretty commonly. Tone, like lots of things, is a continuum. Some kids who walk late but aren't showing any other concerning development just have lower muscle tone than average.

Of course, I understand it would be nice to see him do it by 15 months.

And I always try to mention here that the tricky part is that a checklist of milestones only gives part of the picture. It doesn't always tell us about muscle tone, strength, whether there is something orthopedic going on, etc. so I hate to say yes/no based on a list of milestones alone. That's why I tend to recommend an eval if the parent is concerned, because unfortunately, it takes really observing the kid's quality of movement and other things that aren't as objective as yes/no on a checklist.

A kid walking late with no other concerns is less of an issue than a kid walking later than average with an unusual birth history, for example. The big picture is what is important.

But in and of itself, not walking until 15 months or a bit beyond isn't necessarily a big deal unless there are other developmental concerns.

[brittone2]

I do agree peds miss lots of these issues. IME they tend to focus on the checklist of milestones, which only gives a partial picture. And they of course look for very serious red flags for things like cerebral palsy or a brachial plexus injury. But a PT, OT, or SLP is going to do a 30-60 minute evaluation in most cases to really examine those skills and the underlying issues like muscle tone, strength, range of motion, birth history, etc.

The milestones checklists are helpful but only give part of the overall picture of development. That's what always makes these questions tough to answer. It can be totally normal to skip crawling, to walk a bit later than average, etc. or those things might be the first things that flag other concerns (orthopedic issues, low muscle tone, etc.). Milestones in and of themselves don't give the whole picture.

[Indianamom2]

:hug:I think you are wise to go ahead and set up an evaluation. There is nothing to lose by having one and only something to gain (either peace of mind or help). It can often take quite a while to get services, so go ahead and get on the schedule.

And yes, you can stop anytime you want or need to.

[123LuckyMom]

I would always err on the side of caution. There's probably nothing to worry about, but the EI evaluation is free, and they'll be able to let you know if help is warranted. It's easier to correct any kind of issue the earlier you catch it. Both my kids crawled early and then walked at exactly two days past their first birthdays. Our next door neighbor's DD didn't crawl until 15 months, and her speech is much farther behind my DS's, too (she's 4 now), but she's absolutely still within the range of normal. She has been evaluated. If I had concerns, I'd check it out!

[StantonHyde]

DS didn't crawl till 13 mos. He sat up by himself by 8 mos or so. He was on the long end for gross motor skills--fully walking by 17 mos. He is low tone now but never qualified for any intervention in that regard.

And then I had DD--who moved like a fiend!!!!!

[mom2binsd]

Another reassurance that it may just be later crawling, my DD didn't crawl until the day after we had her xray's done....she was a little over 12 months. She rolled a lot but wasn't too worried about pulling to standing or crawling. She was busy with things she had within reach, and loved to look at books, play in place and TALK!

She was also late to walk, like 16.5 months.

So each child is different, but at 9 months I don't know that I'd be that worried yet.

[♥ms.pacman♥]

my dd was a lot like you describe. by 10 months (well 9 mos adjusted) she was not even scooting (not crawling, for sure). no pulling up at all. whereas at that age my ds had been walking (he scooted around 6 months, crawled at 7). all other babies i knew were doing much more, or at least moving around. i could literally set her down somewhere and she wouldn't really move except for rolling around.

anyway u can search my past threads on this. i had her evaluated by EI at 10mo. they said she was delayed but not enough to qualify for services. she eventually scooted at 11mo, and around 12 mo started crawling. Took her first steps at almost 15months. Once she could walk things just got so much easier. She is 2 now and ped says she's doing great, no delays. She's nowhere near as active as DS was/is, but she has no problem running down the halls to her classroom :)i forget how hard it was one year ago, when she wasn't mobile at all.

anyway i would get it checked out by EI just to get feedback.

[llama8]

I would call EI. She may be fine, but she should probably being doing more, like pulling up, standing and cruising.

[lmh2402]

bump for update in OP

[edurnemk]

Kudos for you for following your instinct, she's getting help at such an early age that any delays will be solved easily! That's what everyone, including our Ped. neurologist, OT, PT tell me when I'm feeling discouraged.

DD turned 10 months last week and is nowhere near crawiling, sitting up on her own, etc. On her eval she came out great in other aspects but really delayed for gross motor, for some things she's in the 0-4 month range, others 4-8. It's hard to hear and deal with that, I know (DD has mild hemiparesis so it's expected). But you would not believe how fast she is progressing with therapy, so hang in there, your DD will catch up in no time.

[Still-in-Shock]

I totally understand being bummed that she qualified for services. You were hoping for reassurance and this was not the answer you wanted.

I was wondering if your DD's speech delay is more to do with her brother not letting her get a word in edgewise, but if she is with a therapist, she will at least get a chance to say something. ;)

Hoping you see great progress soon. :hug:

[kdeunc]

DD was gross motor delayed as well. She did not walk until 22 months. We started PT at 12 months. It is amazing the difference it made in a year. At a year she was sitting up and sliding around on her rear but would not bear weight on her legs. She will be 5 this summer and you would never know she had a "slow start". :) Hope all goes well with your little one.

[Giantbear]

my daughter did not sit up on her own until 13 months, walk until 19 months and stop tripping until ..... well, she is a bit of a klutz. She has been in service since 13 months and now is a jumping running fool. Still favors one side, but is currently going through evaluations for continued service by the school district, in ny county services end on the 3rd birthday, and no one expects her to qualify. The services work, just have patience.

[Indianamom2]

Well, I'm glad you went through with the eval. I know the feeling of not really expecting anything and then sort of being shocked by not only what you sort of suspected, but something else.

Does your DD babble at all? I had no idea (at your daughters' age) that my DD wasn't normal. She wasn't quiet....quite the opposite, she screamed all the time. But she didn't coo and babble and make happy sounds. When she wasn't screaming, she was just pretty quiet. It wasn't until much later that we realized that not babbling was a big red flag. However, you have caught this EXTREMELY early, which is fantastic and I am confident that your DD will be able to catch up in no time at all.

Do keep in mind that therapists can be great or mediocre and that you may need to request someone else eventually if you don't feel like you've found a good fit. The right therapist can make a world of difference.

[crl]

I totally understand asking for the eval., but still feeling unsettled when your kid qualifies for services. Catching things early is great though and that's wonderful that you scheduled the eval and can start getting help! :bighand:

Catherine

[s7714]

My DS qualified for services because he didn't sit unsupported until almost 9 months, didn't crawl, get on his knees, etc. He had low muscle tone and was a preemie. I got tons of slack from DH and MIL that nothing was wrong with him and it was ridiculous to pursue EI. I was of the opinion if he was far enough behind to qualify, how was it hurting anything to give him every advantage to catch up? EI never really had to do much for him other than observe and offer suggestions on how to help him learn body control. Then at about 14 months everything started to click. He went from newly crawling (at 1 year mind you) to walking in a matter of two months and is now fine. Now he is a running, climbing machine and does stuff some of his same aged "friends" haven't mastered yet.

I too found it a little stressful that he even qualified, but I have come to look at the EI therapists more as a supportive outlet than a true medical intervention type of thing. :hug:

[larig]

You are the most wonderful mom. Hurray for you for being so brave, it's a hard thing to do, and hard news to get, but you are doing the best thing for your DD. Way to go, you! :cheerleader1: