Developing mobility - stages and ages?

[jennyh]

Hi

To all those who know me - please dont get bored of my incessant need to keep talking about mobility but I wanted to extend to a wider audience :)

Just caught a bit of saints and scroungers and its talking about muscular disability in a couple of children that presented itself around 1-2 years old and was evident from a lack of ability to walk well in the toddling stages. I'm interested in everyone's experiences of when their babies started walking etc...

My daughter is 11 months old and can go up on her hands and knees and commando crawl backwards but has no way of moving forward despite clearly wanting to. She doesn't bum shuffle and cannot go from lying to sitting yet.

She can stand supported but frequently stands on her tip-toes which seems to be a natural thing for her to do, if you try to encourage her to walk she will just dangle or sway around rather than have any instinct to take a step. Her legs do buckle frequently at the knees.

I am not one to panic over things like this and I am aware that babies develop in all manners and at different stages but I just want a teeny bit of reassurance having been slightly freaked out about the tv program...I should know better than to watch!

I feel that she has always been more interested in learning stuff rather than her mobility. She sat quite early and from that point has always been happy to sit and explore things with her hands, she tries to put her socks on, tries to do up buttons, poppers and zips, will hunt out a sesame seed on the other side of the room and make a bee-line to grab it! Really into looking at small details and things like opening/closing, putting things in/out etc. She has also always been a big baby and it strikes me that the heavier ones might take a bit longer to move around??

Anyway, just putting it out there! Feel free to comment if anything to say :)

[sillywoman]

I didn't see that programme Jennyh, but I'm willing to bet that there are loads of kids out there who didn't bother with crawling much (if at all) who have gone on to be perfectly normal developers. I know of two just in East Dulwich. Neither of them crawled - not at all, not even backwards - and just went straight from siting to walking, one at 13 months, the other at 16 months. Both are now bright active & intelligent teenagers.

Personally I wouldn't worry too much just yet, but if you are fretting then I suggest you seek reassurance from your health visitor, development & any delay therein is their area of expertise. They'll soothe your anxieties I'm sure.

[Pickle]

My son didn't move AT ALL until he was 14 months, at which point he bottom shuffled. He first pulled himself to standing at 20 months and walked at 21 months - he is now 5 and to watch him with his peers you would never know that he walked a year later than some of them.

Daughter crawled at 11 months and walked at 15, completely different to her brother. Made me realise just how much easier to contain a late walker was ;-)

Try not to worry, and don't compare to others, it always makes you worry no matter what!

[minder]

I wouldn't worry yet but give it a couple of months to see how she goes. If she isn't weight bearing on her legs i.e. standing holding onto something unsupported, then maybe talk to your health visitor.

As you say, she is probably just not eager to explore things outside of her reach yet, and just happy to take everything in sitting in one position.

Can she roll over from lying down and then get into a hands and knees position?

I usually find that bottom shufflers are usually late walkers too.

[cuppa tea]

11 months is still really young. Personally I would do yourself a favor and throw away the development charts and stop watching programmes about it too. Worry and anxiety are not a helpful parenting tool. My second son was in the realms of a late walker at 18 months, but a month later he was on his scooter going down hills and up the top of a climbing frame! His coordination and balance is really really good. My first son walked at around 13 months and was constantly flat on his face and I had to be so aware of dangers all the time as he didn't have nearly as much awareness of it. The do things when they are ready and in their own time. You can't rush it. Walking is difficult to master. If by any chance there is something amiss it will become apparent and you will have a feeling for it. I don't know anything about muscular disability, but I would imagine there are lots of obvious signs? Getting up on your hands and knees and commando crawling backwards do take a fair bit of muscle strenth.

[Fuschia]

I think if you are worried, see the hv. They will either reassure you or give some indication when it might be a cause for

[Donkey]

My eldest rolled over at 14 months, shuffled at 15 months, refused to bear any weight on her legs at all until 16 months and was coaxed into walking (bribed with ice lollies) shortly after her brother arrived at 23 months. You'd never know it looking at her now...

[jennyh]

Thank you everyone! That does help, I just caught this stupid program and got drawn in. I am sure that she will get there eventually and I am in no real hurry to have her completely mobile as Iknow that everything changes!

Funnily enough she has just today started trying to pull herself up to standing using the sofa and has got the hang of lifting her hands when in crawling position but not going anywhere yet.

I should have known better than to worry! I will def go to the HV though if I start freaking about anything like this again!

[Monkey]

My daughter started crawling at 10 months but unlike yours would not stand supported. The crawling only started when she started in a nursery full of crawlers! She walked at 16 months and now "puts the boys to shame on the climbing frame" according to the nursery and I often get comments from parents re: how agile she is. Mention it to the hv to put your mind at rest but don't worry about it.