rocking is it normal?

[charleepeters]

My ds (8 months) has started rocking back and forth when hes sitting playing is this normal?

[flum]

yep, is the start of learning to crawl. she is learning balance

[charleepeters]

thats ok i was worried he had gone crazy! i thought they had to beable to roll over to start crawling???

[flum]

he even. doesn't mean will learn to crawl imminently just that he is learning that he can rock a bit and not fall over.

or he could be nuts like Arthur in Eastenders of course!!!

[charleepeters]

lol probably knowing my luck! any ideas on how to gt him to roll over he seems to desperatly want to get on the go but he cant roll over he gets half way then gets stuck!

[flum]

ermm, on a bed nice and soft. you could roll him back and forth. probably won't teach him how to do it (unless you can get into the hard wiring in his brain and hook a few neurons up) but it will make him laugh

all in good time he's only wee

[bobbybob]

He's stimulating his vestibular system, which will help his balance, it's a pre walking skill.

Lots of knee bouncing songs, pretending to be an aeroplane etc. will stimulate it further and he will probably really enjoy it, given that he chooses to do it when he's sat on his own.

[charleepeters]

thanks bobbybob im not to sure he will ever be a crawler thoguh he has no interest in rolling and doesnt like being on his stomach does this mean he will be a bum shuffler??? He loves his baby walker and loves to stand up hes not to fond of sitting and hates laying down.

[bobbybob]

He's only 8 months old. Ds didn't crawl (forward) until 13 months, enjoy your stationary boy. Walkers don't really stimulate the vestibular system as much as his own rocking, because he soon works out that he can't fall over and so just works within safe limits all the time.

Ds fell forward when rocking, then used his hands to push himself back to sitting. This built up his strength for crawling.