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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To think it's normal for a 4.5year old to fall over sometimes

36 replies

slugz · 21/03/2011 21:51

Dh insists there's something wrong with dd2. Says she walks weirdly, and still falls over (maybe once a fortnight) which in his opinion isn't normal.
I say she looks fine to me, but if he's concerned then he can take her for a checkup. He's annoyed that I won't take her, presumably because I usually do appointments etc, but what would I say? My daughter seems fine, would you look at her.
I have 2 older children, he has none.
I've tried to get dd2 to walk about so I could have a look, but once she knew we were looking she just started doing comedy walks quite deliberately. I found this quite funny, dh took it as evidence that she can't walk properly. He keeps doing impressions of what he says she walks like on the school run, which I can only liken to my friend with cerebral palsy when inebriated. I've certainly never seen her walk like that.
Obviously, you can't judge her walk over the net, but isn't it normal to still fall over and have scabby knees at 4.5?

OP posts:

colditz · 21/03/2011 21:53

Ds2 is a walking bruise - he is 4.11. And yet he's not remotely clumsy - infact he's quite graceful - but he's also quite harum scarum.

CarGirl · 21/03/2011 21:55

Could she have dyspraxia - it would mean she is clumsy and possibly struggle a little with speech pronounciation?

Original poster

slugz · 21/03/2011 21:56

Does he just trip headlong while running along pavements?

OP posts:

henrysmate · 21/03/2011 21:56

I'm 44 and I still do, if that helps at all :)
Has he got a mobile he can film this strange walking on maybe, that way if he can show it to you and if you can happily explain it away you can help him to stop worrying.

Original poster

slugz · 21/03/2011 21:57

I don't consider her clumsy at all generally. She's great at catching and stuff already. She just seems to trip while walking/running a fair bit. I thought that was normal.

OP posts:

chipmonkey · 21/03/2011 21:57

Can't judge the walk without seeing but falling over is certainly normal for a 4.5 year old. Let him take her for a check up if he's concerned!

Original poster

slugz · 21/03/2011 21:59

I do the school run more often than him (and he often takes the car) so I see her walking. The only difference is that she usually holds his hand, but charges about for me.

OP posts:

CarGirl · 21/03/2011 22:01

Could she just be a bit of a daydreamer so if she's not focusing on catching etc she trips easily.

I agree get him to take her for a check up if he's bothered!

One of my dds walked/ran strangely. Turned out she had poor upper & lower body co-ordination. It was amazing what a difference her treatment made. She used to run forwards but sort of from side to side as well like a young toddler IYSWIM.

Original poster

slugz · 21/03/2011 22:01

Thanks chipmonkey, that's what I think. I'm positively encouraging him to take her to hv, because it's not my position to overrule and decide everything's OK.
He wants me to take her though, and seems to consider that I don't care much because I'm not worried.

OP posts:

PaperView · 21/03/2011 22:02

DS2 is Dyspraxic and falls over 700 times a day

NeverAttributeToMalice · 21/03/2011 22:02

DS (who seems a perfectly typical 5 year old) still does plenty of falling over. In fact, the other day, there were tears because he fell off a chair in the kitchen. For no reason whatsoever . I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing, because he literally went from sitting to being a heap on the floor.

YANBU

CarGirl · 21/03/2011 22:04

PaperView have you looked at treatment for retained reflexes it has really good results for dyspraxia....some info here

www.inpp.org.uk/

We went for her lack of sleep, sorting out her mobility/balance was an added bonus

ddubsgirl · 21/03/2011 22:04

ds1 is dyspraxic,he did and still does fall over thin air,when he was little we just thought he was clumsy,he was 11 before he found out about the dyspraxia

Valpollicella · 21/03/2011 22:04

DS is 4.5yo and is always falling over...mostly as he is massively distracted by everything.

I spend a lot of time saying 'Look where you are going...LOOK!!'

thisisyesterday · 21/03/2011 22:04

my eldest hasn't fallen over just while walking/running along for ages.

i don't know if it's normal or not

but i do think that you should listen to his concerns seriously, and maybe book an appt to see the GP together with her.
it isn't really fair on him to do the "well i have 2 older children and you don't so what do you know" thing

he has a genuine concern about her and you're just dismissing it, and i think that's quite unfair

hester · 21/03/2011 22:05

dd1 (5) falls/trips over daily. I'll admit I have sometimes wondered if this is entirely normal, but not enough to actually seek advice.

DorisIsAPinkDragon · 21/03/2011 22:05

dd1 is 5.7 and weekly at least falls over (it is often more than this) this is largely due to the fact she has a tendency to look where she's been rather than running to!

She is not as coordinated as some her age but neither is she desperately uncoordinated. I think like all chldren she will develop in her own time she is good a reading, and there is a spectrum for all development she is just further back on the coordination stuff and will progress in her own time.

(dd's old swimming teacher suggested that there was something wrong and had we spoken to the school who said there was no problem and she within normal range for her age, we have started ballet lessons since then which is alleged to help)

feetheart · 21/03/2011 22:05

colditz - LOVE 'harum scarum' - that's DS :) He's 5.5, very well coordinated but as he goes for everything with 100% enthusiasm he has already broken 2 bones (leg and wrist) and is always covered in bruises. He can trip over thin air and once a fortnight would be a huge relief - more like once every 2 days (with the occasional 3 in a day thrown in to keep us on our toes!)

OP - good idea about getting him to video what he means, if nothing else you have something to show a GP.

thisisyesterday · 21/03/2011 22:06

sorry, x-posted with your last post!

maybe he is worried that he is over-reacting, and that's why he wants you to take her?

next time you're out just let her walk ahead a bit and then he can show you what it is he is talking about?

PaperView · 21/03/2011 22:07

Will have a look at that CarGirl thank you.

suzikettles · 21/03/2011 22:09

Ds has a slightly strange gait - he's 4.4 and still walks slightly like a toddler iyswim.

It was first pointed out to me when he was being fitted for shoes that his ankles were quite significantly pronating but we were told that this was in the range of normal and he'd likely grow out of it and just to keep an eye on it and get supportive, well fitting shoes.

It has got a bit better but it's still not quite right and he does trip quite a bit/isn't great at running so I'm making an appointment with the hv to see if he should be referred.

It's worth getting checked out I think.

octopusinabox · 21/03/2011 22:10

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

CarGirl · 21/03/2011 22:11

A few of you have mentioned that a bit unco-ordinated thing, that was so my dd - she couldn't scooter, she was really slow at running etc but fine motor skills and imagination was streets ahead.

She learnt to run properly within a month of starting treatment - it was very odd tbh! Again it wasn't so odd that she wasn't in a normal range. We went to sort out her adrenalin levels (she didn't sseem to need any sleep } and sorting out her co-ordination was an amazing extra.

She's incredibly good at ballet now tbh - she's a bit of a perfectionist , not sure if that's a good thing.......

Bubbaluv · 21/03/2011 22:26

My DS is only 3.5 but he falls over EVERY day! And I would say he is extremely coordinated (catching, kicking, batting etc). If you run around all the time you're going to fall over!

bilblio · 21/03/2011 22:59

DD is only 3.5 but her shins are a constant bruise, she runs and plays and falls over. All part of growing up in my book.
The first thing I'd do though is check her shoes. Do they fit well and are they sensible shoes for playing in rather than pretty shoes?

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