Worried about DD not sitting up, as advised by health visitor

[snowchick1977]

DD is 6 months old, 5 months corrected.

She is still not sitting up. Health visitor said this was concerning. She loves to kick about on her back and is happiest at groups if allowed to lie down. She sits ok in her bouncer and propped up in highchair and walker but wont sit up. She is quite skinny, so doesnt seem to have any "chub" to hold her up.

Health worker says I need to "address the issue" ????????

She is on her back a lot, as just seems happier. Tummy is ok too and happy in a Bumbo. She is the only one at groups not happy to sit up?

Help!

What a crock of shit. See here It says between 4 and 7 months. She'll get there in the end.

6 months is the average for sitting up, I think so I wouldn't be concerned at all.
Dd1 sat up at 6 months, but dd2 and ds crawled before sitting up, dd2 didn't reliably sit up before she was 10 months-at which point she was walking
Dd1 is the generally the least able physically. She did everything just about at the point of average!

I can remember dd1's HV telling me that they wouldn't have concerns about a non-sitting baby until around 9mths old.

6 months seems very early to be worried, even without the adjusted age issue.

HV is mental. DD is fine.

If you go by the evidence on MN alone, HVs are a bunch of loons.

My twins are nearly seven months, 6 corrected, and not sitting up, they have very strong legs but seem to be floppy in the middle area!

Im not in the least bit worried, the hv shouldnt have said that to you, it really annoys me when they do that!

She will do it eventually :)

My hv commented that ds started sitting too early. I have of course sellotaped him, on his back, to the rug.

You can't win.

6 months and not sitting is fine.

My twins were born two months early and sat up at 10 months (8 months corrected), they are absolutely fine no probs at all

Crock of shite! Please don't let this worry cloud your enjoyment of your lovely baby, gorgeous baby.

I have 3. NOWHERE near close to sitting at 6 months. All sat just over 7 months ish, wobbly but solid by 8 months. All never turned over really till they could crawl.

I am so cross with your health visitor.

What happens when you sit her up OP? It sounds like she can sit ok in a bumbo but not so keen unaided. As the others have said, lots of babies don't sit solidly until they are older but some (like my DD) have needed a bit of help to develop the muscles in order to sit.

HV could be being very overcautious as 6 months isn't usually a concern.

load of rubbish

My ds sat up later but by that I mean 10/11 months... this was a concern (he has cp) but until 9 months corrected noone gave two hoots, and they wouldn't have cared about it at 10 apart from other issues which combined as a concern.

Developmentally you have a 5 month old baby. Because she was prem se may have slightly lower tone in her trunk (no concern at all but DS physio can tell a prem by their muscle tone) which mean she is unlikely to sit at the early end of the spectrum.

My dd is 6 months in 2 weeks and cant sit unaided. Very happy on her back, although getting frustrated that she can't move, but rolling side to side, has done one roll over a week ago but that's it.

HV saw me Monday just gone and was really pleased with her. No issue at all with not sitting up (wasn't even mentioned in fact).

They'll do it in their own time.

Continue doing what you're doing. Mum knows best!

My eldest 3 all walked long before they could sit unaided. DC4 didn't even try to sit up until 9 months, but he was the first of mine to sleep on his back - the others were born before the Back to Sleep campaign. DC5 sat up at 6 months but then didn't walk until 15 months. They are all totally different.

I think your HV is talking out of her backside TBH.

yup, all the info I've seen is 4-7 months.
and that's allowing for corrected, so you can allow another month on that - so for you it would be 5-8 actual months.

Don't worry about it - stressing will make it seem worse, and your HV is wrong to put that on you.
Batty woman (her not you!)

Ah, yet another mental and unhelpful health visitor. Not called Alison is she? Nope, not abnormal at all. Don't worry.

ds sat at 8 months. I know children who did not sit independently until they were a year old. All these children are now fine. I don't think that it is considered a matter for referal until a child is over a year.

Ds had a physio because of only being able to walk on tiptoes. His feet were stuck in ballerina position. Our physio told me that she got seriously concerned about not sitting at two years old and not walking at four years old. (Ie. thinking that that the child may never sit or walk)

I suggest plenty of tummy time. If your baby hates tummy time then lie on a bed yourself and put your baby on your chest. That way when your baby lifts her head she will see your face and she will enjoy the cuddle.

Most babies hate being put tummy down on the floor. Its uncomfortable and the can see mummy.

Ds2 didn't sit up unaided until he was 9 months.

It is not 'cause for concern', not at all. I would suggest you don't accept anymore appointments with that HV (or any other unless there's some reason you feel a real need to), there's the odd good one (some are even on MN) but the vast majority are clueless & damaging.

5/6 months is fairly early to sit unaided. My ds could sit in a bumbo/hold his head up and sit fairly straight in a lap at that age, but couldn't sit up unaided on the floor. I have a video of him at 7 months sitting for a few moments on the floor surrounded by cushions before toppling over!

He sat at about 7/8 months, crawled at 9 months and walked at 11 months by the way, so in no way was he delayed. He now runs, jumps, climbs and dances at 18 months so not sitting by 6 months hasn't been an indication of anything!

My DS is almost 6 months and can only sit unaided for a few moments, if he's in the right mood! There was a baby physiotherapist at my baby group on thursday and she said that it was normal, she wouldn't expect him to be stable at his age. I think your HV is talking out of her arse, ignore her!

DD didn't sit up unaided until she was about 9 months old. I wasn't in the least bit worried. Luckily I had an understanding HV. DD did everything late. She started pulling herself up at 12 months and walked unaided at 16 months. There is nothing wrong with her - she just followed my family in being late at every milestone.

Ds has developmental delays in all areas, and one of the first things that we were concerned about was the fact that he didn't sit in any way (he first sat unsupported at a year), but he was also delayed in other ways, he showed no interest in toys, hated being on his back, didn't babble, had trouble with solids (still has tongue thrust reflex). The HV did a schedule of growing skills when he was 7 months, which showed him to be at the level of a 1 month old in most areas. She also said that they usually look at a baby developmentally at 8 months, and if a baby wasn't sitting by then, then there may be a cause for concern. The fact that your dd was premature should surely have been taken into account?

One of mine was 11 months before she could sit up reliably!! She had silent reflux so didn't get any tummy or back time so not surprising.

Just give her opportunities to practice and lots of time, I wouldn't be concerned at all she is only 5 months corrected.

DS didn't sit unaided until nearly 8 months. He walked at 9!

your Health Visitor is a bit of a divvie! My DD1 didn't sit up properly until 7 months, no questions asked.

They're all different and do things at their own paces!

Two out of my four didn't sit up until after 8 months, the other two did it stupidly early. Please don't worry and sack off your HV :)