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!

Dd1 was 8 months + when she sat. She was very happy on her tummy and could move herself about from 5 months - so appeared to feel no need to sit. Moving and rolling was much more fun!

my sis did not sit up until after she was 10 months My mum tells me the doc told her that she was just a "floppy" baby. She is now 25 and fit as a fiddle. Different babies, different development ages.

Don't worry. Your HV is being over cautious.

Our dd didn't sit unaided until 15months. She is a twin, born at 36 weeks. She worked out how to kneel up instead. In the end, but not til about 9 months, our HV referred us to an OT who visited at home and diagnosed weak tummy muscles. She gave us exercises to do through play, lots of row your boat and cycling legs and eventually she strengthened and caught up. She walked at 17 months and hasn't stopped since. Now entirely normal bonkers 4 yr old.

DD1 didn't sit until around 8 months. She learned to crawl quite early on and then couldn't see the point in sitting still.

They are all different, but your DD is only 5 months corrected- she still has a few months left to be 'average' for sitting, she's nowhere near 'late'. The HV is talking nonsense.

dd was about 10 months i think.

don't worry x

You need to address the issue???? Where on earth do they get these people from? FWIW DS sat unaided at 7 months, as did most of my friend's DCs. There didn't seem to be much variation in this one.

Your HV is talking nonsense. Saw ped last week for a check (ds 10 weeks early) and he thought 8 months (corrected) and 9 months for pulling himself were good!

2 of ours sat at 8 months-ish. (3rd dc is a whole other matter.) For now would encourage lots of tummy time - on floor, across your legs, over cushion/rolled towel/wedge ........ to build up trunk muscles. Would probably start getting concerned and asking for a referral at 9 months.

I had a HV like yours OP. Ds was 7 weeks early and was delayed in all gross motor skills. He didn't sit up until 10 months. My GP banned her from seeing me as he got sick of her reporting back on ds's issues that she couldn't deal with.

My dd sat up at 9 months and even then was not that steady

My 9 month old can sit but wont, if I try and make her sit down she goes all stiff and wont bend her body! She much prefers crawling around and standing up to sitting. We have a bumbo but she can get out of it!

6-8 months was considered the normal range when dcs were little

Oh god WTF is up with Hvs? Why are they all so useless, thick and pointless? DD sat at 7 months....well within normal range!

Completely ridiculous. DD sat at 8 months.

DS didn't sit till 8 months, and he crawled a few days later. The nurse said it was preferable that sitting happened before crawling, not that there's a lot you can do about it. Anyway, he got them in the "right" order if just in the nick of time!

So no, I don't think you need to worry about 6m not sitting yet.

Why did the HV think the issue needed addressing? Was she worried about something other than the fact your dd is 6 months old and not sitting up on her own, yet (which as others have said is NOT in isolation even remotely concerning)? For example, did she think your dd was unusually floppy? Or still had serious head lag if you lifted her up from lying on her back by pulling her up by the arms with no head support???? Does she happily lift her head up when you put her on her tummy, or just lie with her face on the floor??? Or is your HV one of the histrionic type who think all children should spend their entire waking lives on their stomachs and is inflicting her monstrous opinions on the rest of the world?!...