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Behaviour/development

Talk to others about child development and behaviour stages here. You can find more information on our development calendar.

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Original poster

8 months, not rolling or bearing weight

21 replies

SpanielFace · 01/05/2013 07:04

I hate getting bogged down by milestones, but I'm just starting to get a little anxious about DS, who is 8 months. He's not yet rolling over or bearing weight on his legs.

He has rolled front-to-back a few times accidentally, but never deliberately, and never the other way - he rolls up onto his side sometimes but then flops back down. He will kick his legs, and can bounce in his bouncer, but if you hold him & try to get him to support his own weight he collapses after about a second! He hates being on his tummy so I can't see him crawling any time soon.

Otherwise he seems fine. He's sitting unassisted pretty reliably now, and a smiley, sociable, busy little boy. He uses his hands well, plays with toys & babbles all the time. Do you think there is any cause for concern?

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Ubermumsy · 01/05/2013 12:34

I wouldn't worry too much. My DS sat unassisted really well, but didn't roll, weight bear or move around until he was around 11 months - and even then he didn't crawl, he bumshuffled. He also couldn't sit up from a lying position until he was about 18 months old, the same time as he walked. He hated tummy time with a vengeance too! He's now 3 and perfectly normal physiologically (or, at least, no more clumsy than the average 3 year old).

Unless you have any other causes for concern, of course - what are his fine motor skills like? Eye contact all OK?

TheChaoGoesMu · 01/05/2013 12:50

Sounds ok to me, although I'm no expert. My dd didn't roll until 9 months, and didn't crawl until 11 months. She started to weight bear at 11 months hanging on to the furniture and took her first steps at 14 months.

She never did tummy time at all btw, she hated it so I didn't bother. She got there in the end.

Shootingstarsandcomets · 01/05/2013 12:51

My ds is the same. Rolled over 5 times in his life and only tummy to back.
Watching with interest to see how normal this is!

IShallCallYouSquishy · 01/05/2013 12:54

My DD didn't roll once until the same day she started crawling at 9.5 months.

I can assure you I was just as worried as you are, looking at all the baby development stuff etc but she did it in her own time.

My theory was she hated being on her tummy so why would she willingly put herself on it?!

Babies get their in their own time

flakjacket · 01/05/2013 13:02

My DD didn't roll or bear weight. In fact she didn't bear her own weight til she was about 14 months - she just used to flip her legs up if anyone tried to make her! She didn't crawl until she was 18 months (and I'm pretty sure she sisn't roll either) and then walked at 22 months. She had caught up with all her friends within 6 weeks and could run with the best of them.

She's now nearly 10, very athletic and in the top sets for everything. Still an awkward little so and so though!!

flakjacket · 01/05/2013 13:03

didn't (not sisn't) obviously...

flakjacket · 01/05/2013 13:04

And yes I was really worried too. We now look back and laugh

Original poster

SpanielFace · 01/05/2013 17:16

Thanks for the reassuring replies.

His eye contact and fine motor skills all seem normal, and he seems to be doing everything else that he should be otherwise. It's just so nice to hear from people whose babies are/were similar, I will try not to worry about it.

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Jergens · 01/05/2013 19:02

DD1 was similar to above posts. Didn't weight bear for ages. Never crawled. Hated tummy time. Only rolled to get off her front.
She bumshuffled from 15 mos and walked at 20 mos.
So, she was behind with gross motor skills. BUT she started speaking at 9 mos and had 6-7 word sentences by 15 mos. Think she was focussed on her Lang development at the expense of moving!

hellohellohihi · 01/05/2013 19:12

I highly recommend going to see a cranio osteopath!

Ubermumsy · 01/05/2013 20:35

Why, hellohello?

AmandinePoulain · 01/05/2013 20:42

Cranial osteopath? What on earth for?!

My nearly 9mo has never rolled over, hates tummy time and seems to have no idea what to do with her legs to get crawling, she sort of rocks and I can see the frustration in her face before she with falls forward or sits back up. She does weight bear though, but won't move one foot in front of the other and try to walk whilst holding a pushalong, as it moves away she just leans further and further forward until I catch her . She's completely different to her big sister who was crawling and cruising by now. I'm not worried, and nor was the HV at her 8 month check. She'll get there in her own time.

mumto2crazygals · 01/05/2013 21:10

my lo didnt roll til 10month and was walking by 12months. dont worry about it. xx

hellohellohihi · 01/05/2013 22:39

Our cranio lady is wonderful. I take dd to see her for all sorts and it's worked wonders for many things from colic to late walking to not taking a bottle.

It's a bit like physio. I would suggest getting some recommendations for one locally to you and going for an initial consultation where a cranial osteopath or cranio-sacral therapist worth their salt will be able to tell you if they can help or not, without charging for that first session.

SimLondon · 01/05/2013 23:12

tummy time is really important in terms of physical development, bouncers/walkers etc are really bad in terms of helping them develop.

But they all get there in the end :-)

Original poster

SpanielFace · 02/05/2013 14:27

Thanks everyone. Not a great believer in alternative therapies and I can't see how cranio-osteopathy would really help. Also surely seeking "treatment" implies that there is a problem, when I would have thought that so long as he's within the limits of what is normal (which from the replies here, it looks like he is), it's best to let him do things in his own time?

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AmandinePoulain · 02/05/2013 14:43

I'm struggling with how cranial osteopathy can encourage a bottle refuser to take a bottle, or get a baby to walk to be honest , how does that work then? And more to the point, thinking of the walking thing here, I mean I get why you'd want a baby to take a bottle, but why?!

Original poster

SpanielFace · 02/05/2013 19:12

What Amandine said

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hellohellohihi · 02/05/2013 19:42

Have you ever looked into it? I'm not too sure of the exact science of it all but it would seem the nerves coming out from the skull can have an impact on how the body functions elsewhere.

My friend had taken her baby because her HV recommended it as it was painful breastfeeding on one side. My baby was very fussy as a newborn, didn't nap well (though slept at night ok), got hiccups A LOT and my friend recommended the CO she'd been to. I took DD and she could tell she had a poor suck reflex (which is why she was resisting a bottle and dummy) and wasn't feeding efficiently from me either. She did some work on her and gave me some bits to do to stimulate her suck reflex and a v short time after she took a bottle.

I'd also mentioned she wouldn't sleep in her car seat when everyone else had said that was a guaranteed way to get their babies off. I mentioned the poor napping in general but ok sleep at night. The CO felt her head and asked if we'd had a quick birth (we did) and suspected the plates in DD's skull that move/overlap during birth hadn't quite gone back to where they should so effectively her head was being compressed and therefore she was getting overstimulated much of the time - ie a car journey would just be stressful for her rather than bumping her off to sleep. Her head was also v solid whereas the CO said it should be squishier. After a few sessions her head was softer and a different shape! And she slept MUCH better in the day and went straight off every time we got in the car.

CO picked up on tightness in DDs abdomen that she released off and her hiccups all but disappeared. Also DD had always been a tense baby to hold. She'd be pushing up and back if she was at my shoulder. Friends babies were always softer and calmer. A few sessions with CO and she too was softer and more relaxed.

When, at 15 months, dd wasn't walking I took her again. I'd noticed her left foot seemed weaker than her right - ie she didn't seem as keen to bear weight on it, when she crawled it turned inwards rather than outward. I toon her back to CO who said she could feel tightness in her pelvis. She loosened that off and 2 days later dd was walking confidently. Even nursery commented on the abrupt change. We actually had a physio referral and they gave us nothing in terms of suggestions of exercises. The CO gave us lots of things to do (she's an ex physio actually).

That's why I'd recommend it :)

In fact dd is walking a bit wonky, preferring her right side. So I think there's still some work to be done to even out her left side. It's nothing I'm concerned about but if we can treat it now and it'll save her back/knee/hip trouble later and it's very gentle, non-invasive treatment, then why the hell not.

Does that help?

hellohellohihi · 02/05/2013 19:55

I never thought DD had "problems" but you get your car serviced to make sure it's running ok and to maintain it so I see cranio the same for dd. if my mummy instinct tells me there's something up then we go back. And I now the cranio listens more and is far more astute than my gp.

God I hope I'm not sounding like a neurotic hypercondriac mother - I'm honestly not! Perhaps the timing of the cranio sessions and DD's changes were just cooncidence? Perhaps I just found it reassuring to have someone empathize or give me an explanation as to why I was noticing certain things? Either way it worked/works for us and has done for many other around here - not just babies either, adults go too.

hellohellohihi · 02/05/2013 19:57

Last post... And yes, most do get there in the end. Cranio won't force them into something but it might help them along the way.

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