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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

7 month old won't roll or crawl

22 replies

ruty · 12/04/2005 11:26

My 7 month old is very cheerful and has started to babble after a quiet period, but he HATES being on his tummy, and can't lift his head up from the ground for long. He's had a gut problem for a while, and i don't know if its affected his development. He sits up well, and wriggles on his back, he can roll from front to back, but not vice versa. Is this in the normal range? I really don't think he will ever crawl at this rate..

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dinosaur · 12/04/2005 11:29

IME 7 months is still quite young for crawling. My DS3 is 8 months and has only just started to crawl and he's by far the earliest of my three to do so.

If you are worried, try taking him to a baby massage class - massaging his back while he is lying on his tummy will encourage him to lift his head, which will strengthen his muscles and help to encourage him to get under way himself.

Sounds to me like he just concentrated on learning to sit up first. Now he can roll from front to back, it will not take him long to learn to do it the otheer way.

dinosaur · 12/04/2005 11:29

IME 7 months is still quite young for crawling. My DS3 is 8 months and has only just started to crawl and he's by far the earliest of my three to do so.

Sounds to me like he just concentrated on learning to sit up first. Now he can roll from front to back, it will not take him long to learn to do it the otheer way.

welshmum · 12/04/2005 11:29

I think they all crawl at different times - my niece is nearly 10 months and not very interested either. Our dd started at 9 months. Not something to worry about at 7 months I don't think.
You could try him on his tummy for a certain amount of time every day and gradually build it up.

elliott · 12/04/2005 11:31

normal normal normal. 7 months is early to be crawling and some don't do it ever. My ds1 was very active and crawled at 8 months, ds2 was nearer 10 months. Ds2 never really learnt to roll back to front - he's 16 months now and though I know he CAN do it, he still just lies on his back in the cot not bothering to sit up! ds1 on the other hand rolled both ways by 6 months.

they both hated being on their tummies - they can learn to crawl perfectly well from sitting. don't worry - if your ds is sitting well already then gross motor development is well within the normal range.

mummytosteven · 12/04/2005 11:31

DS didn't crawl or sit till nearly 9 months, so it sounds like he's doing very well to sit up so early. he might end up bum shuffling rather than crawl on his front anyway.

vivs · 12/04/2005 11:32

my daughter didn't roll over until she crawled at 11 months and didn't walk til 16 months. she didn't like being put on her tummy much either. don't worry at all, they all do their own thing in their own time.

Original poster

ruty · 12/04/2005 11:34

Thankyou! Sorry if it sounded silly, just the gastro paed mentioned he wanted to keep an eye on his development and i panicked a bit. I think its because ds refused to make eye contact with him at the appt - i don't blame him acutally!

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enigma · 12/04/2005 11:36

agree with dinosaur,

ime (own children and friends children) 7 months young for crawling. Both of mine started commando crawling by 7/8 months but didn't convert it to a proper crawl until 9+ months

Amanda3266 · 12/04/2005 11:38

Hi ruty,

Just a quick message to say that your DS sounds entirely normal to me. They all do things at different rates. My DS crawled at 5 months (and trust me when I say that this is a nightmare) but I didn't ever crawl - I bumshuffled until I pulled myself to my feet at 18 months according to my Mum. Also as a HV I see many babies at their 7-9 month check who haven't crawled yet - some of them are not even quite sitting up. It's all ranges of normality and they all do it eventually - in their own time. Don't worry - he will crawl - unless he's like I was. (according to my Mum - awkward

Mandy

Bozza · 12/04/2005 11:49

Both mine were exactly like you say at 7 months. TBH don't think I've met a baby that was crawling at that age. Both could sit and roll one way (although DS only bothered about twice). DS never crawled but walked at about 12/13 months. DD was 9 months when she started getting a bit more active with the rolling, nearer 10 months when she could sit from laying down and 10 months when she started to move - she does it with one knee and one foot.

Original poster

ruty · 12/04/2005 11:57

feel better about it now . He's not a great grabber of things either [gastro paed pointed this out too] but he does when he wants to. think he's just taking his time.

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ragtaggle · 12/04/2005 12:15

Just wanted to say that my dd didn't crawl or roll until eleven months. I was really worried which seems silly now. Don't worry at all! They really do develop at their own rates.

One point - my dd's speech advanced really quickly - by the age of one she was saying at least ten words. Some people think (and I don't know whether there is anything in this) that if their motor skills are slow to develop it's because they are honing their language skills and they can only concentrate on one thing at a time! Does anyone know if there is anything in that? My dd is now eighteen months and although she didn't walk until fourteen months has about 150 words. (She said 'I love you' yesterday! I was so pleased although I know she's just repeating me and doesn't know what it means!)

FastasleepTheInsomniac · 12/04/2005 12:18

Mine's been running around since 11 months... he seems to say things but there's only so much you can read into 'i yu yu' - 'i love you' and 'what have you done?!' 'done done' he does lots of that but its just sound repetition... he knows 'my daddy' of course ...

Some babies seem to walk and crawl quickly and then learn to talk later, some seem to sit there babbling before they want to walk or crawl and some sit there looking really wise and thoughtful whilst taking a few months to decide what exactly they fancy doing first

Original poster

ruty · 12/04/2005 12:26

BTW he also goes to be really late [ ashamed i haven't tried as hard as i should have to correct this] . But he's had so much to deal with i don't want to stress him out any further. Dare i tell you how late? [gulp] He went to bed a ten last night which is an improvement! TBH have tried everything we can think of to get him in bed earlier, incl waking up earlier, not too many naps in day, routine etc.

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clary · 12/04/2005 12:59

ruty i have had an early crawler (5.5 mths) who walked early (9+mths) and a late ditto (11mo/16.5mo). Even the health visitor was surprised at ds2?s prowess at his 8mth check-up!
i wouldn?t worry about a 7mo who isn?t crawling, ime that would be quite early (my ds2 was mad early). If he can sit up and take the weigfht on his feet then that?s fine. As others have said here, not all children crawl anyway.
WTR the late bedtime, does he just refuse to settle any earlier? Have you got a good bedtime routine - dinner, play, bath, milk, story, bed - in place? At this age you could try controlled crying if you wanted him to sleep earlier. If he?s in bed at 10pm what time does he get up?

Original poster

ruty · 12/04/2005 14:15

re sleeping, he just would never go to bed early, from the beginning. we had a week at three months when he would not sleep till five in the morning, and i was exhausted - i tried so many times to get him to sleep in so many different ways, and we do have a routine, one of the problems is the vicious circle, he gets up at nine or ten and has two half hour naps in the day, but he will scream and scratch his face at night ig i try to get him to sleep earlier.

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sasa15 · 12/04/2005 14:21

don't worry my ds.8months....the same...he's now happy to stay in his tummy...but not rolling...only from fron to back....and not crawling....

he sit up ok....

some baby they don't crawl and start walk early anyway....

and if they learn to roll...they will roll during their sleep and cry as they don't know how to turn back,,and hit the cot too...

so in some way is better....

clary · 12/04/2005 14:48

ruty if you have had times when he?s still awake at 5am then 10pm must seem like an early bedtime!
Sounds like a difficult situation - what about trying moving bedtime forward and waking him up just a bit earlier each night? Also make sure he has plenty of stimulation in the day? Tricky I know with a non-mover. Maybe it will get better (ie he will get more tired) when he does start to move....

Original poster

ruty · 12/04/2005 16:21

do try to keep him stimulated, don't know whay i'm doing wrong, but it is a relief at moment to get him in bed by ten or eleven!

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Saacsmum · 14/04/2005 09:41

Hiya, things sound tough at the mo for you guys. Saac is much the same re the development and I am just going with the flow. Im sure that the gastro problems have had alot to do with the distress during tummy time, the lack of interest in interacting with objects and the environment and with eye contact etc. Re bed time this is what we did which may not be cool with you but it worked for us. When Saac showed signs of tiredness, grizzling, scratching at face etc we would put him to bed and leave him for two minutes, go in talk to him calmly and leave again, we did this every two minutes until he fell asleep. He was always scratching at his face but I just kept his nails as short as possible and tried to ignore it as much as possible. It took him about an hour the first time we did this, now he usually goes to sleep without a fuss. Occaisionally he will still cry but I repeat what we used to do and he is generally asleep within 0-15minutes. He goes to sleep around 6.45 at night and while he doesnt sleep through, he settles well when he wakes and doesnt get up for the day until around 7.

Original poster

ruty · 14/04/2005 13:32

thanks saacs mum. It might be something i'm still doing wrong, but when we try to do something like you describe, he just works himself up gradually until he is absolutely inconsolable and can hardly breathe for screaming! will have to try again. Another ptoblem is he has breakfast at ten or eleven, [have tried waking him up earlier and then he's grumpyand won't eat]so he has supper around eight. have to make supper earlier.

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clary · 15/04/2005 00:26

ruty it sounds to me as if you need to just push it bit by bit. A friend had the opposite problem, is child waking really early (like, 5am) and then sparked out on the sofa at 6pm. She needed to make it 6.15 bedtime, 6.30 bedtime etc.
Maybe you need to move bedtime forward bit by bit and you might find then that he will get up earlier.
hth

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