Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Behaviour/development

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

Flip

Original poster

Is this enough?

12 replies

Saacsmum · 03/05/2005 00:14

My ds is just over 7mths old. He is very unsettled when on the floor, Ive tried changing his position, changing his activity, playing with him, taking him outside etc. Im worried that he doesnt have a lot of opportunity to practice moving, he spends about 20 minutes a day on the floor in various positions in 5 minute bursts before he gets really upset. Is this enough or should I let him cry a bit longer? I do excercises with him on my knee (row row your boat, standing him up, playing bicycle with his legs etc to give him some physical activity while he is settled but am worried that he wont ever be happy to play and explore on the floor.

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

mears · 03/05/2005 00:17

I think you might be expecting too much really. 7 month old babies have a very short attention span. They much prefer to be seated in a chair with activity things in front of them. I wouldn't leave him to cry longer - he is telling you he has had enough.

JoolsToo · 03/05/2005 00:19

he's too little - all in good time

Flossam · 03/05/2005 00:22

All babies are soooo different. My DS is a very contented little soul, he will quite happily spend 20 minutes or so playing with his feet!! Where as a friends baby (there are three days between them) has no attention span, but is doing so many different things to DS, he is better at rolling over and blowing raspberries etc, DS still dosen't do them and that worries me!

bobbybob · 03/05/2005 00:59

Oh your little ds loves looking around at the world around him, that is far more important for such a 7 month old. Sitting on your knee is still exercise when they are little - all those muscles needed to hold their spine straight and head up.

FWIW Bob spent pretty much all day at this age in a sling as it was the only place he was happy. We did do plenty of music and bouncing type activities to strengthen his vestibular system. Then at around 10 months he just loved sitting with his toys around him, which was a blissful period for me (until he learnt to crawl).

Now as you know he is very fit and walks for ages, and he's not been known to sit on anyone's knee for months!

ghosty · 03/05/2005 01:10

When DD was 5 months old the plunket nurse said that she needed far more tummy time than I was giving her ... and was very concerned that she wasn't rolling yet. She told me to go back and see her if DD wasn't rolling by 6 months. Did I? No way ... DS was the same ... hated being on the floor and being left alone ... like to be sat up or carried ....
When he could sit up we had one of those donut ring things and he would be happy for a bit longer. He is now 5 years old and swims and plays soccer.
DD just sat like a buddha for ages ... hated tummy time .... screamed blue murder if I put her on her tummy. She didn't roll until she was ........ wait for it ..... 13 months ... she is now 15 months and walking ....

7 months is still very young .... if he likes to be propped up to see the world around him then let him to that ....

bobbybob · 03/05/2005 02:35

Just had my Plunket nurse on the phone, she wanted to put an article in the Plunket newsletter (which I edit) about, wait for it "the importance of tummy time". I did try to talk her out of it...

Something I read when Bob was not good at the floor thing, was that eskimos don't put their babies on the floor (too cold) and neither do people in countries with poisonous snakes etc. and they all turn out to be suitably athletic to cope with the rigours of life in extreme climates, hunting, fishing and walking miles to clean water.

Original poster

Saacsmum · 03/05/2005 06:21

thanks everyone, I thought he was probably ok with what we were doing and he is much more of a watch the world and take it all in sort of bub than a doer if that makes sense. Will continue to give opportunities for him to participate in the world in the way in which he is most comfortabel and not stress too much about tummy time.

OP posts:

suedonim · 03/05/2005 12:08

Some people in Asia don't put babies on the floor until they are at least 7mths old. They believe the baby's delicate spirit will be snatched by the evil gods in the ground if their feet touch the floor.

Gobbledigook · 03/05/2005 12:11

Is he sitting up yet? DS3 is 8 months and from around 7 months he hated being lay down on the floor - always wanted to be sat up. He hates lying down even now - has to be sat up or on his knees trying to crawl!

Original poster

Saacsmum · 03/05/2005 12:59

He can sit with support. He doesnt generally last much longer in this position to be honest. He loves ppl and going out and about and seems more interested in what is going on around him than in actually participating in it if that makes sense which is fine as it is probably his way of making sense of the world around him.

OP posts:

Original poster

Saacsmum · 03/05/2005 12:59

OP posts:

SofiaAmes · 04/05/2005 01:14

Please don't torture yourself. As others have said all babies are different and 7 months is very early.
My dd hated not being held as a baby, so we held her a lot (otherwise she did this god awful shrieking thing that sounded like a dying peacock). It didn't stop her from developing completely normally.
I had a good laugh when at some point the hv asked if she was turning over. I said no, but she was crawling totally normally. The hv suggested that I start doing "turning over" exercises. As if somehow that was a necessary skill for all babies to learn. Clearly the hv did not know my dd. She doesn't do anything without a purpose. And she certainly wasn't going to waste her time turning over when she could just sit up and crawl.

Flip