14 months old + still not sitting unsupported

[ladylush]

dd was born at 30+5, has hit all other developmental milestones pretty much on time give or take a few weeks but is struggling with sitting. If I try to sit her up she immediately rolls over onto her front and starts crawling (can commando crawl). HV has referred to community paediatrician - will see in a months time. Just wondered if anyone else with a prem baby has experienced similar. TIA

Ladylush - i didn't encounter the same issue with my dcs but just wondered - does she lie on her back quite happily or does she just prefer to be motoring around the place, curious about everything? It could be she has skipped from lying back and taking it all in to wanting to investigate her world and sitting in one place isn't on her agenda. Does she sit up in a high chair OK?

A friend's DD - not a prem - couldn't really be bothered sitting up, then couldn't be bothered crawling, then couldn't be bothered learning to walk so she just bottom shuffled everywhere. Nothing wrong with her - she just had other fish to fry! Eventually she decided that was boring and maybe walking was a good idea after all; she's now nearly 8 and does ballet, horseriding etc.

It's a good idea to get it checked out by the doctors to be on the safe side though - good luck!

Thanks teej She has never been happy on her back - sleeps on her front. If I put her on her back (say, underneath a playgym, she rolls over onto her front and scoots off). She is very active and very inquisitive (far more inquisitive than my son was - he was term). She is now holding onto the coffee table and balancing on her knees.

She sits in a high back highchair without problem but slumps a bit in a lowback one.

does she see developmenatal paed? might be worth physio referral for some core exercises to strengthen trunk. i wouldn't worry too much though - she sounds as though she's not very interested in sitting still at the moment and all the crawling/ rolling etc will be strengthening her core anyway.

she sounds as though she's way past the playgym stage - put it away for the next one!

Nickoftime - no she doesn't see a paediatrician. She was discharged from paediatric care when she had her 8 week follow up appointment. I don't put her under the playgym anymore - was just using it as an example of how much she disliked/still dislikes being on her back.

Oh and there won't be a next one

Hi Ladylush- sounds like she's doing fine and just not really interested in sitting still. But my DS is a 27 weeker and we were told at his last appointment to take him back if he didn't sit up by one year old. So might be worth asking HV for a referral or calling hospital just in case.

In contrast though, my little man (nearly 13 months) will sit up but he is nowhere near crawling and will not stay on his front for any length of time. They all do their own thing. I don't worry about him and more because he is progressing, just at his own pace.

Thanks willbean dd will be seeing the community paediatrician at the beginning of October.

comm paed is the same thing - they do developmental assessments. just ask if a physio referral would be useful, but i wouldn't worry too much.

my dd born at 36 weeks could crawl before she could sit and walked soon after crawling (crawled at about 11 months).

Thanks Nickoftime It's not a routine appointment - HV referred dd. Will be good to get feedback on dd's progress anyway.

That's interesting Sharbie - maybe dd will be like that then

and then she ran everywhere so good luck if she is

Hmm, have a feeling she may well be just like that! She is very active indeed. Part of the reason why she is still on a low centile I think. She eats quite well but is always on the go.

sounds v similar - my dd was on the 9th centile at one point she was always on the go

I put ds (born at 33 weeks) in a Bumbo chair. He sat up at 10 months but can't remember when he finally sat up unaided, some time after that. I do remember that he didn't walk until he was 22 months.

He was born on the 50th centile but fell off the bottom for quite a few months and gradually made his way back to the 50th.

He had 6-weekly appointments with a consultant paed because of health problems (mostly resolved now he is 6). That meant I was able to ask developmental questions and have reassurance. Ds had to have physio once he started walking as he has hypermobility syndrome (which wasn't the reason he was seeing the paed in the first place).

It is worrying when you see other babies doing things that yours can't do. Ds is 6 now and there really isn't any long term health problems and you'd never look at him and know he had been a prem.

Thanks MollieO - good to hear your ds has caught up dd can still fit in her bumbo at 14 months . She was on a fairly high centile at birth but gradually slipped lower (partly due to reflux - which has stopped now). Most of the time she was somewhere between the 9th-25th centile but now that the weight is no longer corrected, she is on the 2nd centile. I stopped obsessing about the weight gain a while ago, but I suppose there's always going to be something new to worry about. I'm not at all worried about her mental/psychological development though - she knows exactly what she wants/needs and communicates very well.

Just thought I'd pop back with an update. dd saw paediatrician this week. Paed said she is slightly delayed in her locomotor skills but on track for all else and even ahead for speech (well, she is a little parrot). He wasn't concerned about the sitting. Actually in the week before the appt. she suddenly started to support self a lot better. Typical! Paed said delay was only slightly below range and that if he took her prematurity into account (which they stop doing 12 months plus)she wouldn't be delayed.