should I be worried?

Yesterday Andrea just started scooting on her bum all over the house [hooray!!]- up till now they've both been like little lazy susan's with their bums attached to the ground & spinning in circles- but yesterday was the break away day for Andrea. I imagine in the next few weeks Daphne will catch up & surpass her sister-- it tends to be their pattern.

What I'm wondering is-- at their 1yr check up the dr seemed ever so mildly concerned that neither was starting to crawl or stand or cruise much less walk. We've been working pretty hard with them these last couple months and now they are trying to pull-to-standing & now we've got one mobile-- and they can now get themselves back up to sitting up straight- but they still can't sit up from lying down.

My gut says it's just time- that there really isn't anything wrong-- but, that said-- I'm wondering if I'm just being too laid back about it. Should I be worried? They have a program called First Steps here that does free evaluations & physical therapy (free- but it's run by child protective services- and that bothers my husband- that it's government run- doesn't bother me as much- though it makes me want to be sure everything is tidy). We can have them come out and do an evaluation- but once you start the process it sort of requires a lot of follow-up, etc..

I don't know. It seems like they are physcially capable but what gives me pause is really how far behind they are-- they were only 5 weeks early and even for the adjusted age it is waaaaaay behind.

Don't know if some of you have dealt with this kind of thing or not or if you have any thoughts on it.

(the p.s. we've all but banned any props in our house (exersaucer, etc) they are always on the floor and we work wtih them to get them up on their feet or standing while holding onto things, on their bellies, etc)

okay- will wait for you all now

 

My DH is not a fan of government run programs either and was against us getting Early Intervention for our girls (but we did because one of the girls had feeding issues). If I was in your shoes, I'd probably call for the evaluation. You certainly shouldn't be worried that your kids aren't walking. The average age is 12 months - 18 months so your kids are certainly not delayed for that. If they're not crawling at 14 months, though, that is a bit behind. There might be some exercises that a physical therapist could recommend, or other suggestions that might help out.

 

My girls are about 13.5 months and don't walk...they do crawl and can pull themselves up. We, too, don't have props in the house or at daycare...our teacher said she seem kids walk around 16 months. I'm not worried yet because they show the strength and progression to getting there. The doctor wasn't worried either--she said if by 16 months they are not close, she might reevaluate at that time, but it wasn't a worry.

 

My boys didn't crawl until 1 week before their 1st b-day. Then we had an EI evaluation done b/c I was a bit concerned with their gross motor. Sullivan qualified for PT - so he started that at the end of April (was not yet walking, but was standing, a bit of cruising, etc.). He took his first steps about 2 weeks later - and now, 1 month later he is walking ALL over the place. Up hills, on gravel, in the grass, on playground equipment, etc. They both are. I highly recommend EI - just to make sure they are where they should be - and then, if they qualify for services - great! If they don't - great! They will walk, normal range is between 9 and 18 months! That is a lot of room for differences. Try not to worry! :hug:

 

I wouldn't be too worried, but you might want to call Early Intervention for the free analysis. I called when Jacob wasn't walking by 13 months. I overreacted and he was walking about 2 weeks later but at least I had peace of mind. Some kids go straight to walking and barely crawl at all but the fact that they don't crawl at all could be a bit concerning. Good luck - I am sure everything will be fine!

 

I don't think walking is an issue at this time. One of my girls walked at 11 months, the other not until 16 months old. I called and talked to her pediatrician at 15 months, and they said she was still right on track. I might be concerned with the no crawling though, so I would probably call to at least talk to the pediatrican, or get them evaluated.

 

My Finn is 16 months old and only started cruising a few weeks ago. He can walk while pushing something, but he isn't walking on his own yet. At his 15 month checkup, the ped said to hold off worrying because he was progressing, jsut more slowly than his sister. He is, however, going back into the ped on Friday for follow-up. He started crawling at 13 months and pulling up at 14 months.
If it would make you feel better, call EI. We didn't but that was because the ped didn't see a need to.
Don't worry!

 

I too wouldn't worry about the walking but I would call EI about the crawling.
My DS took a long time to crawl too, he was in PT for neck issues (torticollis) and the way we finally got him to crawl was having him practice going up and down steps, it really worked! I was hesitant but it did, try it
Also it is good to take the props away but not things like we have a leather covered ottoman they can cruise around and will hold on and then start walking from it, things like that in the middle of the room are good! We have a 30 dollar water table from toys r us, same idea and those carts they can walk with......

 

i would absolutely call. it's not like they invade your house or look up your tax or jail records, lol! at least, that's what i told my dh, who was also suspicious. however, we've learend that there are great programs out there and it's best to take advantage of them when you can.... if your doc was already concerned then i would give them a call, just to have more info. info is power, and all that! it can't hurt to know how you can help your little ones, right?

gl, jl

 

I would call, because you'll better if you do. Not knowing is the part that drives us crazy. I had Early Intervention come out for Ellie when she was 4 months old, because she had strength issues. She did great with it. A physical therapist came once a week and basically played with her. She ended up crawling around 8 or 9 months and her sister who was always so strong and more advanced than her didn't crawl til close to her 1st birthday. I actually called EI to come out and evaluate her, but canceled once she was crawling. She's not pulling up yet, but I know she will. It really only takes a day for them to figure things out and then watch out. I wouldn't be concerned about walking at that age, but crawling I would be. Some kids don't crawl, though. I know my pedi and pt both said that crawling isn't considered a milestone, so who knows. They might be able to give you some pointers. My pt was awesome with showing me things I should be doing.

 

We did EI "Early Steps" program for DS @14 months his leg was turning in some when he start pulling up and walking with a push walker.
I found the program to be great. They sent a case mananger out to observe him at our house then she refered us to a PT. The PT said that we over reacted(I didn't care of the lady too much) I told her well, better safe then sorry.
He finally started walking at 17 months.

I would suggest that if you are the least bit worried I would call it doesn't hurt!

Take Care & Keep us posted

 

The thing I hate about guidelines about when babies should do what is that there is such variation and I think a lot of times doctors jump the gun at suggesting there may be a problem. Granted, some children really do have a problem but it's probably small in comparison to all the poor parents who are worrying. I was def. one of those parents, Willow spent nearly 5 months in the NICU and was behind on a lot of things developmentally. She did need help at first and was put in Early Steps. She had physical therapy and a home nurse that came by weekly to work with her and teach her how to do things (sort of like occupational and physical therapy combined). Some things they did helped but one thing I will always remember is how they kept stressing that she needed to sit up on her own and wasn't doing it. She was about 7 months old and all the parents I had talked to said if it was them they wouldn't worry about it, and that babies do things when they are ready, at their own pace and not according to timelines. They were right! After working with Willow on special exercises to try to get her to sit for weeks and having no luck I stopped. I thought "no amount of forcing is going to make her do it if she isnt ready" And sure enough a few weeks after I stopped freaking out about it, she just sat up on her own out of the blue, with no help and has ever since!

So, I guess what I'm saying is if you really are worried that your kids may have developmental delays that therapy may help, it doesn't hurt to consult with Early Steps. They were helpful to us and everyone was very nice and we were grateful to have them when we needed them. But looking back, I don't think Willow needed treatment as long as they had her in it. They did make a big deal out of some things (like the sitting) when she really didn't have a problem with that, she simply wasn't ready. So you may just be better off waiting a little longer and seeing if they do it on their own and not having to put them through anything.

 

Mine are 16.5mth(14.5 corrected) and neither are walking yet. Char is closer, able to stand very well independantly, and can cruise furniture, but not yet really confident enough to walk on her own. Tyler is no where near yet. He's very wobbly, can't stand up on his own for more than 1 second. We've been in "the stream" of PT/OT since they were born, just to keep an eye on them. The PT is awesome, just comes and plays with them once a month to assess their development and she says while she's surprised they aren't walking yet, she's not concerned. All children do it different, and since there is no physical/neurological reason for them not walking, it's just temperment and they will when they are ready.

If you are concerned, maybe having the EI in can rule out any physical reason and ease your mind. And hey, it's free right!

 

My two just turned a year, and neither are crawling yet. Matthew can sit up from a laying down position, and can stand well with support. Eva cannot yet sit up from laying down, and just started to stand with help. I cannot get either one to "hold on" their own when standing. If I let go, down they go. I do a ton of tummy time, and they both hate it. They both scoot backwards, but do not make much effort to get up on all fours, or move forward. They prefer to cry.

The Ped at our 1 yer Well Baby visit seemed a bit worried, and wanted me to keep her well informed over the next few weeks of their progress. I was using walkers (they kind they sit in) and I truly believe it helped Eva to stand up, but my Ped said to stop using them immediately, that they inhibited babies from learning to crawl and walk. Poor Matthew just loves his walker and has been having a hard time without the freedom of it. I did buy some "Push-type" walkers hoping they would come into play soon.

I too have become quite worried about this, and I keep trying and working with them.

 

thanks for all the replies. will keep you posted.