5 month olds under developement

[1pj]

Hi ladies,i feel really down and need some advice,i am worried my 5 month old little girl is really behind and slow for her age.I take her to the health nurse and shes had to go to physio,they felt that she favours her right side too much and needs way more tummy time,problem is she hates it,i mean screams after just like 3 minutes!She also hasnt rolled over or anything ofcourse because shes not on her tummy enough,then i read she should be saying words such as baba or dada but she doesnt,the well meaning others keep saying that she also doesnt reach for things much,do they just do it in there own time or should i be worried,shes done everything else fine,she laughs all the time,smiles etc but its just the physical side,im worried!she was nearly 2 weeks early and only weighed 5.5 pound,could that stunt develpement do you think.thanks for any advice!

[prama]

hi hun..
im not sure what's the best approach, but i would def say take her to a pead, as they will know best what to assess instead of a physio...

good luck darling

[tellytubby]

She's still only 5 months the little cherub!
If it makes you feel any better, my DD didn't say her first word until 7 months (dadadadada ), and now she just won't STOP!! hahaha, she is constantly chatting away, she has begun stringing words together (probably started that areound 13 months) such as "whats that", "hey, there he is", "no don't want to" (she is now 20 months, and she is the only one in mums group that has really taken off with her talking). So i definately wouldn't worry about the talking.

Also my bestfriends little girl is 5 months and she hasn't rolled yet either, yet she is a healthy beautiful little girl, i really wouldn't say that there is anything at all wrong with her.

I'm sure she will do things in her own time, we all do! Also RE: tummy time - i don't think many babies enjoy it! heehehe

Goodluck! I hope this makes you feel a little better

[[M]umma[M]ia]

shes only 5 months old! DD wasnt saying anything at that stage either, now she wont shut up. A head tilt will fix itself and she will roll when she is good and ready. I wouldnt be worrying at all. Dont expect too much from her, she still so little.

[Shanti]

Oh hun don't worry what the MCHN's or anyone says..... even the books can be waaaaaay off in terms of what babies should be doing. EVERY baby is different.
She will roll etc all in good time.... she's just focusing on her communication skills by the sounds of it loves smiling, chatting and giggling away.... my 5mth old baby girl is the same! She isn't very mobile yet.... she likes tummy time but not for very long.. she has rolled 5 times over the last 13wks but nothing consistent... but she's very strong so it's only a matter of time. It will happen all in good time.....

Try not to listen to what others say. Trust your baby girl. If she's happy and healthy and enjoying herself, then the rest will follow..... one day she'll surprise you!

[Jennifer13]

Hun, while at the same time as saying please don't worry too much, they do all reach things in their own time, if you are concerned, then do seek some advice. As her mum your instincts are probably finely attuned to her wellbeing and you are likely to notice things others may not. Don't be concerned by comparisons (my goodness, those never stop!), but if for no other reason than to put your mind at ease, go and see a paedeatrician and get some professional advice if you have concerns.

[bubno.3]

Hi.... please dont worry and enjoy your baby .... she doesn't like tummy time she doesnt like it that's fine if she doesn't want to roll that fine as well if she is happy just lying on her back that fine as well. (you can give her a quick tummy time for her neck when changing her in the mornings thats enough) She will develop in her own time. As the others say she is only 5 months which is 20 weeks old!!! I respect you are having concerns but i would only be concerned if she was still like this at 10 11 12 mths of age. My little one who is 12 mths had just really got crawling and pulling himself up down pat ... other little bubs are walking and running by 12 mths.

I hope i helped



Please please dont worry just enjoy ok.

[*Beema*]

I wouldn't consider not rolling at 5 months being very behind or significantly delayed, but you need to follow your gut feeling as well A lot of babies I know didn't roll until around 8 months, some much earlier and some never did, but each very different, She sounds like she is a generally happy bub and you are getting lots of laughs and giggles.

DD hated tummy time and still does, but we found by rolling up a towel and placing it under her chest is reduced the pressure on her belly and she lasted longer before getting upset, but not for long periods of time.

All babies develop at very different rates, DD rolled at 3 weeks from her tummy to her back, but that was only a momentum thing as her head was heavier than the rest of her body, she was born at 5 pd 2 oz, but was 4pd 12oz when she first "flipped". She got a tick for rolling at her 6 month Paed appointment for this, which in hindsight was not right.

I was concerned that, this wasn't enough, and spent the next few months watching other babies move while DD didn't, but continued to tell myself that she would do it "in her own time".

We had been going to regular Prem Playgroup sessions, run by a physio and OT, but DD had been sick for a few months, and always seemed to be on a Thursday so we rarely got there between 8-11 months of age.

At 11 months we got to a session and I spoke with the OT, as I was concerned that not only was she not rolling, still hating tummy time, she wasn't able to transition from sitting to rolling, her stabilising muscles were excellent, in the end too good - you would have thought we had been putting a book on her head to improve her posture she was soo straight backed! The OT reviewed her and she recognised that she was delayed, but we didn't know to what extent. I felt like an failure

We looked at all of her movements and when we assisted with rolling, transtion movements she fought every inch of the way and hated tummy time still. But her sitting and standing were brilliant, and she had developed sound fine motor skills. She recommended getting a referral to the Paediatric Physio at the hopsital, where a full assessment was done and she was diagnosed with Hypermobility, which means that her muscles and joints are loose, and she is extremely flexible splits in all directions!! So for every movement when she needs to contract a muscle she needs to work twice as hard as a "normal" bub, which explained why she hated tummy time etc.

DD is now just over 12 months and is not rolling, no crawling, last week for the first time she transitioned from sitting to being on her tummy (twice!), and it was the most unorthodox method you have seen and it truely demonstrated her insane flexibility! She has not done it since but we are working hard with her to build her strength and to tighten her muscles and joints.

I would take the opportunity for her to see a physio now rather than waiting (DD is 4 months delayed based on her corrected age ), they will be able to assess her quite quickly and determine whether there is an underlying issue or if she is just going at her own pace. We have a pretty detailed regieme of exercises that we do with DD a couple of times daily and they are also being done at her Daycare, after we gave them full instruction on what to do. We also do a lot of exercises on the bed, as she find the big squishy quite much more giving

The physio would also be able to demonstrate exercises that you can do to encourage movement, so even if there is no underlying issue you can still encourage the movement. So it would be a win win situation, if there is an issue you have identified it early and it will have a much less of an impact, if not you still have the information to assist in making her move quicker.

I can't remember exactly when DD started babling away, but just keep encouraging her, but reading books, talking to her and interacting face to face.

HTH
Take Care
xxoo

[babywannabe]

hi, my DD is 7 months and i don't think she can say anything with any meaning. What i have noticed with her "speech" is that she goes through phases. Early on it was ah-goo all the time and i was convinced she was going to be miss chatterbox, then that stopped and was followed by screaching like a cat. Then she wasn't really vocalising and now she's making sounds again. All babies are different and what i have learnt from having my first DS is not to stress over what books or MHCN say. They are just a guide and nothing else. The most important thing is bub is gaining well, is happy and alert. If you are really concerened talk to your GP to get a referal to a paed.

[Indadhanu]

Hi hun,

she's definitely not under developed hun, and even if she wasn't following 'standard schedules' every baby is different, they learn at their own pace.

Jazz rolled ONCE at 5 months, by accident, and couldn't work out how to do it again until 6.5 months! Until she could roll over properly she HATED tummy time, she'd scream the neighbourhood down like I was torturing her!!!!!

She only started saying mum-mumum-mum at 7 or 8 months, and she didn't crawl properly until 4 weeks ago! She isn't walking yet, and not saying a whole lot. There are babies younger then her talking more and even walking But this is just the way Jazz is developing and you know what, the sooner they do all those things, the sooner you feel the tugs on your heart as your baby grows up *waaaaaaaah!* lol

She'll get there just enjoy this stage. As soon as she gets he hang of it all she'll be off and leaving you in her dust wondering where your tiny little girl went!

[Mak]

Our 8 month old hasn't rolled at all! She screams out but no clear words - if you are concerned go to a paed...they will refer you on if needed. Good luck!

[visitor1]

My DS is 6 months and still doesnt do those things either!

My DD2 never rolled until 7 months....she took her time doing everything!

[Shanti]

the sooner they do all those things, the sooner you feel the tugs on your heart as your baby grows up *waaaaaaaah!* lol

She'll get there just enjoy this stage. As soon as she gets he hang of it all she'll be off and leaving you in her dust wondering where your tiny little girl went!

Yep I do agree. Just enjoy your little girl as you have been and she will get there..... if you're still worried in another couple of months then perhaps see someone about it? But I bet she'll get there in her own time.

[1pj]

I just wanted to thank all you lovely ladies for your help and advice and for sharing your storys with me!You all made me feel so much better,i think her being our first everyone tells you things and can make you worry!I go again to the physio on tuesday afternoon ( i dint want to and actually cancelled the last one)so iim hoping shes improved but i dont think she has much,saying that,we have perservered with some tummy time(noway near enough)but a while ago she was on the floor and she had her arms up different,id never seen her do it before!Then she almost rolled over,i kept egging her on and helped her but she was so close im sure!I know all babies develope in there own time,i guess its just that the health nurse was worried so set us to the physio and now the physio wants to see us all the time,it worried me too,but we'll get there i hope!

[*Beema*]

Great to hear she is doing new things , and I hope you have a lovely session at the Physio, just remember that you don't "have" to keep going to the physio, if you feel that by having regular visits is not having an impact or is required, then you can stop, follow you gut instinct

Even with our delays we aren't having our next review for another week and a half, and this is with a Paediatric Physio (4 weeks between sessions), but we will find out if they want to make any changes at our next appointment, also have our 12 month checks tomorrow, so that will also determine if further intervention will need to be done, but we have big delays.

[1pj]

Thanks *beema* for sharing all about your little one with me,and for your advice.I dont know why i just feel guilty when i go to physio so i actually cancelled last week because DH kept saying she will get it in her own time and if i feel that uncomfy about it not too go but i know they are a great help its just they want me to do so much with her like neck stretches and at least an hour tummy time and other things that she hates,i just feel they look down on me or something,but anyway i will go tomorrow and we go away for a few weeks soon so that will be good a good break and i'll have alot more time to work on her tummy time etc.I'd love to hear how you go to!