Flexible bub, not crawling properly

My 11 month old daughter started to sit up at around 7 months and she did this by doing the splits and then pushing up on her hands. Then at about 10 months she started to bum shuffle and also attempt to crawl commando style with her hands and arms while mostly dragging her legs (still in the splits position usually or slightly together). She can get around quite quickly this way when she wants to.

I was referred to a physio for some 'in-toeing' the health nurse noticed when she was 8 mths old. i recently went to the physio appointment and they have said that we have to correct this (sitting up and crawling style) and stop her spreading her legs out. To the point where we've been advised to strap her legs together to restrict her from doing it.

My husband and i had a chat about it and really dont feel right doing this. We dont mind doing other exercises we've been given but the strapping seems extreme.

Has anyone seen a baby move like this and end up developing normally? walking fine etc? Anyone heard of physio involving strapping baby's legs?

I really hope someone can help! :confused:

It's quite common with some babies skipping normal crawling completely. several babies i know went from commando crawling to pulling up on furniture and cruising/walking normally. I'd seek a second opinion as strapping legs does seem rather extreme. Does everything seems to sit normal when your daughter is on her back or sitting?

HTH!

That is our thoughts exactly. Also, Ive read that crawling is actually not a developmental milestone and it can be perfectly normal for some children to go straight to walking. We have just presumed she will probably walk a little later than average child as she was a little late with the crawling too.

She is fine with everything else she has excellent control sitting up and we've always just thought she does the splits thing cos she can. She is not pulling up yet or cruising tho she will stand whilst hanging on to us.

Physio checked her back and legs and besides being very 'soft' ie flexible she has no physical problems they could see.

While it is normal to go straight to walking, it is still really important that she learn to crawl (after walking is OK!) as it reinforces neural connections that will be required for spatial awareness later on.
I think a second opinion is a great idea. Just double check, because there's a possibility that it's something that can't be fixed as easily later on.

Yep I think a second opinion would be best.

We dont mind doing the physio exercises with her, just not keen on strapping her legs for the whole day. I have googled it and cant find anything about that sort of treatment. Im going to tell the physio that we arent comfortable with that and see how we go. Of course if i go to the next one and they say the same i guess we will have to just take that measure. :(

its completely normal for a child to NOT crawl in the way we 'think' it should be done.
i've known of a few babies who have not crawled but have chosen to use their bums instead.

Im a bit shocked that they want to tie her legs together...it sounds so barbaric and i certainly wouldnt be doing it. Definately get a second opinion before you go ahead with it.

Im just wondering though, whats the problem with the way she's crawling? Is it causing her some physcial pain or are you just concerned that its not normal?

I actually dont think anything is wrong with it. She does it a bit oddly compared to most babies ive seen but the physio says she should not be spreading her legs out that far wide, should be bringing them together. Physio reckons tying her legs together will make her have to crawl another way, with legs together on her knees.

She is not in any pain, she is just using her arms and doing the commando crawl dragging her legs, shuffling them a bit but not getting up onto her knees and crawling with hands and knees iykwim.

She was originally referred to physio for in-toeing which the physio says is not so bad. So i wasnt expecting the comments regarding her crawling and wasn't really concerned till after the appointment. I still feel like she is fine and developing at her own pace but you cant help but worry when a specialist says otherwise.

That sounds a bit odd (the advise you were given) and while I agree about the milestone thing, you little one possibly shouldn't be doing the splits though.
I wonder if Pandora sees this. I know her little guy was doing that too.
I'll see if I can find the thread.

ETA can't link the thread because it's from the 5000post threads but have a look on the hip displasia threads. They might offer some help to you.

Thanks Kim, i will have a look. I couldn't find anything under Pandora's post but im not really experienced using the search engine. Will try again.

Will post later I'm at a family do but sounds almost exactly like my 11 month old

We have a friend with a bub who's got developmental delay. He has low muscle tone and the general pattern was for him to spread his legs apart. So on the advice of the physio and the OT he wears a strap/figure 8 bandage around his knees. This is designed to increase his muscle tone and make him strong enough to crawl and walk.
I would think that if your DD shows normal tone that perhaps it wouldn't be necessary, however I would be getting a second opinion and not dismissing it altogether. I think "barbaric" is a pretty strong word to use in this instance. When you think about it, most physiotherapy is pretty full-on. Every time I have seen a physio it has hurt, LOL. This treatment doesn't even hurt them, just encourages their bodies to grow in a different way (like braces for hip dysplasia). However I would always get a second opinion if I was uncomfortable with a certain treatment.

Ok.
We had a checkup at 10 months, and I brought up with the MCHN that DS wasn't sitting so well, and only ever commando crawled, and when he did try to crawl he got very wobbly and went back to commando. He was very fast at it but looked like a silverfish almost, twisting from the waist side to side as he went, dragging his legs behind him.

The main difference is that they weren't in a split position (well, I'm not sure, I saw him do it again today and from his hip to his knee is fairly straight out, perpendicular to his body, but then his knees bend feet are in line with his body, like a frog.

Hes extremely flexible, and Id noticed that when he was standing and sat down, he do a full split in the process then commando crawl off somewhere.

She thought it all sounded normal until she saw him do the standing to sitting thin, with the splits, and said we should go to the GP, get him to see it and see whether he thought we needed a paed. referral. She also checked his hips again, no clicking, but his legs were very loose and floppy, and she thought the creases looked uneven and wasn't sure on the muscle tone.

So we got a paed referral, and got an appt within 2 weeks.

Paed checked him over again and said hes a "soft" baby, with mild hypermobility in most of his joints, but that in our case it was most likely genetic and nothing to be worried about - its not like hes dislocating joints or anything like that.

Did you see your normal physio or a paediatric physio?
Id get a second physio opinion and look at a paed referral given what they are suggesting and your (and your DHs) concerns. It may well be the best thing to do but you need to feel comfortable with the decision and they more information (and sources) you have the better you may feel.

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While it is normal to go straight to walking, it is still really important that she learn to crawl (after walking is OK!) as it reinforces neural connections that will be required for spatial awareness later on.
I think a second opinion is a great idea. Just double check, because there's a possibility that it's something that can't be fixed as easily later on.

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I agree with this. Crawling doesn't have to precede walking but is important and often they get the kids to do it in kinder and even school

Thanks Pandora, so glad i found someone who could relate!

It sounds like they are doing similar things. DD goes from splits to commando crawling with her legs like a frog as you described, she just drags them and twists her waist too. How does your son get up into sitting position from tummy?

We just saw a normal physio through a public referral. I did a quick search and there are a few list paed physio's. I dont know whether to make appt with one of those or paed.

Has your paed referred you to take your DS to a physio?

Nope, our paed said he doesnt need it, and about a week later he started crawling on his knees all on his own.
He doesnt do it every time though and still commando crawls or bear walks (on his hands and feet) a lot.

I would make an appt to see both the physio and the paed, then at least you have the appts - you can always cancel later if you change your mind.

from his tummy he hashas his legs out on 45 degree angcle and pushes up, but often from one side IYKWIM - not straight up the middle he will lean to one side. He doesnt push himself up a lot though, even though he can.

Often he will sit with one leg out either to the side or on an angle, and the other tucked behing him, we have to be really careful with his W sitting.

Yep im going to do that, go to a paed as well. The physio mentioned nothing of hypermobility only that DD had soft limbs but from the reading ive been doing it sounds like she does have it to a slight degree.

Thanks for sharing your experience! :D

Hi Nyrad,

DD has hypermobility, her worst joints being her hips and her knees, when she hadn't rolled by 11 1/2 months I raised a query at the prem playgroup we were attending and the OT did a quick assessment as she was fighting every movement, she had been sitting at this stage but very upright and wouldn't move out of her comfort zone at all.

We had a referral to the physio team and she was fully assessed there.

She was diagnosed with hypermobility and some tone issues, from there we started a very intesive physio session every week and daily sessions morning and night at home and if we were home during play during the day.

The binding of the legs together isn't the best way of saying how to help, what we used for a short amount of time was used a tuby grip (elastic tube), it went from above her waist down to her ankles and she looked like a mermaid :D

What this did was provide support for her hips, and then what we would do is spend time playing in kneeling, side kneeling, and crawling positions, this enable her to feel what it was like to be in these positions with support.

But this was just one of many many different excersies we worked on.

I highly recommend continuing with physio, especially if you can get a referral to a good paediatric team of physios, I cannot speak highly enough of the physio team we were with, DD's delays were huge, if you want to read more about her journey and how we worked on her muscles and ligaments there is a link to my blog here and if you go to the 18th June 2009 and follow the blog through I have documented what she was doing.

It is great that it has been identified a lot earlier than DD's it means that they delays are significantly less, but I do warn you that your bubba may not like the exercise and it can be hard and there will be moments of tears, but I have to say the rewards were amazing and DD was sooooo much happier when she could move about.

Our dedication to her daily sessions also made a huge improvement in the speed of her "catching up" and she ended up walking by the time she was 19 months :D

DD is amazing at doing the splits, there are porbably photos on our blog about how she would transition as well. Even now she can put both of her feet behind her head and giggle at us :lol:

But now she is able to control them a lot more, we do have to be careful down the track as they will be more susceptible to dislocation but other than that it is all good :D

HTH's
Take care xxoo

ooh tubie grip. I used that for my stomach muscle seperation after DS2.
Thats a lot different to what I was imagining by "binding her legs together'

I actually had tuby grips put on by Dr's for ligment damage to my ankle and to my knee, so much better than having to strap with elasticated bandages :D

And a friend and SIL had them post C/S to hold everything together.