Is it true???

Emma just loves to 'stand up'. She holds her own body weight really well now & loves it. Today DH was holding her up & she was holding herself up while he helped her balance & someone said 'dont do that - it makes them bow legged!' I do vaguely remember hearing of this. Is it just an old wives tail or should we not do it too much?

TIA

I don't know about it making them bow legged but our CHN said not to prop them up (sitting) or to let them take too much weight onto their legs as it can be bad for their joints & spine.

Ooh - thanks Angel - I have been guilty of both 8-[ That's good to know!

So not true.Some babies are able to weight bear and others aren't.Gemma has been able to as well from 2 months and loves to stand.We just put her in the jolly jumper alot and she loves it!

With the sitting thing, we used to sit Lily up on our laps since she was about 2.5 months old and i belive thats what helped her to sit earlier.

I really wouldn't worry, I'd say it's very unlikely to cause any probs. We did that with no 1 and she's a normal walking 7 year old, straight legs etc!! I had only heard that walkers were bad for development, but my mum put me straight and said I had a walker, and my chiro now says how great my posture is!! ox

Interesting topic as Louis loves to sit and stand up! He can be cranky and as soon as wel stand him up give us a big smile! He has such a proud look on his face - I'm glad to hear that hopefully it's not big deal. I wouldn't want to stop it as he loves it so much.

Yasin started weight bearing at about 2 months. The ECHN wasn't worried about it. I think its one of those things thats ok if they want to do it but you shouldn't push them into if they're not interested IYKWIM. Its one of the first stages on the journey to learning to walk so most babies will do it at whatever stage suits them. Nearly all babies are a bit bowlegged when they begin to stand but usually thier legs get straighter in about a year or so.

Kristie - thats Emma exactly - she looks so proud of herself!!! I think you're right Dach, if they want to do it then its fine, but dont try to make them do it. I guess if she is capable then it cant do too much harm. I guess Mothers have been doing this with their bubs for a long long time!

Jacob was the same - loved to stand up!!!

My dad (who is a GP) reckons that all babies are bow-legged and this is normal and healthy. I think as long as she's happy to do it, and you don't do it for too long, it shouldn't be a problem. Apparently if she starts to walk without crawling it can be a problem, but I don't think letting her stand will do that!

Thanks Mel & Fenella - now we can do it and not feel guilty!! \:D/

Maria is the same, her Paed said to just make sure she gets a bit of extra tummy time.

hi Linda

It's an old wives tail.

Thanks Alan!! I was hoping you would reply! ;)

Louise Emma's been getting plenty of tummy time, so it looks as though all bases are covered!

Linda, Jenna has always been a "Stander" and has very strong legs. In fact - if her arms had been any stronger, she probably would have been crawling by about 4 months!!!
Some babies have strong legs, others have strong necks - I think they are all so different.
I didn't realise how strong her legs were until I played with another baby that had floppy legs!! She wouldn't stand in my lap at all.

BTW - that baby is now racing around just like Jenna, and pulling herslef up on everything too. I think strong legs may help them stand/crawl earlier, but that doesn't mean that weaker legs will prevent them!!

Fi

Thanks Fi - that's great to know!!