8 month old not bearing wieght on legs.

[skybie]

hi all.
miss DD2 has just gone 8 months and still refuses to put wieght on her legs, she doesnt stand and doesnt bounce. Any time u try make her stand she curls her legs right up and kinda just hangs there.

We had our 8 month MCHN app yesterday and she reffered us to a peadiatric physio.

Has anyone elses bubs done this or seen a pead physio for something similar?
FWIW she's just started commando crawling and kicks out her legs like any other bub, so its not like she cant use them at all IYKWIM?

[Pandora]

does she get up on her hands and knees?
Do you mean on her own, or she doesnt do it when you are holding her and at MCHN checks?

[skybie]

She either goes bum up or head up, she hasnt quite mastered both at once!
i mean at all when i hold her up or when the chn holds her up, even in the jolly jumper she spins but wont stand or bounce.

[Megan]

DS definitely wasn't putting weight on his legs at 8 months. He did like you described and would curl his legs up if you tried to encourage him or get him to bounce (even now he still curls his legs up if I try and get him to stand or bounce). Our MCHN wasn't concerned though so we weren't referred. Probably because he was commando crawling and was using his legs kicking etc. He probably started putting weight on his legs at around 11 months and then pulling himself to standing at 12 months. Now, at 13 months he is cruising the furniture.
I wouldn't be too concerned at this stage since babies vary so much in their development.

[Megan]

double post

[skybie]

oh yay!! thanks megan! exactly what i wanted to hear!
i would say it wont be long till she's crawling "properly" but is doing the commando very well.
mchn said she wasnt overly worried but it was protocal to reffer her to see the physio.
i feel so much better now, thanks heaps

[Megan]

Glad you're feeling better FWIW, I think DS crawled properly at about 9.5, maybe 10 months. He was my lazy little lump for a while, like he was thinking "why should he make the effort to get up and move when Mummy will do everything for me!" lol Suddenly a few months later and I'm having to chase him!
Sounds like your little girl is just fine, and she'll get there in her own time (which sounds like soon!)

[CrazyLady]

I don't think it's an issue unless they aren't showing an interest in bearing weight by 11 months. Pretty sure every developmental milestone chart has had the same time frame on it. I'm sure your DD just likes observing like mine

[STARRYSKY]

Jacob was the same as that skybie, He wouldnt bear his weight or bounce, he was never one of those standing babies IYKWIM?
He only started commando crawling at around 9-10 months, then "proper" crawling from about a year or a bit later, he pulled himself to standing at around a year too, he is 18 months now and has only just in the last few days taken a few steps un aided. now seems completely uninterested in walking again!
I participated in a study for babies when he was 6 months and then a year old, the woman was completely taken aback that jacob would not weight bear or stand at the table or walk along with her at 1 year old, I was told that he needed to be checked out and would score low on his gross motor tests..I saw the MCHN, she was not in the least bit fazed, said lucky me that he wasnt trying to grow up too quick!

[skybie]

Gosh theyre funny creatures!! i knew she wouldnt be the only one that refused to do it!!
thanks for that SS really appreciate it xxx

[indie24]

My friends DS was exactly the same. He wouldn't bear weight on his legs at 8 months but was commando crawling everywhere. From memory he started walking not long after his 1st birthday

[kungfubecca]

babies that are slower in gross motor skills often shine in other ways.
she may be a very crafty little thing, to clever for her own good, knowing that people will come to her, bring her things & pick her up, so why walk. I think it's common for #2 to do that esp when their sibling brings them toys etc

my ds crawled & walked much longer after others his age, but man this kid has the memory of an elephant and shocks people with how articulate he is.

[gypsy79]

I wouldn't worry about it if I were you. My DS was still not weight bearing properly (i.e. he would only do it sometimes, and he didn't do it when we were at the MCHN) at 12 months. And he wasn't crawling. He had just started bumshuffling a few days before, and he only sat himself up from tummy to bum for the first time while we were at the MCHN.

Anyway, she referred us to a peadiatric physio. By the time we got in to see them, DS was well and truly bum shuffling and was much happier standing up. Now, at 16 months, he is cruising around furniture and even taking a few steps on his own. Given his very late development to even begin moving (he was never much of a roller either), he's doing much better than I imagined he would.

Oh, and the physio said we didn't have anything to worry about. Some babies just develop different things first. EG. DS has always been really good with fine motor skills.

[JordieC]

My DD didn't crawl till 13 months and didn't bear weight on her legs till about 11 months. Even then she didn't really like doing it - was more consistent around 15 months when she atrted standing. We were never overly worried or referred to anyone. She walked at 19 months and now you would never know that she was a late develper - physically. Some kids just take longer and I honeslt y think some of the "timelines" in books are way small.

[JordieC]

SNAP!!!

I wouldn't worry about it if I were you. My DS was still not weight bearing properly (i.e. he would only do it sometimes, and he didn't do it when we were at the MCHN) at 12 months. And he wasn't crawling. He had just started bumshuffling a few days before, and he only sat himself up from tummy to bum for the first time while we were at the MCHN.

Anyway, she referred us to a peadiatric physio. By the time we got in to see them, DS was well and truly bum shuffling and was much happier standing up. Now, at 16 months, he is cruising around furniture and even taking a few steps on his own. Given his very late development to even begin moving (he was never much of a roller either), he's doing much better than I imagined he would.

Oh, and the physio said we didn't have anything to worry about. Some babies just develop different things first. EG. DS has always been really good with fine motor skills.

[kungfubecca]

How have you gone with this?
You can always speak to your GP, get hips checked etc. I only suggest that if you are concerned, it doesn't hurt to check. DD now 8 weeks (on sunday) has just been diagnosed with developmental dysplasia of the Hip (DDH) I would never have picked up in a million years there was anything wrong, she's a very happy babe, alert, smiling early, puts presure down on her legs, our health nurse picked it up first, and she is now in a brace. Sometimes it doesn't get picked up until later, even as old as 2 years. It is also more common in Girls than boys. DS didn't have it, but dd does.