Ok, I'm all about telling people that each baby develop to its own rhythm, that there is no need to compare and that there is no point in rushing anything. However, for the past few weeks, I'm not at all following my own advice.If you read my blog, you probably know that Alice started to crawl. It is not yet perfect but if she sees an object that intrigues her, like a camera on the floor, she will slowly but surely reach it to put drool all over it. This is such a big milestone...a milestone that should happen after a "normal" baby learns how to sit without assistance for more then 2 minutes.
Alice doesn't want to sit. It is not her thing! After a few minutes, she generally finds herself on her belly to crawl. She didn't lose balance, no, she just doesn't want to be in that position. Since she doesn't seem to be in any pain our doctor told us that maybe she has a little tension in her back or neck and this is why she is not a fan of the sitting position. She also suggested that we take an appointment with an osteopath.
I have nothing against alternative medicine but I'm always very reticent. I guess that one too many mandatory yet completely pointless chiropractor treatments (allo maman!) as a kid could have done it for me! I have nothing against chiropractors...fine, I will be honest, I dislike them with..."calm down Claudia, this is not the point of this post!"
So I have two questions:
1) What do you think I should do with Alice's sitting situation?
2) What do you think of osteopaths?
Until I figure out what to do, I "practice" Alice in a Bumbo Seat that a friend lent us...perfect because those little plastic butt-shaped sitters are pretty expensive.
* * * * *
one claire day: I also love the Heidi shoes. And it took us so much time to getthem that the store sent us the most adorable mushroom night light as a gift.
ali: I would love Alice to be crafty...I have so many projects for us (I actually have a file with all the cool crafts that I see online).
sophie: Thank you so much
daniela: We are always "go Alice go"....like we are full time cheerleaders ;)
the franglaise: Ah ah ah, well said : "Baby crawling = double trouble and baby walking = endless trouble!" This is funny yet a pretty scary.
hoola tallulah: Fun for her but anxiety time for me ;)
leah: I'm planning to make so many pinafores. It is so much fun and, as you said, it can also make a great summer dress. I'm so happy that you like my blog. I have so much fun writing about my adventures in motherhood. It is even better if my posts can "help" other people :)
shannah: You are the one who introduced me to pinafores. THANK YOU! A few months ago, you sent me a link (that I lost obviously!) but the idea stayed in my head! It is the best sewing project ever because it is so easy and you can be very creative with the fabric.
carlinha : Thank you. I already made another one with some Nani Iro fabric.
Alice doesn't want to sit. It is not her thing! After a few minutes, she generally finds herself on her belly to crawl. She didn't lose balance, no, she just doesn't want to be in that position. Since she doesn't seem to be in any pain our doctor told us that maybe she has a little tension in her back or neck and this is why she is not a fan of the sitting position. She also suggested that we take an appointment with an osteopath.
I have nothing against alternative medicine but I'm always very reticent. I guess that one too many mandatory yet completely pointless chiropractor treatments (allo maman!) as a kid could have done it for me! I have nothing against chiropractors...fine, I will be honest, I dislike them with..."calm down Claudia, this is not the point of this post!"
So I have two questions:
1) What do you think I should do with Alice's sitting situation?
2) What do you think of osteopaths?
Until I figure out what to do, I "practice" Alice in a Bumbo Seat that a friend lent us...perfect because those little plastic butt-shaped sitters are pretty expensive.
* * * * *one claire day: I also love the Heidi shoes. And it took us so much time to getthem that the store sent us the most adorable mushroom night light as a gift.
ali: I would love Alice to be crafty...I have so many projects for us (I actually have a file with all the cool crafts that I see online).
sophie: Thank you so much
daniela: We are always "go Alice go"....like we are full time cheerleaders ;)
the franglaise: Ah ah ah, well said : "Baby crawling = double trouble and baby walking = endless trouble!" This is funny yet a pretty scary.
hoola tallulah: Fun for her but anxiety time for me ;)
leah: I'm planning to make so many pinafores. It is so much fun and, as you said, it can also make a great summer dress. I'm so happy that you like my blog. I have so much fun writing about my adventures in motherhood. It is even better if my posts can "help" other people :)
shannah: You are the one who introduced me to pinafores. THANK YOU! A few months ago, you sent me a link (that I lost obviously!) but the idea stayed in my head! It is the best sewing project ever because it is so easy and you can be very creative with the fabric.
carlinha : Thank you. I already made another one with some Nani Iro fabric.
21 comments:
I don't have a good answer for you on whether she needs therapy for sitting up; my first reaction is that maybe she's bored just sitting there and wants to move instead?
We have the opposite problem over here. Alexa is content to sit and reach for things (she'll bend all the way in half), but she is not patient at all about crawling. She's almost 10 months and she's still "rocking" in the crawl position. It's starting to worry me, but I'm trying to tell myself to chill out. She'll crawl when she really wants to. And I'm sure Alice will sit when she really wants to.
It sounds to me like she's interested in going places, not sitting still. My son was the opposite - he loved sitting (once he got the hang of it and stopped tipping over backwards & bonking his head), but didn't start crawling for ages. And then he didn't start walking until later than most, because he was busy figuring out some words & learning some other skills. So...
1. I don't think I'd do anything, besides having her sit in the Bumbo sometimes (if she's happy with it).
2. Not a fan, personally. But not for any actual reason, just preference.
I have a non-sitter too! He is pretty mobile on his tummy, and constantly on the go so I just thought he wasn't interested in sitting because it didn't get him anywhere? Why sit when there is a whole house to explore? So even if I set him in sitting position he is instantly on his tummy.
I never thought it was weird before, just seemed like his thing. Sorry I can't be more helpful, but you're not alone!
One of mine never sat and continues to be trouble when required to stay still for any length of time!! I would be surprised if Alice had any serious physical issues.
But having said that, I love and adore our Cranial Osteopath. You could visit and listen to what they have to say. I actually witnessed a visible change in the shape of Mark's head after treatment one and he also began to sleep through the night at the grand old age of two and a half (years, not months). I'd booked a visit for Johnny before he was even born.
I wouldn't stress. I had a sitter who took a long time to crawl. At this age they just have their preferences I think.
Sounds to me like Alice just wants to explore. It's not that she's unable to sit - she just chooses not to. If she is not in any pain, then I would not worry; some babies are just curious. Mia isn't moving yet on her own (though I expect her to roll over any day now), but when she does start to become mobile, I have a feeling I'm in for a lot of exercise!
As for the osteopath - I've never actually been to one myself so I can't offer up any words of wisdom there. I've used other forms of alternative medicine in the past (including chiropractic) with mixed results. Mia actually went to see a chiropractor at the recommendation of our midwife. She had a preference for looking right all the time and had very little mobility when it came to turning her head to the left. Our midwife believes it was caused either from her head being tweaked a certain way for so long in-utero, or from her passage through the birth canal. Whatever the cause, she went for 5 treatments and can now successfully turn her head every which way she wants.
If it is tension, then might you consider a massage therapist who specializes in infant massage? My sister in law is an RMT and says babies are very receptive to treatments (because their wee bodies are like "play-doh"). The massage is very light and takes very few treatments to alleviate the issue. Just an idea...
All these milestones that freak me and every other new mom out!
Olivia Just started rolling, can you believe it? She is 7 months now, and is taking it s l o w. I always ask at the health station and they don't seem to be worried about her at all. She seems perfectly content and relaxed, so, I am choosing not to worry either. And I know you might have heard this a million times, but each baby has its own pace, and some do things before others. Some babies even skip the crawling and go straight to walking, even. Anyways, another thing you might have heard a million times: it's better to check one too many times than to not check at all, so, I think you're doing great!
And Alice is more adorable than ever, if that is even possible!
I love my osteopath (for me) and was a fan of cranial osteopathy for my colicky children. However, seeing as you asked for advice...I would likely think that seeing as she can already crawl, Alice is simply too busy to sit! Personally I would wait a few months to see how things progress before doing anything.
I would recommend asking your doctor for a referral to Occupational Therapy for an assessment. The wait list is pretty long though, so if not you can go privately! As much as I am a fan of alternative medicine, pediatric OTs are childhood development specialists. As an OT myself, I've seen lots of babies with tension (we call it high tone) that with a bit of therapy can be eased to be great sitters. Sitting is important in that it promotes fine motor skills. The bumbo is great for short periods, but we don't recommend it for long periods as it actually provides too much support and doesn't stimulate muscle control in the way sitting does.
In any case, it certainly isn't something worrisome- especially if she is already crawling! That is obviously more advanced :) Some children skip certain milestones altogether, and end up just fine - but would still be worth checking out I'd say!
i'm with all the other commenters: she's doing great! you have an active little on on your hands and what joy!
i wouldn't worry about taking her to an osteopath or anyone for that matter re: this situation. if she's not in pain and seems happy or content it seems like she is doing just fine.
you, too, are doing great, mama.
I agree with all a the other comments, I wouldn't worry too much. Every child has his/her own pace in development, and things that prefers over others.
Said that, osteopaths are great! The birth isn't easy for both mom and baby and sometimes there are little things to fix you don't even know about. I went to see one myself, and took my daughter after she was born with great results, and I'm planning to do it again after my baby boy comes (I'm pregnant and due in 4 weeks).
You're doing great!
Clara
August doesn't sit very well either, but in his case, he lose his balance... but I try not to be too worried.
About osteopaths... in France they are waaaay more popular than here. Actually, it's pretty common to take your baby to the osteopath right after birth (80% of the moms I know did it). Chiropractors, on the other hand, have a less good reputation. They are good if you break your hand and need physical therapy. Nothing to do with osteopaths.
I went to an osteopath with August for a stiff neck (aftermath of the birth) and for his colics (they are very good at that too). They are so gentle and I totally "believe" in it. I mean... what's not to believe?? It's science!
Anyways, I have the address of a good one, if you want to. She is specialized in babies.
ps: have you heard about dr L and dr P? They moved! Sounds much better...
I agree with the comments above, I don’t think there is anything wrong with Alice; I have a sitter, but she is showing no interest in crawling at all. She’s only just really learnt to roll over, which is still freaking her out a bit. I don’t know any healthy older children that can’t crawl or sit though, I think it all depends on their priorities but they all get there eventually.
As for the osteopath question, for me, I’ve never been convinced by any non-anecdotal evidence that it works; I think that if you’re paying for a service it should hold up when tested. However, as a mother, I also know that just the fact that you’re doing “something” to help can be beneficial, watching a baby suffer and being unable to fix the problem is horrible, and a stressed mum is not good for a baby. So if you think that osteopathy would make you feel better (and it sounds like it wouldn’t) give it a go. As you’re doing swimming and yoga, any muscle tension is getting worked on anyway, so I wouldn’t worry. You're doing great
Here in the States, and particularly in my left-leaning town, a lot of moms I know have opted for cranio-sacral therapy ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Craniosacral_therapy) for things like you're describing. I've never done it myself, but I know folks who swear by it.
On a personal level, I think your mama's instinct would tell you if you really needed to intervene! My daughter never wanted to turn her head to the left, only to the right, and I was definitely concerned, but I followed my instinct and just a couple months later she stopped favoring one side. Babies change all the time--nerve-wracking, but also part of the fun!
My first instinct was also that maybe she just wants to be on the move. What could be more exciting than going after anything of interest! Every baby is so different. My nephew didn't talk for the LONGEST time. It came so late I started to wonder... and then all the sudden it was like he was talking in sentences. He was learning all that time, just wasn't quite ready to participate I guess. Babies process their surroundings in so many ways, and you will know deep down if there is a problem needing intervention. The less intervention the better I think.
Oh they do what they're interested in, and you yourself said she doesn't seem in any pain. There's your answer! My kids-
Child 1: Sat at 4 months but then DIDN'T MOVE off his butt (even to roll over or crawl) until deciding to walk at 13 months. He's still a very determined/decisive child.
Child 2: Rocked on hands and knees at 4 months, complaining all the while, until she figured out crawling at 6 months. After she's accomplished what she had wanted, she immediately added rolling over and sitting.
Child 3: Rolled over, sat up, crawled, all according to the book, finally. Do I get a medal? =0)
Your blog is gorgeous! As is Alice :-).
Sal x
http://danielandi.blogspot.com/
Like everyone else says, I don't think you should be worried. I think babies just do things on their own time. I thought Harvey was going to skip crawling altogether since he seemed content just to sit until I saw him suddenly crawling 3 days shy of his 8th month.
Also, does it count as sitting if I have to actually put him in the sitting position instead of his actually sitting by himself? he'll stay sitting once I put him there, but he won't do it on his own.
First off I agree with you on the chiropractor bit. I don't agree with that practice, but that's only because I have seen the horrendous "worst case scenarios" come into the emergency room.
Secondly, I think you need not worry (obviously when my spud is in this situation I will freak out and refer back to your posts on how to resolve my issue). But, have you ever met a 20 year old who can not physically sit?! Not possible. It will happen, just perhaps in her own unique and very normal developmental route.
Thirdly, your daughter is gorgeous, sitting or not. She looks so happy!
My Arianne didn't crawl until she was 10.5 months old. Hated to be on her belly. On the other hand, she loved to just sit there for hours on end from the age of 4 month. I just figured she's more comfortable that way.
My sister raved about her Ostéo (for her son). She mentionned it was about finding a good one, because there are a lot of bad ones out there.
Chiropractors are primary care practitioners, trained to develop and carry out a comprehensive treatment / management plan, recommend therapeutic exercise and other non-invasive therapies, and provide nutritional, dietary and lifestyle counselling.Non-Force Chiropractic
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