Gross Motor delay - advice?

My DS is almost 9 months and is no way close to crawling. He hates being on his belly so he doesn't really push himself up much or do that swimming thing like most babies. His daycare providers have expressed that we should think about looking into PT for him. Where do I start? Any advice on things I can do to encourage his gross motor skills at home? TIA!

Gross Motor delay - advice?

I would speak with your Ped

Gross Motor delay - advice?

My son has delayed gross motor skills too.. He was diagnosed with low muscle tone and I contacted Nassau county.. They did a full evaluation and he has received physical therapy twice a week for 45 minutes each session... Since he was about 10 months. The difference in his ability and strength is amazing... Fm me if you have any questions!

Re: Gross Motor delay - advice?

Gross Motor delay - advice?

i think some kids crawl later than others. my dc didnt start until 10/11 months. crawling isnt considered a milestone anymore since the "back to sleep campaign." I dont think not crawling at 9 months is an issue at all. id wait until your appointment! Good luck!

Re: Gross Motor delay - advice?

Re: Gross Motor delay - advice?

He may have low muscle tone. Talk to your ped, they will point you to the right direction.

Re: Gross Motor delay - advice?

Speak to your ped. You can also call early intervention and request a PT evaluation. DS was not crawling then and turns out he has low muscle tone and still has issues in that regard. In hindsight,.i should of called sooner. He has been getting PT since 17 months.

Re: Gross Motor delay - advice?

Speak to your ped. You can also call early intervention and request a PT evaluation. DS was not crawling then and turns out he has low muscle tone and still has issues in that regard. In hindsight,.i should of called sooner. He has been getting PT since 17 months.

Re: Gross Motor delay - advice?

I would call early intervention for your county. our ped was not mentioning it when our girls got approved. their high risk dr was. they were both approve and have been receiving services for 1.5 years

Re: Gross Motor delay - advice?

Gross Motor delay - advice?

I have twins that are now 18M they have been in early intervention since 3 months. One has gross motor delay & still not walking yet because of low tone & tight heel cords. Please call Dr. asap...

Gross Motor delay - advice?

One of my 11 month old triplets (9 mos adjusted age considering prematurity) is not yet crawling but neither my ped not the developmental ped we see as part of the nicu follow up program is concerned. They said the same thing - crawling is not a milestone - and there are other things to watch for as indicators of readiness to walk. Hopefully talking to your ped will put your mind at ease! Good luck.

Re: Gross Motor delay - advice?

My older DD didn't crawl till she was 10 mos. and she is a perfectly functioning almost 6 year old right now. There is a range for "normal" and I don't believe your DS is out of it yet. I personally feel you can wait till his 9 mo appt to discuss with ped.

Re: Gross Motor delay - advice?

Thank you so much for your advice and input. I was not worried until daycare suggested it. My DS is a big boy (over 100% in height and weight) so I feel like he's slower with these skills because of that. On the other hand, I don't want to constantly make excuses because he's a big boy. I'm going to call his Ped and see if she wants to wait to see him in a few weeks for his 9m appt or come in sooner.

Re: Gross Motor delay - advice?

My concern would not be that he isn't crawling at 9 months, but that (from how it sounds) that he is not doing some of the things that prepare a baby for crawling (i.e., the swimming thing).

While crawling is no longer a milestone, all of the PTs I work with stress it's importance in regard to a child learning how to use both sides of his body (bilateral coordination). It's true that a lot of children don't do it these days because they spend less time on their stomachs, but it does not mean that it's a good thing to skip it.

My feeling is that you should talk to your ped about it, but keep in mind that some pediatricians brush things like this off. I always tell parents (both in my personal life and professionally), that there is no harm in getting an evaluation. Either outcome is good. Either your child needs services and gets what he needs earlier than later, or you find out that he's fine and does not need services.

Good luck!

Re: Gross Motor delay - advice?

Wait until your appointment. DS was a preemie so at one of the appointments the ped asked me a bunch of questions as to what DS was doing. He wasn't doing any of them so he suggested calling early intervention. They came and evaluated DS and he didn't qualify for services since most of the things the ped had asked about, DS started doing right after our appointment with the ped. I'd wait a little longer and if there are other things you are concerned about then call early intervention and get an evaluation.

Re: Gross Motor delay - advice?

Re: Gross Motor delay - advice?

Posted by Jax430

My concern would not be that he isn't crawling at 9 months, but that (from how it sounds) that he is not doing some of the things that prepare a baby for crawling (i.e., the swimming thing).

While crawling is no longer a milestone, all of the PTs I work with stress it's importance in regard to a child learning how to use both sides of his body (bilateral coordination). It's true that a lot of children don't do it these days because they spend less time on their stomachs, but it does not mean that it's a good thing to skip it.

My feeling is that you should talk to your ped about it, but keep in mind that some pediatricians brush things like this off. I always tell parents (both in my personal life and professionally), that there is no harm in getting an evaluation. Either outcome is good. Either your child needs services and gets what he needs earlier than later, or you find out that he's fine and does not need services.

Good luck!