9 mo old-PT referral

[2ndBaby]

My son is 9 mos. old.  He is in the 95 percentile for weight and 90th for height.  He sits and rolls just fine, but he doesn't crawl, stands only on his tiptoes and doesn't pull himself up to standing.  We've just returned from his 9 mo. check up, where his doctor referred him to a rehab clinic for evaluation of his motor skills.  (he seems fine with fine motor, but behind on gross motor).  His doc is concerned that perhaps his Achilles tendons are too tight for him to stand flat-footed.  Of course that wouldn't affect the crawling...

Anyone have any experience with this?  I have no idea what to expect and hate just sitting here waiting for the referral process to circle it's wheels.

[pertykitty]

that seems like he is jumping the gun, but who am i to say.  my daughter is in the 10th percentile (born a bit early) and is 8 months.  she can stand if you hold her hands, but she doesnt crawl. some walk at 8 months then you have others that are over a year.  maybe get a second opinion.   my nephew didnt crawl or roll well for along time, he was to chubby! lol.  he did it when he was ready, but im sorry i cant remember the age he did.  i dont think tight tendons effect crawling though.  i would do 2 things, research and the meet with dr again and find out exactly why and why you cant wait a month longer.  get a second referral and if both suggest it then go from there.  im just a mom though, not a dr. :)    poor little guy

[pertykitty]

sorry for the spelling errors, typing fast during dd naptime!

[RockRose]

If he does have delays,  now is the time to recognize them and get him into therapies that will help him.

Children who toe walk often have a variety of related motor skill issues.  The doc may have noticed other things that you haven't noticed - does your baby feel heavier than you'd expect when you pick him up?  

I'm wondering about muscle tone,  too.  Have you seen those pictures of monkey babies that grip onto their moms while the moms move around?  Imagine how that baby would feel to hold - like a wired unit,  firm and strong.  A baby with low muscle tone would feel more like a sack of potatoes - like you have to do more holding on to the baby than the baby holds on to you,  and there is kind of a disjoint feeling to the body like it could become unbalanced and topple.

If your baby is experiencing any of this,  PT can help.  

Compared to your first child,  does this one seem delayed,  or about average in motor ability?

Best wishes.  It's hard to hear that your baby may have some concerns,  but I really applaud docs who make referrals rather than just wait it out.

[pertykitty]

i agree but it seems her dr didnt give her much reason, i would have asked a million questions so i knew exactly why he felt it was out of the norm .  

my dd is like that monkey you talk about, its the cutest thing!

[2ndBaby]

Jake feels like he has control of everything when I lift him-not like 'dead weight' (tho I shudder to use that term in reference to him).  His upper body strength seems normal.  Of course, he is over 27 pounds, so he IS heavy :)

The doc is concerned that he is not building the necessary muscle tone in his thighs by not crawling.  She also did a lengthy exam on his feet, heels, etc. trying to make him flex in what would be a flat-foot position.  He can point his toes like a pro, but he can't go the other way.  Even trying to measure his length today was an issue for the nurse because he would not allow her to flex his foot in the way necessary to measure.  She (the doc) said his Achilles felt 'tight' and that an evaluation by a pro in that field would be warranted.

My daughter never really crawled, but she was walking at 10 months.  He shows absolutely no interest in crawling.  It used to be that I could sit him on his hands and knees, even if he didn't move.  Now he won't let me do that-he just forces himself to lay down.  As for standing, he doesn't jump on my lap when I hold him under his arms the way a lot of babies do and he is always on his toes.  He is very unsteady...he's trying to balance his big old self on his itty-bitty toes!

Maybe the evaluation will come out and show that he just needs more time.  But if he needs help, I want him to get it as soon as possible.  Thanks for weighing in on this.  I'm all worried now and set to go back to work in 26 days (but whose counting?!)  Now I just want to be with him and get this all worked out ASAP.

[Logan206]

I've had my twins (close to 13 mo old now) on PT since they were a few months old.  It's really been helpful.  DS had gross motor delays and was low tone, but with various exercises/floor time, he's done great and basically caught up.  DD has some of the toe walking/standing issues.  Our therapist showed us some basic stretching excercises, where you try to flex the toes back towards their head (easier to do when they are relaxed), and also told us to put her in good supportive shoes.  It seems to have helped correct some 'habits' she had formed with pointing toes from spending a lot of time in her exersaucer and jumperoo.

I think it's good you are getting the evaluation.  Chances are it will all work itself out over the next few months, but never hurts to get the specialists opinion.  Good Luck!

[tam2girls]

I would advise check it out if you are concerned. But I recently read in a parenting magazine that some people are concerned their babies crawl but not on hands and knees. The advice offered was that it didn't matter how they crawl or if they don't crawl at all. It is a way for them to get from a to b but is not an essential milestone. Some babies are happy to sit and watch and never crawl they just get up and start to walk. My little boy of twins did a comando crawl for months before my little girl did a proper hands and knees crawl and then she crawled properly and he followed her lead and copied her. Good luck and I hope it all works out fine.

[2ndBaby]

Thank you, everyone.  Logan mentioned the exersaucer...I've wondered if ours has contributed to my son's trouble.  He doesn't spend tons of time in there, but it was one of the first things I thought of AFTER the issue was raised by the doc.  I have to remind myself to calm down...searching on the internet raised things like surgery of the Achilles, casting of the legs, autism links, cerebal palsey, muscular distrophy...I cried and cried and maybe he just needs some stretching exercises, etc!

[babyscience]

I would try it out....but wouldnt be too concerned.  Especially if your boy is a little heavy it is probably harder for him to do all those things and he will do them at his own pace.  My ds (7 mo) feels like a sack of potatoes when I hold him...he has no interest in holding on because he knows I will hold on to him.  When he crawls it isnt on hands and knees, but more of a worm like army crawl.  Your son is probably the type that will watch it all then one day get up and do it.  But therapy cant hurt, especially if paid for by insurance!

[petal4]

Ethan also stands on his tip toes. At his 9 month appointment he was 25th percentile for weight and 75th for height/length. I mentioned the tip toe thing but didn't get any feedback regarding that. Ethan's fine motor skills were spot on and developmentally he is where he should be. He has now been crawling for 1 week and will be 10 months on sunday.
It doesn't sound to me like there's anything wrong with your son. is he able to sit unaided?

I just want to add that I was also a tip toe baby, I ended up being referred to the hospital because it was suspected there was a problem with my tendons. I apparently grew out of it before anything was done.

Hayley x

[2ndBaby]

Thanks again!  My DH said last night that he tiptoed forever.  To this day he has a 'strange' gait to his walk.  He never did latch on to the heel-toe walk.  Insurance will cover this therapy for my son (if he needs it), so we'll definitely utilize it if necessary.

Yes, he does sit on his own.