11 month old not sitting, crawling...

[jenlh]

My 11 month old is not sitting up on her own yet.  She can not pull her self up into a sitting position nor can she sit by her self if I sit her up.  She's not crawling, walking or standing.  She does roll very well though.  She also hasn't spoken any words yet(mamma, dadda...) It's almost as if she's an eight month old baby and not on her way to a year.  She was three weeks premature, but otherwise very healthy.  She hasn't even been sick yet.  I've increased her tummy time and have been paying extra special attention to her developement but am very conserned.  Could this be a real problem?

[nastursim]

mmm, it may be worht your while getting her assessed to see a physio. SHe may have some global delay or it may be a sign of something more serious. Take her to your peadiatrician ASAP

[Resptherapist2]

I am also a mother of a child like this. He is 10 months and cannot sit up by himself, cannot crawl, doesnt pull-up, doesnt hold his own bottle...etc. And I dont see him doing it any time soon. He rolls both ways very well and otherwise seems alert. We had an MRI and all they could find was "a small area of gliosis" Could any doctors out there explain? They didnt seem worried about it.....Jenlh- What does your doctor say???? Please write back....or e-mail    o2_4_you***@****
I have been worried sick.....

[nastursim]

MY little girl was the same, she was diagnosed with hypotonia, low muscle tone, mild cerebral palsy, and her MRI showed periventricular luekomalacia. SHe has been receiving therapy since she was 6 months old, and has come a long way, now at 20 months, she can do most things. Every child is different thought and that is why it is important to go to the doc and get her looked at.

[jenlh]

My 11 month old has just started her pysical therapy, we haven't done any test yet like an mri or anythingh.  Her doctor would prefer to waite untill her up comming appointment one month from now to see if she progresses at all.  We are more conserned about a possible gass issue or sever acid refluck that she may have because she has all ways suffered with lots of gas, and has had problems eating.  She would spit up most of her formula for about 8 months when we finally found the perfect formula for her.  Now she has difficulties eating.  She only eats some baby food if it's real liquidy.  She has a hard time with real thick foods.  She also seems to have gas pains immediately when she starts to eat.  We intend to look into that as well as the other possibilities.  Other then that, it is a mystory to me.  

[isthiscp]

Our son is similar. 3 weeks early,tough pregnancy and delivery. He is 12 months and 2 weeks. With physio and hard work he can now sit but cannot be left as if he falls over he cannot catch himself. He slumps to the right side and cannot crawl, hold bottle etc. Has your daughter other med probs? Our son has had recurrent kidney and uti infections with seizures even though they say the kidneys are clear. They say he has hypotonia. Cerebral palsy has been mentioned but finding it hard to get anyone to give a firm diagnosis. Please reply if you can!  

[isthiscp]

Our son is similar. 3 weeks early,tough pregnancy and delivery. He is 12 months and 2 weeks. With physio and hard work he can now sit but cannot be left as if he falls over he cannot catch himself. He slumps to the right side and cannot crawl, hold bottle etc. Has your daughter other med probs? Our son has had recurrent kidney and uti infections with seizures even though they say the kidneys are clear. They say he has hypotonia. Cerebral palsy has been mentioned but finding it hard to get anyone to give a firm diagnosis. Please reply if you can!  

[nastursim]

If your little one has low muscle tone it can affect their feeding, as their mouth and tongue muscles can take longer to mature. It can cause delays in speech too. as those muscles can be affected also. I think it may be a little negligent for your doc not to make some diagnosis, even something as simple as low muscle tone, because the sooner you start therapy, the sooner they can progress. My little one had to be taught to do everything as her brain was not sending the right messages that, the ones they naturally do. An early intervention program would be good to get her into as they have the OT, speech therapist, and physio.  The speech therapist can help you with the feeding issues.

[jenlh]

Isthiscp- no my daughter hasn't had any UTI's or kidney infections, all though I did have a constant UTI while I was preg. the whole time- it even caused preterm labor which I receive the drug they give you to stop the labor(the one that makes you shakey)  I can't help but wonder if your son experiences some pain do to his uti and kidney issues.  If I were you, I consider finding someone who specialises in that type of thing, and have them see your son, it wouldn't hurt. Could it be possible that he continues to have a uti even slightly? does he have his urine checked constantly?
I just purchased a Bebe pod, which is a seat designed to promote your baby's sitting and developement.  It is a soft deep seat that is designed to allow his weight to support him while sitting in it safely and comfortably.  Have you tried this for him? I've only had it for a couple of days, but am hopeful.  Nastursim- I am a little conserned about low muscle tone because of how wobbally(can't spell) she is.  I was a little dissapointed that her doc, wanted to wait untill her 12month appointment (3 weeks away) not just because I want answers, but because I am very conserned that she may be in pain. Every time I sit her up, she kicks her legs out and crys like it really hurts (you know what I mean by understanding your baby's cry) I don't know if it's her back or her stomach.  I do have a slight scholiosis (again I can't spell:) but it was brought on by bad posture and pregnancy.  I have a half sister who also has scholiosis, but she has always taken very poor care of herself, and she is just my father's daughter. When I feel my daughter's spine, it seems fine to me, but what do I know? What do you think?

[jenlh]

One perhaps crucial thing in which I forgott to mention about my 11 month old girl is that when she was born, she had to have her stomache pumped the day after her birth because she was a purpleish color and was spitting up mucas.  They thought that she may have swallowed fluids or something like that when she was born so they went ahaid and pumped her stomache.  My sister had mentioned to me when she came to visit us that day (day after birth) and felt that my daughter shouldn't be a purple color, I then proceeded to tell ask the nurse if their was something wrong.  That's when she took my daughter into the nursery.  She came back and said that yes she shouldn't be that color and they would pump her stomache.  Is there a chance that she may have been lacking the propper oxygen, and if so, can this be the problem?

[kerby's mama]

my sister has a 19 month old lil girl...she doesn't walk, crawl, sit up very well, talk, has a lazy eye, and when you try to bend her legs, feet or knees you cant because they are so stiff, but she can move them on her own slightly....she is currently in speech therapy, physical therapy, and is seeing a neurologists to try and figure out what is going on with her body. oh, and she was 2 1/2 months premature as well. doctors haven't figured out anyhting yet but i thought i would share my experience with you.

[Morgancoleman]

Hi, can you give an update on your sister's daughter?  I know this was a post from a long time ago, but my sons in a similar situation

[jenlh]

do you know if she has had an mri? I'm sure that it would be on the top of her neurologists list. My daughter just had an other dr's appointment today, we are really leaning toward's a gas and acid reflucks issue which is likely causing pain preventing her to sit and eat propperly.  She just started medicine today, and we're very hopeful.  Their was some talk of possible CP, but her doc feels that her fine moter skills are very good.  An mri would tell us for sure.  Has your sister's doc considered ceberal palsy (cp) I know that it can cause the muscle often in the legs to be really stiff or flabby. It sounds like she's getting the appropiate help.  Good luck

[wq2779]

Hi, my baby will be 1 yr old next week.  He was born three weeks early, and had acid reflux until 9 months.  He only learned to sit up if I did it for him at almost 9 months.  His pediatrician recommended early intervention at nine months.  When EI came to evaluate him, they said he has hypotonia in his trunk and hypertonia in his extremeties.  They said he has no problems socially.  A neurologist gave us the wrong blood test results and told us he has a genetic abnormality, when questioned further she was very vague but said it is not my son with those results. I took him to another neurologist, because I wanted an MRI because it is the only way to truly confirm cp. Needless to say, I was losing my mind and sleep! His MRI is in January and I am taking him to a geneticist tommorow.  About three days ago, he had a visit from his PT for the first time and that night he all of a sudden started to crawl the right way, cruise along surfaces and pull to sitting and crawling all in the same day.  So now I think my child is just slow in his motor development and due to his reflux he got no tummy time until 9 months. So, the moral for us Mommies, is to really take a deep breath and hold on to hope because miracles do happen! You are welcome to share any stories or comments. my e-mail is ***@****.  Love to all.

[vidzi]

My son will do the same, pull to stand, pull to sit, cruise, walk, run very soon. I am hopeful and confident.  I believe in god and he will give me stress but never betray my faith.  Thanks for your comment.  i read it just when i was in need.

[specialmom]

Hi vidzi.  Your post got lost in the crowd of posts here.  It helps to start your own thread so we can talk.  My son was delayed.  He has sensory integration disorder.  He's 15 now and an A student, actually a school athlete and in band.  :>)  I'm happy to chat with you for some of the things we did with my son to help him along.  Start your own post and we'll talk!

[wq2779]

oops I didn't know I can't share my e-mail but please feel free to comment here!

[2230]

I have 14 mth. old twins. One boy one girl.The boy will be needing a heart transplant and the muscle biopsy have come back negative the Drs. feel it happen inuteroHe does fine and is walking, he does'nt say a lot of words yet but recently had to have a G-tube for weight gain. Now his twin sister is crawling stiff, her tongue comes out of mouth a lot and is usally to left side when it does.She arches her back when taking a bottle. Seem to cough a lot sometimes chocking sound effect she also is able to say alot more words than her brother, and as far as I know has no seizure activity. She also interlocks her fingers a lot but can pick up books turn pages, plays with toys. They were delivered week 37 Drs choice not mine since I had no labor pains. But they said I had gestial diabetes although when I did the finger pokes my levels were always normal range. She also draws her hands up in what appears to be a puppy type beg at times. I have talk to the pediatrican numerous times since she was younger and she felt that some of these things  were normal for twins. Now on last visit I showed her pictures and she watched her crawl and said to call 1-800 early on but would'nt go into detail about what their for or what she feels is wrong. When I asked her she said we would give it another mth after her brothers echo of heart and talk more. He is being seen at a well known hospital in Mi at University the pediatrian is also through this hospital. But I plan on going to a Nurologist for children to have her evaluated or a second opinon since our pediatrican is being so evasive. Yes my delivery was very difficult the ob nicked the bowel, and they were delivered quickly, my son weight 5lbs.5oz, and his sister 4lbs.11oz. They had trouble during the c-section and I was hospitalize for 3 weeks with numerous problems but not sure if the trauma effected the twins. Any one who has any ideas please let me know. As I worry so much. I forgot to mention she can stand sometimes holding onto furniture when she lets go she trys to walk but I noticed her foot is a little outward and when she sits it is usally like a w postition. I'm fearful this may be cp or  some tumor could cause this. Please any info would help since I'am so worried. She does eat number 2 foods and mash potatoes, I give juice in sippy cups small amount since she sometimes seems to choke. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks So worried mom.

[SweetSarah06]

My little girl has a lot in common with some of yours, too. She's 14 months old and can sit briefly but often falls out of the seated position. She just doesn't seem interested in the whole idea of sitting. She also has absolutely no interest in standing, even with support. And she makes very few consonant sounds and doesn't babble much. Recently she started experiencing seizures for which she is taking medication (to halt them until we figure out why they are happening). She does roll around a lot, can hold her bottle, laughs, makes eye contact, responds to her name, knows her brothers and sister and grandparents very well and is generally a very happy girl. She had a completely normal delivery and eats well.

We are going crazy trying to figure out what is wrong but so far everything we've done has turned out normal - normal MRI, normal EEG, normal fundus exam, part of her metabolic tests have come back - also normal. We are waiting results from chromosome tests and some other metabolic tests, but because everything takes so long, I want to do everything possible as soon as possible. Any idea of what else she might need?

We are expats and are planning a trip to the US this summer to try and get (or confirm) a diagnosis - any ideas of where in the Southwest might be a good center to try? Somewhere in New Mexico/Texas/Colorado would be ideal.

Thanks! And just reading about everyone else's experience makes me feel like I'm not alone - knowing that something isn't right with my baby but not knowing what is sooooo frustrating!

[mommyofnathan]

The fact is... if your child is not developing the way that they should, you should insist on further tests.  In some cases it is a mild form of a brain disorder, in others it is a genetic problem (chromosome defects), in others it is a very serious condition that falls into the category of neurometabolic diseases and in others it is a global brain disorder where the brain either didn't fully develop due to whatever reason, problems during birth, illnesses after birth etc.  That is why you should never ignore something that is out of the ordinary.
If your child has difficulties eating, there might be a problem with swallowing (due to hypotonia) and there is a very real possibility that he/she might be aspirating feeds (food/drink into the lungs).
It is difficult to take the wait and see approach, but unfortunately, this is just the way it is.  It is impossible for doctors to predict how a child will respond to physical therapy.  It is impossible to predict where your child will be in say two years time.
My son suffered brain-injury due to oxygen deprevation.  He is nearly three and still doesn't have head control let alone be able to do anything a child his age can.  He has acid reflux, hates tummy time, severe hypotonia, cannot coordinate swallowing, is cortically blind and is tube fed.  He has a lot of gas and GI problems will always be part of our lives due to low muscle tone also affecting peristalsis.  
The point I am trying to make here is that you MUST insist on physical therapy from a very early age if there is any reason to believe your child may be delayed.  The diagnosis is important in some serious cases, but the truth is, sometimes there just isn't any answers.  Start treating the symptoms so long but don't hold back on treatment or rehabilitation purely because you are awaiting test results or are unsure of a diagnosis.  Valuable time is lost.
Good luck to all of you.  I know how you feel, I have been there.  I am still there and although it takes a very long time, acceptance does happen.  Remember not to treat your child any different than you would if he was "normal".  Most kiddos with CP are bright, they just have problems with the motor side of things.
    

[SweetSarah06]

Okay, I've got a question. I just had my daughter's first session of "physical therapy" and anticipated that there would be some physical manipulation of her body involved. Instead, the therapist just suggested things that I was already doing - try to get her to feed herself, try to get her to drink from a cup... etc. She has what the doctors have termed "mild hypotonia" and a diagnosis is pending although all test results have come back normal.

We are abroad, so I'm very interested in knowing what physical therapy for a mildly hypotonic infant would mean elsewhere so if she's not getting what she needs, I'll seek it out.

Thanks!

[mommyofnathan]

Find a neurophysio.  Nathan is severely affected but his therapy includes:
1.  swimming in heated swimmingpool
2.  rolling on gym ball
3.  hours on the floor on tummy
4.  simulated crawling
5.  repetition and routine.
she uses a lot of positive motivation.  other words, if he gets something right, he gets a treat, sort of like dog training?? I know it sounds terrible but he knows if he can hold his head up by himself for 10 counts, he gets a lick of chocolate.  He loves it.  Every few weeks she increases the counts, then he is confused for a while and very unhappy if he doesn't get his treat.  But a few days and he catches on and does the extra counts she wants him to. She cheers and shouts it is VERY noisy during a session.  the physical manipulation is passive exercises and is meant to prevent contractures by keeping the joints mobile.
Maybe find someone you click with?

[SweetSarah06]

thanks so much for your feedback! That is exactly what I expected and was very surprised by what actually happened. I'll keep looking!

[sarah430]

It sounds like your daughter has hypotonia.  From all that I have read on the subject, she seems to have a lot of symptoms--the arching of the back and choking when taking a bottle, the 'W' sit, and the foods she's eating are a few.  Hope that helps.

[230507]

my son is 12 months old and still hasnt been diagnosed . he can roll to one but cannot sit up as he flops over, cant pull to stand up , he hates tummy time cant lift his head up. but he is always full of smiles. he is still on baby formula and he will certain baby foods once its liquidised , he gags on thick lumpy food. genetics thinks its noonans or cfc syndrome.he has certain facial features and single crease on both hands, he is recieving physio at the moment.

[crabby70]

He has been seen by neuroloigist....Where I live we go through Early Intervention and they give the appropraite threapy...Sometimes they don't give a diagnose till they are older...best of luck

[Salli198103]

I am so glad I found this thread! I have a 16 month old boy who has recently seen a paediatrician, following concern at his 12 month health visit.
He has been initially reffered to Physio for General Hypotonia (just pulling up to knees, not quite crawling properly - commando with one leg, Eye specialist for alternating Squint (might be related to poor muscle tone in eyes? ? ), Speech therapy (only babbles a bit, with no specific words yet), Portage (people who come out to the home ? ) , Blood Tests - for thyroid and muscle enzymes.

So as you can imagine, we have appointments coming out of our ears, and no real asnwers.

Nobody has mentionned an MRI? which I guess must mean that they don't think its neurologically related??

He is a happy child, smiley, eats and sleeps well, but I certainly wouldn't say he's bright? He can't pick a 'cat' or 'ball' picture out of a book, which I've been teaching him for weeks and weeks. I'm just concerned that with this physcial delay, is learning difficulties? Are the two related? Anyone else got similar worries?

[shellsa]

i also have a son like that thats 19 months hes only just started to caterpillar crawl he can speak and say some words it took tons of practice to sit around he ive got simalar worries with my son partly his prob is microcephally mildly hes very quite slow also