# Friend's ds is 8 months and won't support weight in his arms



## Shanana (May 11, 2005)

Is there cause for concern? I firmly believe that all children develop at their own rate, and the milestone timelines put out by the "experts" are a loose guideline at best. However, my friend had undiagnosed diabetes (not just gestational diabetes), and it went untreated until sometime in the 2nd trimester. I'm aware that high blood sugar levels can have a detrimental effect on the fetus -- especially in the first trimester -- although I don't know much more than that.

Anyway, her ds hates being on his stomach, and won't push up on his arms at all. He turned 8 months old today. He does sit up (doesn't get into a sitting position on his own, though), and "scoots" forward while sitting by extending his legs in front of him, then scooching his butt forward. I'm just wondering if this would be considered "delayed", and maybe some intervention (like PT) would be helpful. Or if it still falls within the range of "normal". My dd is 7.5 months old, and has been crawling and pulling up for weeks, and is now starting to cruise, so she isn't a good comparison.

TIA!


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## ctdoula (Dec 26, 2002)

Crawling isn't considered a developmental milestone, since there are babies who never crawl. Just go from sitting to walking. As long as he's hitting other milestones, I wouldn't worry.


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## adiaspeer (Oct 24, 2005)

my dd isn't crawling, pulling herself up or going from sitting to knees yet at almost 9 months. honestly i'm not worried about it. she really has no intrest in crawling, she's totally focused on walking. all she wants to do is have us walk her around and she's gotten very good at balancing and is very close to standing on her own. she's taken a few steps on her own so we think we'll have a walker in a month or so. she doesn't love her tummy time, but i do try to get her to stay there (not roll over ) and practice a few times a day.

if the mama's not worried, i wouldn't worry... mama knows best!


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## bri276 (Mar 24, 2005)

do you mean if he's placed on his stomach he won't push up with his arms and lift his head?


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## PatsGrace (Apr 7, 2005)

My ds is 8.5 months and can't even scoot like that yet!

He has only just (as in the past week) been able to support any weight on his arms when he's on his tummy.

He is in physical therapy for something entirely unrelated, and his therapist says that while he's on the later end of the developmental scale, he's still totally normal!

So, I wouldn't worry about it at all!


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## Shanana (May 11, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *bri276*
do you mean if he's placed on his stomach he won't push up with his arms and lift his head?

I believe he will lift his head, but he won't push up with his arms. He hates being on his stomach and won't put any weight in his arms is what his dad said to me when they saw that my dd was crawling.


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## Shanana (May 11, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *PatsGrace*
My ds is 8.5 months and can't even scoot like that yet!

He has only just (as in the past week) been able to support any weight on his arms when he's on his tummy.

He is in physical therapy for something entirely unrelated, and his therapist says that while he's on the later end of the developmental scale, he's still totally normal!

So, I wouldn't worry about it at all!

Thanks, this is reassuring. The ds of yet another friend was in PT for various issues, and they said the fact that he wouldn't take weight in his arms was a "problem" (and he's around the same age). But from what my friend told me, this physical therapist seemed all "doom and gloom" and worst-case scenario all the time, so I wasn't sure how accurate that assessment was. With some people, if the baby's not doing what they're "supposed" to do at exactly the "right" moment, then something must be "wrong", kwim?

FYI, he does not show much interest in walking, either. He loves to be in his jumper, but when he's out of it, he doesn't seem very steady on his feet (again, compared to my dd).

Anyway, thanks to everyone for the feedback!


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## PatsGrace (Apr 7, 2005)

Whenever I hear about babies ds's age "doing" things (like being steady on their feet!) I just can hardly picture it.

They all develop at such different rates, and it's just crazy to me to imagine an 8 month old crawling or rolling over well, which are all things that I know other babies can do.







:


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## bri276 (Mar 24, 2005)

I kwym Grace, my dd is about the same age as your ds and she's definitely on the slow end gross-motor wise! but when I was 18 I nannyed a baby who walked- WELL- at 9 months. it seems bizarre to me now!

from what you are describing Shana, it doesn't sound like a huge concern. I think you're used to your busy little bee and understandably it's like a culture shock to see a babe who is so different! but the fact that he's scooting around means it's very unlikely that his brain was damaged by the diabetes in a way that would impair his motor skills. that scooting is actually considered a form of crawling.


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## cuttiebearmom (Oct 22, 2004)

My DD1 never crawled but was walking by herself without a problem before a year. She was sitting by herself early and walking with my hands early. DD2 so far seems to be the same way at 6 mo, we'll see in the next couple months.

I actually think I was lucky that DD1 didn't crawl, by the time she could move independently she was walking and didn't get into a lot of the stuff that crawlers find really low in a house









I REALLY don't think crawling is a necessary step in physical development. DD1 can run and jump at 2 just like any other kid now.


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## bobica (May 31, 2004)

butt scooting is often associated with low muscle tone. dd was a butt scooter with low tone throughout her trunk as well as overly flexible hips (think yoga guru!). she got PT for a year & it helped a lot!

she sounds very similar to your friend's ds, except for the no weight support on his arms. it may be very difficult for him to do which is why he hates it so much.

i know there are some OT's on the boards so maybe they can help me out with this one. crawling has fallen off the milestone list in recent years b/c of the back to sleep campaign leading to reduced stomach time & reduced development in upper body strength. however, there are now studies coming out linking not crawling in early development with OT needs (like difficulty with handwriting & fatigue) in school years. i'm not sure how much work has been done on this, so i'm not taking any strong stands on it









your friend can see if she can get him to play on his belly propped over her leg so he's more on all 4's with her supporting his midsection. that was a suggestion from dd's PT back in the day. i'd probably get him evaluated in the next few months if he is still not getting to sitting or attempting to crawl in some way.


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## Shanana (May 11, 2005)

Thanks to all for the replies







.


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## RiverSky (Jun 26, 2005)

What about trying a pediatric chiropractor?

I know one infant (at 21 months) who wasn't anywhere close to movement milestones who went to a chiropractor and within 2 weeks was walking.

ETA: On the other hand, my DS didn't crawl until 11 months and didn't walk until 17 1/2 months and he's perfectly healthy.


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## cuttiebearmom (Oct 22, 2004)

I wouldn't recommend a lot of interventions at this point. We parents want the best for our children and often start to think that our kids need to go through PT & chiropractors just b/c they aren't on 'schedule' for certain physical developmental 'milestones'. Never forget that these are wonderful services for those that need it, but cost a lot of $$, even if it's your insurance that is paying for it.

I would really say that if everything else seems normal with him I really wouldn't worry at all. Babies have a way of figuring out how THEY want to move and when. The times to really start intervening with developmental issues is when there are a lot of things that seem to be behind...Einstein didn't talk until he was 3


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## ferretfan (Nov 13, 2005)

:

glad to see this thread. i'm sure we're gonna be in the same boat at 8 months. dd is 6 months and dislikes laying on her belly during play, despite sleeping that way, and had no idea she has arms when she lays in that position


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## wende (Oct 4, 2003)

I will take the opposing position and say that it can't hurt to get it looked at. A friend of mine had a dd with similar issues. It turned out that she had nerve problems where basically her nerves were over sensitive and she couldn't stand the feel of the ground on her feet. It took extensive physical therapy but now she's running on her own at 2 and they originally thought she may be in leg braces for years.


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## runes (Aug 5, 2004)

Ped PT here...

A good therapist will not be alarmist about the milestones. It is a lot more complicated than whether a child is doing things 'on time' or not. A well-trained, experienced therapist will look at QUALITY of movement, it's not just what a child is doing/not doing but how they are doing it that really matters. There are some 'red flags' that we look for that can help us distinguish between the little ones that are just behind the established curves and those that are exhibiting things that are indicative of neurological issues.

That said, as a PT I do take issue with the milestone charts, one must remember that for the most part, when a milestone is expected, it's actually an average taken for the 50th percentile of babies. Some babies achieve it before, and some babies achieve it after, and it's all completely normal.

I do suggest having an evaluation done for this particular case, as it is unusual for a baby to not bear weight through upper extremities at this point. IMHO, that might be a 'red flag', but I would of course have to observe a lot more in terms of how this baby moves before suggesting a comprehensive neurological evaluation.

As for the $$ thing brought up by cuttiebearmom, most states have early intervention programs in place that are completely free for the families for evaluation and treatment. Most states, you don't even have to have a doctor's referral to tap into the system, anyone can refer a child for evaluation.


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## RiverSky (Jun 26, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *ferretfan*







:

glad to see this thread. i'm sure we're gonna be in the same boat at 8 months. dd is 6 months and dislikes laying on her belly during play, despite sleeping that way, and had no idea she has arms when she lays in that position









Sorry, off topic, but aren't babies supposed to sleep on their back? I'm guessing that if your DD doesn't use her arms much, she might not have rolled herself that way?


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## Shanana (May 11, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *kidspiration*
Ped PT here...
<snip>
I do suggest having an evaluation done for this particular case, as it is unusual for a baby to not bear weight through upper extremities at this point. IMHO, that might be a 'red flag', but I would of course have to observe a lot more in terms of how this baby moves before suggesting a comprehensive neurological evaluation.

Thank you for your comments, Michele. I've decided I'm going to bring it up with my friend. Perhaps she has discussed it with a doctor already and there's no reason for concern, but as her friend, I think it would be negligent of me to not mention that it _might_ be a problem and she may want to investigate further if she hasn't already. I would never forgive myself if there was something wrong, and I said nothing.

Thanks again to all who replied!


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## runes (Aug 5, 2004)

You are a great friend for researching this and talking to her about this.

Actually 8 months is quite young for starting to receive early intervention without a documented diagnosis, so by going ahead and referring your friend's child for services, you will have caught things very early! Most babies don't start EI until a big milestone like walking has not been achieved. WTG, mama!

Please feel free to PM me if you have any more specific questions!

PS...your dd is a cutie pie!


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## raversangel (Jul 1, 2005)

i would be a bit worried about not bearing ANY weight on his arms at 8months... my ds is a lot slower as far as gross motor skills go (way ahead on his fine motor skills howwever)...he couldn't hold up his head completly still till he was 5.5mo and roll over till he was 7 or 8 months...right now he can roll his little bum all over the place and can scoot a bit forward and back if there is a REALLY interesting toy in front of him








he can bear all his weight on his legs when standing, but hates it and locks his legs, so i'm thinking its going to be a bit as far as crawling and walking go...but he is starting to roll over into crawling position and the froggy leg out...so he is a bit behind, but i think if he couldn't bear weight on his arms i would be a bit worried about that


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## bobica (May 31, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *cuttiebearmom*
Einstein didn't talk until he was 3









ugh, this quote drives me nuts! (cuttiebearmom, this is not directed AT you, just at the theory b/c i've seen it posted so many times!







) it smacks of urban legend for me - a google search pops up the same essay over & over again. if he didn't talk until 3, fine. does it mean there's no need for intervention for any kid not talking before 3? i hardly think so.

ok, off my off-topic soapbox for now.

Shanana- any updates? have you talked to your friend?


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