# do babies have "froggy" legs?



## ms.shell (Jul 25, 2008)

my baby is nearly 6 months. i havent had him to the pediatrician since he was 1 month and dont plan to return unless we have an issue. but i am starting to worry his legs might not be aligned right or something. they stick out to the sides like frog legs. i mean, if he is laying on his back, instead of his legs being stretched straight out and down from his torso, they come out from the sides like if he was sitting "indian style". when he sits in his swing, his feet touch each other on the soles. like, he "claps" his feet together. he is trying to crawl, and when he is on his tummy, instead of his knees being underneath him, his legs are spread wide from the sides with the knees out and like i said, his soles facing each other. like i said, it looks like he is "frog legged." (this works to help him move backwards instead of forward).
i am hoping this is normal for a baby and i havent noticed it before. but if this is not right or possibly not right, i need to take him to the doctor to be looked at. does this sound normal? or not right?
thanks for your help!


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## LianneM (May 26, 2004)

Sounds normal to me - both of my kids looked like that, and loved clapping their feet together.


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## mamazee (Jan 5, 2003)

Lol froggy legs.







Yes, sounds normal to me, and I love the way you described it. Cute! My baby loves clapping her feet together too.


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## Llyra (Jan 16, 2005)

Two reasons I'd be concerned:

1. If his legs literally cannot and will not straighten-- like if you gently tug them straight, they can't be pulled straight.

or

2. If you try and stand him up supported, like on your lap while you hold him or something, or in a jumper or something like that, he can't bear any weight at all on his legs, or his legs don't straighten out underneath him. At that age, I would hold my kids under the arms in a standing position on my lap or in front of me on the floor, and they would "try" to stand and bounce a bit. They could plant their feet on the floor and bear just a bit of their own weight, even though they couldn't balance at all.

If the legs don't ever straighten, and he doesn't bear his own weight on his legs at all, I might probably get him looked at. How are his other milestones? Does he roll, hold up his head, and sit with some support? If he's meeting other physical milestones, I wouldn't worry so much in any case, unless the legs were really rigidly fixed in that position.

But for them to be frog-legged while lying down on face or back is normal, I think. All of mine were like that. My DS is 2 1/2 and he still goes all froggy when he's lying on his back sometimes, the way he did as a baby.


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## KatWrangler (Mar 21, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Llyra* 
Two reasons I'd be concerned:

1. If his legs literally cannot and will not straighten-- like if you gently tug them straight, they can't be pulled straight.

or

2. If you try and stand him up supported, like on your lap while you hold him or something, or in a jumper or something like that, he can't bear any weight at all on his legs, or his legs don't straighten out underneath him. At that age, I would hold my kids under the arms in a standing position on my lap or in front of me on the floor, and they would "try" to stand and bounce a bit. They could plant their feet on the floor and bear just a bit of their own weight, even though they couldn't balance at all.

If the legs don't ever straighten, and he doesn't bear his own weight on his legs at all, I might probably get him looked at. How are his other milestones? Does he roll, hold up his head, and sit with some support? If he's meeting other physical milestones, I wouldn't worry so much in any case, unless the legs were really rigidly fixed in that position.

But for them to be frog-legged while lying down on face or back is normal, I think. All of mine were like that. My DS is 2 1/2 and he still goes all froggy when he's lying on his back sometimes, the way he did as a baby.

Agreed.







All three of my kids were stretched out by 2 months of age.

I would have your child looked at by your HCP.


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## mckittre (Jan 15, 2009)

My 7 month old likes to clap his feet together, and tends to splay them on his tummy as well (also crawls backwards). But he has no problem straightening them and bearing weight if I support him in a standing position. As someone else mentioned, that's probably the important thing.


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## ms.shell (Jul 25, 2008)

no, he wont stand up supported. his other milestones seem fine- he was late rolling over, and hasnt done it much, but i really think that is because he is so big and also his mellow disposition- it hasnt occurred to him to want to roll over; he's trying to crawl and has rolled by accident only.
but his head control is great and he is beginning to balance really well for sitting, nearly unassisted. he grabs on to things and purposely plays with toys. he started trying to talk early and so i am thinking his development is like ds1, who has always been well advanced with verbal skills and kindof behind on motor skills.
my mom told me that some babies will stand with help, and some won't. this is based on her experience with babies in my family (me and my sisters and our 7 kids and also her nieces and nephews, etc). But you guys are saying he definitely should be able to stand with help? i guess i do need to take him in...


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## mamazee (Jan 5, 2003)

I didn't know you meant he couldn't stand supported. I don't know if that's a big deal, but both of mine could by that age. Worth checking into.


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## KatWrangler (Mar 21, 2005)

I would go get your baby checked. But I am a worry wart since I have a special needs child.


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## Abraisme (Mar 8, 2009)

I didn't put any weight on my legs when I was an infant. I also wouldn't use any sort of jumping toy, etc. My grandmother thought something was really wrong with me.. Turns out that my legs were totally fine, but I couldn't see. I was a late walker and then got glasses around 18m. I'm not sure if they were related or not, no one is. It's likely that your child is perfectly fine.


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## ChetMC (Aug 27, 2005)

I think that bearing weight when in a standing position is on the list of items a baby should do by about six months. So if your DS isn't doing it yet, it's not necessarily a problem. Babies are certainly all over the board in terms of when they do this. Some can do it when they're born, and others don't do it until they're eight months old (even though they're perfectly fine).

However, failing to bear weight can indicate problems with low muscle tone, issues with hip formation, weakness, etc. My nephew didn't bear weight as an infant and in his case the problem had something to do with loose joints or ligaments. I can't recall exactly. It wasn't serious, but he did have physiotherapy and walked very late.

I probably would get your DS checked out. A lot of things can be ruled out easily with a doctor's visit, and something like hip dysplasia is more easily treated the sooner that it's caught.


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## RomanGoddess (Mar 16, 2006)

if you decide to get baby checked, I would have him looked at by an orthopedic pediatrician rather than a regular ped. A regular ped will try to do the whole baby well-check and lose focus on what is concerning you.


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## KatWrangler (Mar 21, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *RomanGoddess* 
if you decide to get baby checked, I would have him looked at by an orthopedic pediatrician rather than a regular ped. A regular ped will try to do the whole baby well-check and lose focus on what is concerning you.

Unless her insurance requires a referral to a Specialist.

But yes, a Pediatric Orthopedic Surgeon is who you should see.


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