Ok, So i have an 18 month old boy, He's normal as far as walking, learning to run, and talks quite alot. knows about 80 words if not more and is learning more every day. However he still can not sit up from laying on his back. he refused to roll from his back to his stomach. So he will lay on his back till someone helps him up. I have seen him lay there for over an hour just whining. I have showed him how to flip from his back to his stomach numerous times and he gets scared and cries alot. I don't know why he is scared with this, and don't know what to do any longer. My dr tells me we don't let him try long enough. but we try often! Not to mention we put him to bed at night and at nap time on his back..so he has plenty of time to roll over if he's going to. He never does. i am worried as to why my 1 and a half year old won't roll? or sit up on his own? It is starting to worry me. Like i said he is normal other than that, and actually speaks really well for his age... He was a late crawler, didn't start till he was 10 1/2 months and didn't walk till 15 1/2 months. but now you would never know it cuz he is almost running along with the other kids. And he talks VERY well. he started talking at 4 1/2 months with saying mama and dadda. So i just don't get why he's having a hard time rolling over and sitting up.
thanks for all your help
val
Sorry I can't answer that question - but remember he was not late crawling or walking - he was well within the normal range.
I would get an opinion from another Dr. I don't know if he is just lazy, scared, or he has a problem that you need to have checked out.
Get another doctor to look at him and see if they can find anything wrong. If he is physically ok, and you know that for sure, then I would suggest you leave him and let him learn to roll......
Have you tried letting him roll down a hill in the park like the other kids do?
Make sure there isn't something medically wrong before you do anything else......get a second opinion.....it never hurts.
Good Luck.
I'm not enough of an expert to say what is normal or not. My 2 kids are different in personality and development. My son is very active and was sitting, crawling and walking much earlier (walking at 10 months). By 7-8 months I had to take him out of the changing table because he wiggled and tried to turn over so much it was dangerous. My daughter is 16 months this week and is just on the verge of walking and just this month became too squirmy to be safe on the changing table. On the other hand she is much calmer and has better small motor control than her brother at the same age. Sometimes normal has a wide range but if you are really concerned talk to the pediatirican for a referral or call Early Intervention.
One game my kids both loved was putting a pillow behind the child then pulling up to sitting and them letting them fall back onto the pillow (with sound effects). My daughter loved this especially and it helped her strengthen her abdominal muscles. At first I pulled her up and now she can hold my hands and pull herself up to sitting.
Have you tried lying on your back with him and rolling towards him while talking playing? They tend to mirror this. My son is 2 and tries to sit up from his back (not sure if this is really even possible at this age), and he will kind of whine or reach for me. I say, "You know how to get up." (with a smile on my face). He will then smile, roll over and get up. I think he likes it when I help him up. If you are changing him on the floor now, when you are done changing him, roll him over and let him get himself up instead of helping him up. He might connect the two.
Children go through various stages of developement that prepare us for various situations and other stages. The stage that your son did not spend enough time in is the TLR, Tonic Labyrinthine Reflex, which is designed to help the baby gain muscles in his back, neck, and shoulders, so that he can roll over, sit, stand, and walk in a natural progressive way. During this stage is also the neurodevelopment associated with telling time and sequencing.
Since he zoomed past this and found other ways to physically develop enough to stand and run, you may want to have him do some play time on his tummy so that he can develop those muscles. Alos, this will help him develop his brain in necessary ways for his later education. Some games you can play are for him to start on his tummy listening to you read a book, and he will naturally collapse and change his body position to a more comfortable when he is tired - like after a couple seconds at first. Do this daily, even several times a day, and watch it build up.
Other games you can play with him is fill the bucket. Lying on his tummy, with you on yours, both face a pile of toys and a shallow pan or bucket, and one at a time fill it. This will be very tiring! Try one; try two next time; make it engaging and rewarding, or he won't play - you know your son best!
This may take a few months to get him to the point where he naturally rolls over and sits up, but it is very rewarding!!
How does this happen? We as a society are afraid of killing our babies - and rightly so! - so we don't put them on their tummies for fear of SIDS. But they need to spend time there to develop, so we could use a playpen instead of a car seat, walker, bouncer, swing, etc.
For more information, read the book, Reflexes, Learning and Behavior by Sally Goddard, or see my web site, www.PyramidOfPotential.com/interior/pop/pop4.
Good luck with your son! Have fun with his continued development!
Sincerely,
K. Johnson, MS Ed
I would talk to the pediatrician and ask about an evaluation. I don't think a toddler would be "scared" of rolling over, but that he can't or it's just uncomfortable for him. Perhaps he has low msucle tone in his abs and some physical or occupational therapy would help. Good luck!
Hi Val,
Does he suffer from frequent ear infections? I know this sounds nuts, and I should probably be telling you to have him evaluated and PT will be helpful, but as I'm reading your note, the first thing that came to my mind was maybe he has fluid in his ears and when he rolls over or attempts to sit up, he becomes very dizzy. Maybe he tried it once, got dizzy, freaked him out and now he's afraid to try again.
I'm not loving your pediatrician's response. If he's so advanced in other areas, maybe that's where he excelled and here didn't. Did the pediatrician check for low tone in his core?
Good luck!
M.
Can you call early intervention and get help from a professional? In NJ they will evaluate and help him with physical therapy,(if he needs it). My neighbors did that and it is free. Maybe a professional knows tricks and ways to make this fun--
TR
This is really interesting. My son was also a very early talker and a late bloomer with his large motor skills. He never, ever sat up or stood in his crib (and he was in there until he was 3 years old!) He never even occurred to me to worry about it - I just figured, that is the type of kid he was. He is very cautious and I think it was related to the caution. He is 5 now and a normal, healthy kid. He is still cautious! He walks down the stairs one foot at a time, for example. Other kids run down, alternating thier feet. The doctor said it was again due to him being cautious. But in all other ways he is normal and even though he didn't do things as early as other kids (climbing and sliding at the park for example), he is able to do everything eventually. It just takes him a bit longer to try. Perhaps that is the case with your son?
