9 Month Old Who Still Doesn't Sit Unsupported and Hasn't Begun to Crawl Yet.

I would not be too worried about either problem my daughter took a long time to sit and crawl, she is now 2 & 1/2 and goes non stop all day. As far as being 32lbs at 9 months my nephew was the same way he was 35 lbs he justed stayed that weight till he was almost 2 now he is 8 and the thinnest boy in the family.

J.,
I once had a similar concern. I run a daycare and one of my children showed no sign of wanting to sit, crawl and put support on her feet. The mom, doc, and I discussed this and decided to sign her up with a free program called Tiny K. It was GREAT! The occupational therapist came to my house and her mom's house to teach us some new ways to get her to sit up and support herself without her getting frustrated. There is nothing mentally physically wrong with the child, she just needed a little more encouraging than other children. Now she has quickly caught up with the others and has reached all her big milestones.

Don't worry about it unless and until his doctor tells you there is something to worry about. I have three that weren't crawling at nine months, and two that never crawled. They just do things in their own time. Some babies won't even try just because they are content just to lay there.
Relax!!! :)

J.,
I would ask about it at his next drs visit. My son was a big boy from the get go. He didn't learn to crawl until he was ten and half months. Remember all babies hit their milestones at different ages. It never hurts to ask though. The fact that he doesn't like tummy time is common is bigger babies, my son refused to stay on tummy. Yes he was a little late with his gross motor skills but his doctor said it was common.

At nine months, your baby should be sitting up at least with some support. His size could play a factor into his not sitting up, being his trunk isn't strong enough to support him while sitting. What does your pediatrian say about this? I would recommend getting him evaluated by a Developmental Therapist and proably a Physical Therapist. My daughter had to have Speech Therapy from birth for sucking problems and got evaled by Child Family Connections...they are wonderful. They will even come out to your house for the eval. Definately give them a call, the evals are free and if you child qualifies they take insurance, and have sliding scale if you don't have insurance. They serve St. Clair, Monroe and I think Madision counties. But if you live outside of these counties they can still give you the right number for where you live. Good luck! :) 618/624-3309

Sounds like he is just a big boy and it will take a little more time to crawl or walk, As he gets a little older he will thin down some. I know several babies who were big like your little one and they were delayed a few months in sitting, crawling, walking etc. So don't get discouraged, just keep doing what your doing and he should be fine. If it really bothers you then do yourself a favor & talk to his doctor, to ease your mind.

Don't get too worried just yet. My son did not crawl until he was 10-1/2 or 11 months old and walked about 3 weeks later. Give him some more time. One thing we tried was putting a favorite toy or object just out of reach for a little motivation! Good Luck!

I don't know about the whole sitting part, but my son was 11 months old when he began to crawl and I thanked God every day for making him a late crawler! I was definitley not one of those mothers who wanted their child to be mobile as soon as possible. I liked knowing that I could set him down somewhere, leave the room for a moment or two (not TOO long, of course!) and when I came back he was still in that exact same spot! It didn't take long for him to start walking...he was about 13 months old when he did that. However, he did start sitting up at about 6 or 7 months. If you have a nine-month check-up with your doctor, I'd ask him/her about the sitting up part. But I really wouldn't worry yet that he's not crawling yet...be thankful for that part! Soon enough he'll be EVERYWHERE. Good luck to ya!

Is your doctor concerned? He/She would be able to better determine if your son cannot sit due to his size or if there is something more to be concerned about.

In Missouri there is a fantastic organization called Parents as Teachers. It is offered for FREE from every school district in Missouri. They will assign you a 'parent educator' who will give you information on your child's overall development, and appropriate ways to help you encourage your child's development. They do home visits, and bring activities for you and your child to do together. They also do periodic developmental screenings in your home as well. This program is open to EVERY family in Missouri- it is not based on income, developmental levels, or any other category. It is a wonderful program - it has been very helpful to me as a parent.

Best of luck!

Our 9 month old grandson was not crawling and also hated tummy time! At least twice a day he was put on tummy and encouraged to crawl to a favorite toy or something else interesting. I read in a book that having a very colorful and stimulating mat could help so we purchased some of those non slip foam locking squares-very colorful. Boom. He started crawling THAT DAY & hasn't stopped!

J.,

My name is C. and I am a parent of a "large" boy myself. I am also an Occupational Therapist that works with young children regarding movement, self help skills, etc. Many times with young ones that are bigger, it does just take them a little longer to get mobile and stable. We provide home visits to families through our company, Therapeutic Living Solutions. There are two other resources that I think would be great to check out for you, if nothing else that to provide you with some information and to put your mind at ease. I am not sure if you are living in Missouri or Kansas, but both states have early intervention programs with specialists that are trained in child development. They are free programs that can help answer your questions and evaluate your son so as to help provide answers if there is a problem, as well as reaaurance. They will come to your home to provide information to you. In Kansas you can contact a local school district to find the one in your area. The program is called Tiny K. In Johnson County Kansas it is Tiny K, Infant Toddler Services of Johnson County. There number is ###-###-####. You can also look them up on the web. In Missouri, the program for the entire State is call First Steps. Their number is ###-###-####. You can also look up information for them on the web as well. Both agencies have Physical Therapists, Developmental Therapists, Occupational Therapists as well as Service Coordinators that can assess your son and address your concerns. They can help provide guidence and additional resources, such as great play groups, physicians, etc. We can also be located on the web.

Good luck and let me know if you have any questions. I can be reached either via email at ____@____.com or at ###-###-####.

Happy New Year!
C.

My daughter didn't start crawling until 1 week before her first birthday. It stressed me out a bit even though people told me that children will crawl on their own time. Some even go straight to walking. Our pediatrician recommended a bit of physicle therapy, which I think did help. We only went 6 or 7 times before moving. But it also gave me ideas of what to do with her at home. what does your pediatrician say?

I think that you answered your own question. I have a two year old that weighs 32 pounds. It is probably going to take him longer to figure out how to move. My daughter is 7 months old and she is 23 pounds. She can sit up for a little bit, but nothing like what my son was doing at her age. She tries to get into the crawling position, but her arms and legs can't support her midsection, LOL! And my son skipped the crawling stage, it just didn't interest him at all. He just started pulling up on everything and then walked at 11 months old.
I do agree with the other post that if it is a concern you should speak with his doctor, but I just wanted to let you know that every kid develops at their own rate.

Hi J.,
I wouldn't worry about it. Your little guy is most likely just too chunky to sit or crawl. That happened to my neice and my sister was in a panic and took her to the doctor. The diagnosis was she just had a little more "fluff" and it was just harder for her to do those things. My first son didn't start crawling until he was 10 months and then walked just before he turned one. Trust me, you are not doing anything wrong. First time mommies are always overly concerned. Don't get me wrong, that is not a bad thing. It means you are doing a great job. I still worry more than I should with my oldest. It's because it is all new territory andyou two are learning together as you go. If you have baby number 2 it will seem like a breeze. You are not alone. All those other moms that you see out there that look all cool, calm and collected are going through all the same worried thoughts and feelings that you are. Just remember as soon as your little guy starts to become mobile you will be wondering why you were in such a hurry for him to crawl and walk. Enjoy the time that you have. Once he starts cruising along there will be hardly anytime for anything else because you're gonna be chasing him all over the place. Now just sit back and relax. You are doing a great job. He will get the hang of it! Good luck and Happy New Year!

I would definately follow up with the pediatrician and see what he thinks. You're right-bigger babies do take longer with gross motor skills, but by 9 months, he should be sitting up. The fact that he gets upset when you put him on his tummy or in a sitting position might be a sign that it is hurting him?? It sounds like you are doing a great job of encouraging him with his skills, keep that up! My middle child was a big guy who was slower to develop his gross motor skills. We used a big yoga ball and rolled him back and forth on it on his belly and sat him on it and bounced him up and down and back and forth. It was fun for all and seemed to help with balance and strength issues he had.

Have you heard about Parents as Teachers?? If you live in Missouri, it is a state-funded program offered in all the school districts. The parent educators come to your home and do screenings with your child to see if all development is on track, give you ideas of activities to work with them all and give you suggestions if things aren't developing as they should be. It's all free. All you do is call your local school district's early childhood center and ask to sign up.

You should have a 9 month well visit with your pediatrician. You should discuss your concerns with him/her. You didn't do anything wrong!

I was just about to post the same concern about my 7 month old daughter she still isn't sitting up either. I can sit her on the bed with the boppy pillow around her and she will sit up for a few minutes but then she falls over. My son was sitting up at 6 months so I have been a little concerned. Anyways, just thought I would let you know your not alone.

Goodluck,
M.

You're doing a great job - just keep giving him opportunities to try on his tummy and sitting. Maybe prop him up sitting with a boppy around him so if he falls over he won't hurt himself. It may be that his weight is slowing him down but he may just not be ready yet and it's ok. I'd talk to your dr. if he's still having trouble when he turns a year old. I'm a physical therapist and understand your concern but the most important thing is that you give him lots of opportunities and try to make it fun, using his favorite toys for stimulation.

It could be his weight, but it also could be something else. Talk to the doctor or take him to the health department. Also, consider calling SoonerStart (if you live in Oklahoma, other states have similar programs) for an evaluation. You do not have to see a doctor first. SoonerStart will even come to your home, if that is what you prefer. SoonerStart is for children under the age of 3 who are at risk for developmental delays. Right now it seems as though your son may fit in that category. There is no charge to you for this service. They will even teach you how to work with your child.
I used to work in a child care center and now I teach early childhood education and care at a university. We had a child at the child care center who used the services of SoonerStart. I also have friends who used their services.

My guess is it is his size. I have a 4 year old who weighs 35 pounds. Make sure you are not feeding him too much too often. My first child was "big"...much bigger than the other 3, but he was still under 30 pounds at a year (just over 20 pounds). If he has always seemed to cry often, it could be that he is allergic to something...many doctors say acid reflux, but it is most likely an allergy with discomfort. Is he breast fed or bottle fed? Some babies can not digest formula properly and cry constantly. Moms misinterpret the cries as hunger cries but it is a belly ache from the inability to digest the milk in formula. I would talk to his pediatrition about getting the weight under control. It is true that the more active they are the more they slim down, but if he is too large to support himself, then there is an issue. I had 2 out of 4 that were 8 pounders at birth and they ended up normal by their first birthday. Good luck, and hang in there! My 16 month old is just learning to walk!