12 month old not weight bearing at all

[klcuk3]

My DD has just turned 1 yr old and moves about in this funny shuffle where she uses her upper body strength to pull her bottom half along. She can roll over back to front then push herself up into sitting or this shuffle position. She sometimes kneels when trying to reach things.

However if you try and hold her upright with her feet on the floor she's having none of it and either draws her legs up or buckles at the knees. She's a big girl for her age and has small feet.

At what age should I be concerned about her not weight bearing or attempting it on her feet?

Thanks for any advice xx

 

[Wilsey]

I found this on www.babycentre.com, hopefully it helps

"Children develop at different rates, but most follow a general timeline (though preemies may be off schedule by a few weeks or months). If your child doesn't seem to be meeting milestones within several weeks of the average, ask his doctor about it. It may be nothing, but if your child does have a delay, you'll want to catch it early so you can get a diagnosis and begin treatment.

As a general rule, trust your instincts. If something seems odd or wrong to you about the way your baby moves, ask about it. After all, you know your child best. The following are possible warning signs of a problem.

Newborn to 2 months
•after 2 months, doesn't hold his head up when you pick him up from lying on his back
•after 2 months, still feels particularly stiff or floppy
•after 2 months, overextends his back and neck (as if he's pushing away from you) when cradled in your arms
•after 2 or 3 months, stiffens, crosses, or "scissors" his legs when you pick him up by the trunk

3 to 6 months
•by 3 or 4 months, doesn't grasp or reach for toys
•by 3 or 4 months, can't support his head well
•by 4 months, isn't bringing objects to his mouth
•by 4 months, doesn't push down with his legs when his feet are placed on a firm surface
•after 4 months, still has Moro reflex (when he falls backward or is startled, he throws out his arms and legs, extends his neck, and then quickly brings his arms back together and begins to cry)
•after 5 or 6 months, still has the asymmetrical tonic neck reflex (when his head turns to one side, his arm on that side will straighten, with the opposite arm bent up as if he's holding a fencing sword)
•by 6 months, can't sit with help
•after 6 months, reaches out with only one hand while keeping the other fisted
•doesn't roll over in either direction (back to front or front to back) by 5 or 6 months

7 to 9 months
•at 7 months, has poor head control when pulled to a sitting position
•at 7 months, is unable to get objects into his mouth
•at 7 months, is not reaching for objects
•by 7 months, doesn't bear some weight on his legs
•by 9 months, can't sit independently

9 to 12 months
•after 10 months, crawls in a lopsided manner, pushing off with one hand and leg while dragging the opposite hand and leg
•at 12 months, is not crawling
•at 12 months, can't stand with support

13 to 24 months
•by 18 months, can't walk
•after several months of walking, doesn't walk confidently or consistently walks on toes
•after his second birthday, is growing less than 2 inches per year (get more on a normal growth rate)

36 months
•falls frequently or is unable to use the stairs
•drools persistently
•can't manipulate small objects"

 

[kuriazuri]

Hmmm...does she crawl? Can she kneel independently? Is the buckling voluntary or involuntary? How does she do in a walker/jumper/exorciser? I would be concerned. In my experience an early warning sign for some disabilities is weak muscle tone and inability to bear weight.

As a tiny baby (3/4 months) could you stand her on your legs? Did she have the stepping reflex?

I would explain your concern to her pediatrician. She can test her muscles and determine if it's weak tone.

 

[liz1985]

I would take her to the doctors or hv just to have it checked out. I think at that age it would be generally expected that they could bear weight on their legs. I know at my daughters 6m check they checked that she could bear weight and that her feet were flat on the floor. It doesn't nessasarily mean there is a problem though, my friends lo ddidn't weight bear till close to 18m, he had lots of tests and everything was fine. They were going to send him for physio but ended up not needing it.

 

[MrsPear]

My daughter crawled the day before her first birthday but nothing before that. She could not stand up (with support) until 14.5 months and could not pull herself up until a little after. In our case it was nothing more than being on the slower side to complete her physical milestones. She was at least 10 months before she ever rolled over. She didn't stand completely unaided until 18 months, and didn't take any steps until 20 months (wasn't properly 'walking' until 21 or 22 months).

So it might well be that nothing at all is wrong. Since you are concerned it would probably be worth checking with your HV. I think at this age there can be a wait for any services, so if you get 'in the system' and there was a problem identified further down the line, it would be beneficial that you were already known to the relevant services.

xxx

 

[klcuk3]

Hmmm...does she crawl? Can she kneel independently? Is the buckling voluntary or involuntary? How does she do in a walker/jumper/exorciser? I would be concerned. In my experience an early warning sign for some disabilities is weak muscle tone and inability to bear weight.

As a tiny baby (3/4 months) could you stand her on your legs? Did she have the stepping reflex?

I would explain your concern to her pediatrician. She can test her muscles and determine if it's weak tone.

Thanks for your reply. She doesn't crawl but pulls herself around with her arms - a little hard to explain properly - but she's in a sitting position with her left leg tucked under her and her right behind her. She kneels when next to something to support her. She didn't pulls her own legs up when we try to stand her. She's been too big for the jumperoo for a long time but when she was in it she'd bounce but her feet would never be flat on the floor.

She's never stood on our laps unlike her sister who wanted to be standing from really early on. Not sure about stepping reflex but it doesn't seem like she has one now as if we do get her to stand she has no idea what to do.

I've got my HV coming to do her 9-12month check on 7th October and I mentioned my concerns about the non-weight bearing to her on the phone - she said she'll see what she's doing at the check and take it from there.

Thank you everyone for your advice and experiences x

 

[Zinky]

You're LO sounds exactly like mine! She turned 1 last week and does the exact shuffle you describe using her arms to move around. She cannot bear weight on her legs at all.
On the advice of my HV, I took her to the GP today and he said this is cause for concern and we are bring referred to a specialist.
I really don't know what to expect and am hoping she is just slow in reaching this milestone. She has been slow in all her milestones apart from sitting unaided which she could do at 5 months.
Good luck with your DD.