My 11 month old hasn't progressed for 5.5 months

[WhisperGirl]

Hi ladies, I need a little advice. My baby is 11 months old. She's my 5th baby so I have lots of experience and assumed I knew what was normal development. However, she has failed to progress from 6 months old. She's a very happy, babbly, smiley baby, but she hasn't gotten any further in months.

She still struggles to hold a sippy, needs it tipped back for her. She can't crawl and can't even get onto her knees. She can roll over and back with her head up but that's all. She chokes on anything that isn't mashed with a fork. So soft veg, peas etc she still can't handle. Is it possible that she's Ok? Of all my 5 babies never have I had one that couldn't crawl or eat cut up family meals by 1 year old. I give her lots of floor time and encouragement. She doesn't try to grab and hold foods much either. She was a very quiet and content baby.

 

[jtink28]

I can't give any advice because I don't have any experience, but what does her doctor say? I'd take her to get a thorough checkup, and I'd tell them all about your concerns. Hugs, mama, that must be so nerve wracking!

 

[Arohanui]

First, try not to worry and do remember that all babies are different and develop at different times. I know younger siblings often crawl and walk later than their older siblings as they are being entertained by watching the older kids and often have toys brought to them so they have less motivation to get moving!

That said, there is no harm in seeing your GP and talking through your concerns and asking for a referral to a developmental paediatrician for assessment. IF a problem is identified, it is much better to get therapies and support in place now rather than later.

A few things that you might want to think about and highlight to your GP if you think they may be relevant:
Was your baby born full term or preemie?
Was it a traumatic birth and was your baby unwell during or after birth?
Did your baby have trouble breast and/or bottle feeding in the early days?
Was your baby very floppy (hypotonic) in the early weeks or months?
Did she sleep a lot as a small baby (much more than your other babies)?
Did she hardly ever cry, and when she did cry was it weak or high in pitch?
(This is an odd one) but does she have thick or sticky saliva?

The food thing may be as simple as her needing her tonsils and adenoids removed, or she may have a little texture aversion that a speech and language therapist could help her overcome.

If they do identify a problem, try not to think of it as something 'wrong' and more of something she needs a little help with to move forward in her development.

I have a 15 month old who was born at 27 weeks and who was diagnosed with a rare genetic disorder at 3 months. We have lots of intervention from physio, speech and language, occupational therapy etc. as well as seeing specialists in his condition very regularly, and we see him making progress every week. We were lucky to have had these things put in place very early on, and although he is behind the typical milestone schedule, all his milestones will be achieved with a little time, hard work and perseverance.