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Late Starting To Crawl

by Lisa

My grandbaby is fourteen months and is late starting to crawl. We are told that, because she was a preemie (32-weeks), her muscle tone is low resulting in her only starting to crawl now. I am very concerned!

She walks back and forward in her walker nicely. However, the occupational therapist mentioned that the walker was hindering her from using her weak muscles (upper body). We are also told that if she continues using the walker she will most likely end up walking on her toes.

Has anyone had the same experiences or can offer advice?

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Late Starting To Crawl

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Getting My Baby Crawling
by: Anonymous

I have another answer for getting my baby crawling. My baby is now 9 months old. She starts to show interest and kind of moving her body (begining stage to crawl). I was pretty worried earlier and wanted to put her in walker but I was told not to do so. B'cos they need more effort to crawl than using a walker to walk. If there is a choice to use walker, it is very likely that they won't crawl. So keep your walker in the store and encourage her to crawl.

Get a 2 inch firm mattress and lay it on the floor, let your baby sits and play with her toys on the mattress for a while. Slowly move the toys slightly away from her, to get her stretch a bit to reach the toy. Encourage and show your joys once she reach the toy. Then you move the toy a little further each time. Repeat the same thing. But don't let her play alone on the mattress.

Also, consider turning her over her tummy for 2 to 3 mins from time to time.

When you are playing with her on the mattress, make sure you crawl around her too. They will love it. : )
Born 8 Weeks Prematurely
by: Margaret Watson

Because she was born 8 weeks prematurely you need to consider your granddaughter as being 2 months younger than she actually is. She cannot crawl or walk until her muscles have developed sufficiently and her nervous system has also developed.

As for walking on her tip toes - provided the walker is at the height so she can put her feet flat on the floor there shouldn't be a problem. At what age did she learn to roll from front to back and to sit up independently? If this was within normal limits then almost certainly there is nothing to worry about.

As for muscle tone - does her grip seem normal to you? If it is floppy and she has difficulty picking things up or raising herself up when placed on her tummy then I should consult a pediatrician explaining carefully what your concerns are.

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