would you be concerned?

[SilverFish]

foggy mama brain has eroded my memory on what is "normal":

would you be concerned about a 9 month old who isn't sitting up well (even with support... her head control is ok, but she resists sitting and tends to slide or slouch), isn't rolling (can, i think, but doesn't really do it), doesn't show much fine motor dexterity, and isn't babbling much (again, can, but doesn't much).

my dd was pretty slow in the gross motor skills category... if i recall correctly, she was 10 months when she learned to cross-crawl and cruise, and was definitely not sitting up unassisted at 6 months (but was trying to), and she has always seemed to lag on skills for a few weeks or months, then acquire a whole bunch in a few days. at 9 months i seem to remember her doing an army crawl, rolling easily, sitting up unassisted, and in general very interested in exploring her physical surroundings.

anyway, this baby i'm wondering about lies flat on her back a lot of the time. she does that kicking thing where she tries to roll over, but isn't successful. she likes to "stand" like my dd did, but doesn't take any steps. she just doesn't seem to be interacting with the world at the level that i would expect a 9 month old to be.

what do you think?

[IdentityCrisisMama]

I would honor your instincts and mention this to her pediatrician.  That said, I do know perfectly developmentally typical kids who learned gross motor skills at different rates.  One of the most physically healthy kids I've ever known didn't even roll over until he was a year old.  I hope it's just a variation on normal, mama!!  

[SilverFish]

oh, i guess i should clarify, it's not my baby. it's a friend's baby. i'm just trying to remember what mine was doing at that age. it really does seem off to me, but i didn't know if i was totally off base for thinking so.

[Shaki]

Yes I would be concerned. Maybe time for some kind of evaluation? Who knows maybe it is in the range of normal but it doesn't hurt to check.

[P.J.]

I would be concerned. I would ask the pediatrician if that were my baby.

[Darlingricki74]

I would absolutely at least be concerned enough to talk to the ped if I was the mom!     I know there is a wide range of normal, but both of my babies were walking on their own at 9.5 months, so yeah, that sounds at least unusual to me.

[ProtoLawyer]

Is this LO on the big side? Is she especially top-heavy? That could explain some of where she is, large-motor-wise...my almost-10-month-old son has a huge head (about the size of a 3-year-old's) and teeny feet (size 3, ish, can even squeeze into some 2's), which affects his large motor skills. He scoots backwards but can't crawl properly, and he's beginning to pull himself up to standing but isn't quite there yet--he can bear some weight on his feet but it doesn't always work well. He's capable of rolling but doesn't do it. He can sit unassisted, though. His doctor suspects his size and top-heaviness will hold him back a bit. He's still in the acceptable range, so we're not going to pursue OT or early intervention yet.

That said...I would be more concerned if he wasn't babbling or was behind in fine-motor skills (he's on target or even a little ahead on both).

[SilverFish]

yeah, i'm wondering if that's part of it. the baby is very large and 'top heavy' as you say. i got a chance to see her again next to another baby the same age, and she is definitely way behind, but does seem to at least be taking in more of what's going on around her than before. my biggest concern before was that she was very passive, like a really young baby would be. anyway, i still don't know if i should ask the mom about it. she can be a bit defensive... either she already thinks there's a problem, or truly doesn't see it.

[Marissamom]

Originally Posted by SilverFish 

 but does seem to at least be taking in more of what's going on around her than before. my biggest concern before was that she was very passive, like a really young baby would be. 

I don't know if this is the case with this baby, but some babies and toddlers shut down if they're not i their normal environment or there are people outside their imediate family are around. she may be more engaged at other times, and you've only seen her out of her element.