29 Nov Noticed your 7 month old baby is struggling to sit upright by themselves

Wondering if it’s normal for baby to feel floppy when you carry them
Perhaps you’ve been told not to worry because baby is just lazy and will sit when they are ready

Recently, a mother asked one of our Expert Paediatric Physiotherapist “How do I know if my baby has low muscle tone?”This mother has been concerned about her baby’s gross motor skills for a while, yet her family, friends and family doctor has said that baby is just lazy and will move when she is ready. On assessment of this little one, we determined that baby has low muscle tone which made it challenging for her to move.

So to help new parents who are concerned about their baby’s gross motor skills, here are 3 Signs that indicate 6 month old baby has low muscle tone.

1. Baby has poor head control. You will notice that baby struggle to hold their head up when they are on their tummy to play, often preferring to place their head down on the mat or crying after 2 minutes on their tummy. Baby will struggle with holding their head upright in sitting, often bopping their head around when supported in sitting.

2. Baby has difficulty with feeding. Young babies will struggle with breast feeding or bottle feeding, often not able to latch onto the breast or bottle easily. Babies who are 6 months or older, will struggle with solids often choking on lumpy foods.

3. Baby has difficulty with transitional movements. Baby will usually fall over to move from sitting to lying instead of using their hands to control their transition from sitting to lying. Baby is not able to use their hands to push themselves up to sit or lift their chest off the mat to move into kneeling on hands and knees.

If you noticed that your baby who is 6 months and older is struggling with movements as described above, reach out to My Favourite Physio on (02) 9790 4233 to speak to one our Expert Paediatric Physiotherapists today. Early Intervention is key to helping baby achieve their best potential!

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