13 Jan Is your baby over 12 months old and still not wanting to put weight on their feet to stand

Been told that your child is delayed in their gross motor skills and you are wondering why

All children should be walking by 18 months old independently, if they are not, then they are considered to be delayed in their gross motor skills. Often when parents are informed that their little one is delayed in their gross motor skills, the first question they ask is Why did this happen? Some mothers would ask if it was something they did or did not do to cause their little one to be delayed. So to help parents out there who find themselves in a similar situation, here are the Top 3 Common Reasons why a little one is delayed in their gross motor skills.

1. Lack of Tummy Time in the first 4 to 6 months of life. Babies can start doing Tummy Time right from Day 1 when they are born. Tummy Time is crucial for baby as they learn to strengthen their neck and shoulder muscles to control their head when lying on their tummy to play. Some babies have reflux which makes Tummy Time challenging and as a result don’t spend time on their tummy. This leads to a delay in baby’s gross motor skills over time.

2. Low Muscle Tone in a baby’s muscles at birth can result in baby struggling to hold their head up or sitting upright at 6 months old. There are many reasons why a baby may have low muscle tone and sometimes there are no known causes. Babies who have low muscle tone will require Early Intervention Physiotherapy to help them to become stronger and move better.

3. Adaptive movement patterns that are learnt over time when a baby is struggling to move normally. Babies naturally want to explore the environment and when they are unable to do so, they will form adaptive movement patterns such as bum shuffling, or caterpillar crawl on their back across a room. Once a baby learns an adaptive movement pattern it stops them from learning to move correctly.

So if you are concerned about your baby’s gross motor skills, reach out to My Favourite Physio on (02) 9790 4233 or DM us @myfavouritephysio to speak to one of our Expert Paediatric Physiotherapists today!