My 15 month old is not crawling or walking?

Question

She has great small motor skills but all she can do is roll everywhere. She can not get from laying down to sitting up and she just started rolling at 11 months

I have to agree that I am not as worried about the walking as I am about the crawling. I work with children and spend a lot of time with my daughter and feel she is developing normal in every way except large motor skills.
She has been seeing a PT for 5 weeks but has not improved
Any ideas on what could be wrong?

Answer 1

I would definitely discuss this with a pediatrician. She is mobile, but she should be pulling up at this age. At the same time, remember that all babies have their own developmental patterns, regardless of what "average" babies do. She might just have her own agenda! Good luck.

Answer 2

Crawling isn't a developmental milestone because of the simple fact that many babies never do it. The milestone is "get from where she is to where she wants to be" and if she gets from where she is to where her toy is by rolling then she has met that milestone.

Recently there have been a lot of scare stories on the internet and even some parenting magazines that say children who never crawl may have dyslexia or other such problems. I have searched and searched for even ONE study to that effect and haven't found one -and if there isn't even one badly conducted study to "prove" that hypothesis then likely this is just one of those crazy rumors that get taken as fact -sometimes for generations.

Also laying down to sitting up is more complicated then you may realize. There are many ways to do it and they mostly involve some pretty serious balance. A lot of babies pull to standing long before they learn to sit up.

The only thing I would really be concerned about is if her overall muscle tone seemed poor. At this point she should be able to support her weight on her legs while you hold her up. She should also be able to jump in a jumperoo or move a fair bit in an exersaucer if you use either of those things.

http://www.drgreene.org/body.cfm?id=21&action=detail&ref=354
Rolling over, sitting without support, cruising (walking along furniture), and walking independently are important developmental milestones. Crawling isn't.

Crawling isn't even mentioned in my favorite pediatric development textbook!

This seems strange since, of any of these behaviors, crawling is most associated with babies. The truth is many babies never crawl! They do need to find some way to move across the floor. Each will do so at unpredictable times and in distinctive ways. Your grandson may be a scooter, one who likes to stay upright and scoot across the floor on his bottom. Many babies prefer creeping, or wriggling forward on the stomach. Many children will crab-crawl, moving backwards. And, of course, many children will get up on all fours and crawl forward in the traditional way. Each child is unique.

Some adults are concerned that children who don't crawl in the traditional way will be less coordinated. This is a myth. As long as the baby begins to move across the floor using each arm and each leg, there is no cause for concern.

I'm reluctant to mention time frames, but somewhere between six and ten months I expect babies to discover some way to move horizontally across the floor to get desired objects. Obstacles to this include the child's not spending enough time on the floor, using an infant walker (which often eliminates the desire to learn crawling behaviors -- infant walkers are bad for proper development), having toys brought to the infant, pushing the child to learn to crawl, and physical problems such as muscle weakness. If babies actually crawl, it usually begins at around 8 to 10 months.

Answer 3

I think it is not normal that she can't get from laying to sitting up, you have to consult a pedia.
But for not crawling or not yet walking, It is normal, I can tell because when my baby is at her age also cannot crawl nor neither perform crawling at all, she only walks at her 15 month old, but shes okey now. Just observe her.
A piece of advice: according to old ancient times: at dawn try to put a little pressure on her feet every day. Hope this work.

Answer 4

I've known babies to walk at 17/18 months. It sometimes depends on how much time is spent with them such as tummy time etc... However I do think that it is a little late for her not to be sitting herself up from that position and crawling is usually done at around 8 months or so. babies do develop at their own rate but don't let that encourage you not to have her checked out.

Answer 5

I'd get a sit-in walker for her AND a jumperoo. I put my baby in the jumperoo at 5 mnths. He just sat there for along time, but he then started kicking and jumping, so we moved to the walker, and he just moved all around the damn house. Lo an behold--he was walikng at 9 1/2 months. Now, I can't keep up with him AND he's 1 yr. old and has NO teeth!!! Babies develop differently. It'll work out. Good luck!

Answer 6

I would not be worried that she's not walking by age 15 months (that's well within the norm, just unusually past average).

But not being able to sit up or crawl by that age is a red flag for development delays and you need to take it up with her doctor.

Answer 7

I hate it when people say "don't worry, babies do things at different times". If I had not listened to my daughter's first Dr. who kept saying this she would have gotten earlier intervention. She probably has hypotonia, which is basically low muscle tone. There are many causes, sometimes benign, but she should be evaluated by a neurologist. There are many exercizes you can do with her that her PT should help you with. It may take time but be persistent.

Answer 8

all babies develop different... i had a friend who's baby didn't walk until she was 2. they were concerned about it so they had the dr. run tests on her legs and make sure they were ok that way if something was wrong they could correct it easier at such a young age. but turned out she was fine just wasn't ready. so if your dr. says nothing is wrong then all you can do is wait until she is ready. one of these days she will take off without even thinking about it! then next you will be chaser her everywhere!

Answer 9

a child where i work didn't have teeth or walk tills he was 18 months and she never crawled. it is all about how the baby is put on the floor. try standing her up to things like a soft chair then help her stay up and see if you hold on to thing and walk to you.

Answer 10

It could be normal or not just as long as you have discussed this with her doctor thats what is important but all babies develop differently.