8 1/2 Month old..concerned with Developement

My daughter had plenty of floor time but NEVER crawled. She just got up and walked at 8 1/2 months. Some kids just skip that stage all together. Good Luck

I would talk to her doctor and ask questions. But I think the best thing you could do would be to buy a large size playpen so that she could crawl around some, instead of sitting in a jumper seat all the time. Put down a larger blanket for her to crawl on the floor. Good luck.

My oldest daughter did not crawl until she was 11 months old, and she didn't start walking until 15 months. Some babies never crawl at all! I would suggest talking to your pediatrician to see if he/she is concerned. They might also have suggestions on what to do about the flooring situation.

Good luck!

My daughter was almost 9 months when she attempted to crawl. But she never did the classic diaper up crawl. She would crawl like a soldier. She was super fast. She just didn't get floor time was the problem.
She wouldn't start to cruise till about a year. I have cement floors with a carpet over them. Well they are hard as you can imagine. I got a draft dodger to stop some of the breeze. And she had a playpen.
At 14 and half months. She would cruise the play pen. Barely even want to be cruising on the floor.
Last Saturday she started to let go and walk from one side to the other of the play pen. We kept working with her. We would take a favorite toy and she would go after it.
This morning she crossed the room without holding on.

A big area rug of something like that. Get some knee covers. And just let her have some fun. Try getting down on the floor with her. Remember she loves to see your face. And of course warm clothes and not when she tired. :)

I would not worry too much. It is recommended that kids crawl but I have to say that I have two neices and neither one of them crawled before walking. They went from sitting, to but scooting, to standing, to walking. This obviously is not typical but it just goes to show that there is nothing to worry about yet because all kids develop at different rates. You could work with your daughter by helping her to get into position sort-a-speak, then just let her stay there for a few seconds to get used to it, eventually she will crawl or she will butt scoot, just giver her time and she probably will get back on "track". Most kids are behind developmentally in one area or another but are ahead in other areas. Developmental guidelines are just for reference, they are not meant to be deadlines. Basically I am saying that I wouldn't worry but if it would make you feel better then you could start working with her and also talk with your pediatrician.

lots of ladies gave great advice, and i agree with some of 'em. first, relax. some babies dont ever crawl, they just up n walk. second, go ahead n give her some floor time. put a blanket down or give her some knee pads or something. my house is 120 years old, floors are all wavy and very cold cuz there's no insulation in the floor and so long as your little one is in a nice warm outfit they'll be fine. you might try a walker (either a normal one or one that only goes in circles) if you're really concerned that she needs exersize. you say she gets bored so i'd go for a regular walker. or even a jumper, you know, the ones you hang in a doorway. or you could even pull all the blankets off your bed and let her scoot around on the mattress.
whats important is you dont get all knotted up inside about it, because your little one will sense that you are tense about something. relax and let her go at her pace. probably she will surprise you!

Most certainly, carrying your baby a lot will not hinder her crawling in any way!!! In fact, there are many, many advantages to carrying your baby a lot:
http://store.peppermint.com/advantages.html
http://www.askdrsears.com/html/5/T051100.asp#T051103

And there is such a wide variation of what is normal for crawling and walking (http://babiestoday.com/articles/4374.php). From your short description, I don't think your baby is behind at all, but it doesn't matter what I think - what do your instincts tell you?

If you are really worried about giving her time to experiment with crawling on the floor, what about dressing your baby in warm pants and socks so you don't have to worry about the cold? Or putting a foam floor puzzle down for her to crawl on to give her a little traction and padding - I've seen these at Sam's or Costco for less than $40 (they'd look something like http://www.babycie.com/puzzle.html or http://www.softtiles.com/ )? Just a couple of suggestions to help get your creative ideas flowing.

Bottom line - check in with your mothering instincts (not looking at your friends' babies and comparing, but looking at your daughter and really searching for your gut feeling about if she is healthy and having normal development or not). If you truly feel like something might be wrong, pursue it with your doctor and trust your gut feeling! Really. Otherwise, try to relax and enjoy her while she's still little and not very mobile - all too soon, they crawl, cruise, walk, run, and you're chasing them everywhere! :)

There is a lot of adivce. First of all see what your peditrician at the 9 month check up. They might have ideas. But enjoy the time you have with her not moving as much b/c once they start moving they get into everything. My first child was 8 almost 9 months when she started crawling. She went from crawling to walking in about a month and half. SO be prepared. My second child is more motivated to move than my first, he is 6 months almost 7 and is crawling, but looks like he is swiming when he crawls. It seems like when they are more motivated to move they will. Especially when they are around other children that are close to their age. Maybe get rugs that will cover all of the hard wood to keep her from slipping, that might also be frusterating to her, the slippery floors. Put toys around her that are out of reach for her that she has interests in and talk to her about coming to get the toys. My son,the second child was movtived by seeing his sisters play food and decided that he wanted it one day and went for it, that was October 29th. Now he does not stop. A friend of mine has a daughter that did not start crawling until she was almost 11 months and she started walking when she was 18 months. I think it is depending on the child. Ask you mom hold old you were when you started walking, you might be surprised what the response is. Books are just a guide line of when to start looking for the milestones. They are not meant that every child is doing this stuff at the same age. If we were then we would not be an individual person but robots. Hope to put your mind at ease and enjoy the time you have with her.

M.,

I have hardwood floor through out my house. My daughter, who is just going to be 1 year old in December, started out with what I call the military crawl, all elbows and feet with her belly on the floor, this was at about 8 months she started with that, and just recently (November) she started crawling on hands and knees.

As far as the hardwood goes I noticed that it's very slippery when she was first trying to crawl especially when she had on one of her pajamas. This made it hard for her to get up on her knees she would just slip and then just do her military crawl. Once she got a little bit stronger and learned how to get up on her knees without slipping she then learned that crawling on hand and knees was faster - she's been crawling ever since.

I would say - unless your floors are freezing cold - let her be on the hardwood floor - softness really has nothing to do with weather they crawl or not. I think it's more a texture thing - my brother when he learned how to crawl would never crawl on grass, but put him on concrete and away he would go. Put her in something that is not too slippery on the wood or even leave her legs bare (again that is if the floor is not freezing cold). She'll get to it - don't worry she's right on track and who knows maybe she'll just skip crawling or only even crawl for a few weeks before she is walking.

Just remember babies at this age learn one thing at a time so maybe she is just busy learning some other skill right now.

Lot's of luck
Happy Holidays and God Bless
Mel

OH and one more thing - with my son (he's 4 now) I used a remote control car - he loved it would chase after it and I would move it just before he got there - and every once and a while I'd let him catch it. He was a master at moving around the floor without crawling (he'd roll spin and roll again, then he did the military crawl too) but soon found that crawling was faster and he was able to get to the car faster. It was a lot of fun for both of us. OK enough babbling Relax and enjoy your baby - she'll be there before you know it.

All I can say is that my son is 8 months old, and doesn't crawl yet either. I don't think it's a developemental problem, nor do I think he is behind.. I just think he develops at his own pace.
I do think the other ladies are right though, if you are concerned have her looked at by your pediatrican. I don't think it's anything to worry about, though.

The normal time for a child to begin walking is between 12-18 months. She really doesn't behind. I think that you should go and get the area rugs that covers a large portion of the floor, put her down on it and I bet you in no time she will get a hang of pulling up on things. I don't think that its she don't know how, you just haven't yet given her the chance to see what she can explore. My pediatrician always told me tummy time is important to a child. They learn their independence this way. Also what I think helped my son get on the move is seeing the older children run around and play in circles around him. It was almost as if that was a heads up for him to figure what he can do. I know that you said it gets a bit drafty, but thats what sleepers are for. Hope this helps. Keep us posted with the outcocome.

I don't want to repeat what a lot of other ladies already advised you, just a something that works for my son. He started crawling exactly when he turned 9 months. Before then he had had plenty of floor time, but hadn't budged until he turned 9 months. Now he is 13 months and is starting to walk.
I found out that the best way is to expose babies to the environment, but think ahead of how to prevent potential problems. I got him a 2 piece snow suit. I put on just the bibs and let him crawl in them outside in the yard when the weather allows. He explores grass and leaves and little sticks, but I am always by his side to make sure that he doesn't eat any of that stuff.

M.,

Because you have hardwood floors, I would suggest getting knee pads for your little one, they have infant knee pads, this will keep her knees from getting sore being on the hardwood floor.

That is the only suggestion I have.

T.

If you mop and clean well, then she should be fine even if the floors are old. Even if you had carpet or newer floors, there would be the same amount of dirt unless you don't use them! If there is a draft, put her in a sweater! Kids have grown up in old drafty houses for as long as there have been houses!

Kids get around to doing these things when they are ready, but if you think that you are keeping her from practicing, then your Mommy voice has already given you your answer! Find a way to put her on the floor and use her muscles and then watch and see what happens. You can't tell at this point if she has a problem with her development, she has not had a chance to practice yet!

Invest in a large area rug, some laundry detergent, and warm clothes and let her use the best baby gym there is, herself! If she does not develop once she has had the chance to roam, then talk to your pediatrican at your well baby visits, they should be asking you about this anyway.

Nothing to worry about, like you said all kids develope differently. Just use some play mats or a big comforter. My old house had hard wood floors my kids always had bumps and bruises. They still do and most of my house now is carpet. Kids will get hurt while trying to grow up, dont be a worry wart. My oldest didn't crawl until he was 10 months old. But becareful what you wish for b/c once they are moblie you will never be able to sit down. LOL

I would put her in a warm little outfit and put her on the floor. If she's playing, she is expending energy, thus keeping warm enough. Put some interesting, colorful toys just outside her reach and see what she does. If you are down there with her, you'll be able to tell when she's had enough or is getting too chilly. As far as the hard floor, she'll be fine. God pads their knees really well. Unfortunatly, by the time we get to be moms, that's the one place we have lost the fat! :)

Regarding your cold, drafty floor -- try padded yoga mats. You can get them for pretty cheap at TJ Maxx or other discounters -- put 2-3 together for a nice little tummy play area. Keeps the chill away and the texture is kind of sticky for traction. good luck!

Hi, I have a suggestion if I understand your problem right. It is so simple I'm thinking I may not be understanding your problem here fully. My suggestion is to purchase some large size bound carpet. Just get some cheap type carpet till you get her walking. Once she is walking you won't need the carpet so just get the cheapest thing you can find but it needs to be kind of big so the heavyness of the carpet will keep it from sliding about.I would also like to say that she may not be ready yet because very little will stop a child who is ready and wants to do these things. I would encourage you to not worry too much at this point. You said that even with rugs there is no room for her to crawl. That's hard for me to envision I'm not sure what you mean there. You did ask for help from someone who as been there and I have not just thought I would share my ideas anyways. Good luck fellow Mother.