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June 20, 2006 at 12:55 pm #10110AnonymousInactive
Sorry have not been posting much… really really busy with surgery and move. But wanted to ask a few questions relating to walking…. (we are having EI evaluation soon to see if they can help with this because the feeding clinic told us that we need some help in area)
So, Matthew is a walker and he has been walking with one hand probably for the last 6 or 7 weeks i would say. He is now also cruising on furniture like crazy and finally, yesterday i left him on the edge of the couch so that he could cruise around and guess what… he walked by himself all the way to a chair (so he took 8 steps). He did that another 3 times and then that is it.
So my fist question is… is it normal that they do something like this ad then will not do it again for some time? He is crusising a lot more since he realised he really can walk but will not walk now and seems scared?
The issue we have is he can walk but cannot crawl, cannot go from lying to sitting and cannot go from sitting to standing… any of your kids like this?? It is pretty crazy but that means that he falls and has no idea how to get up and really is not independent (i am not complaining because i think it is amaing he can walk) but unless we get him back to the floor how is he going to be independent??
EI will be around next few weeks to evaluate and see if they can help with his upper body strength…. will let you know what they say
thank you
June 20, 2006 at 1:46 pm #10126AnonymousInactiveHi Thais,
I’m glad Matthew is o.k. after his surgery. I kept him in my prayers. Also, I saw his picture at little gerdling site. He’s very cute!
I’ve been doing some reading because Myles is a little behind on his gross motor skills. It seems that what they look for more than is he crawling yet, is he walking yet? is, is he making transitions? They should be able to go from lying down to sitting up, sitting to lying down, tummy to hands and knees, hands and knees to pulling up to stand, etc. Myles is not doing any of this yet. But lots of time on the floor is helping him progress…previoulsy he rarely spent any time on the floor because he was always throwing up and was very clingy and wanted to be held constantly.
The EI people will probably give you ideas on how to help Matthew learn to make these transitions. Myles doctor told me NOT to hold his hand and walk with him (he doesn’t do this yet anyway) because it’s more important to put him on the floor and let him practice these gross motor skills and strengthen his muscles. I know there is some disagreement about whether or not it is important for a baby to crawl before they walk. Myles’ doctors definitely believe crawling is an important milestone and that time on the floor will help them master the gross motor skills they need.
Please post after the EI evaluation; what they said and any tips. Thanks and I hope it goes well for Matthew. Is he gaining any weight with the tube?
Christine
June 20, 2006 at 1:57 pm #10131AnonymousInactiveThanks Christine… no, he is not making transitions (he does pull himself to standing on the crib and has done it a few times but that is it). We do hold his hand — unfortunately, with a baby who vomits when he getsupset it si not an option to let him cry. Our ped thinks it really does not matter that he is not crawling but the transitions are important and he is not there.
EI – yes we will see… i got a lot of negativity on the phone from them but i guess it depends on the evaluators.
Matthew is also spending more time on the floor now but does not tolerate it well – he wants to be standing and has always wanted to (since he was 4 months old or maybe earlier).
We do see an OT at the feeding clinic but she is not good… she is pretty rough and really no good suggestions (compared to someone we saw privately who was just wonderful).
June 20, 2006 at 2:10 pm #10136AnonymousInactiveI know what you mean about not letting them cry…that’s why Myles is behind. What are you going to do? Let them cry and throw up when you can hardly get them to eat enough in the first place.
That’s good that he’s spending more time on the floor. Every bit helps. I hope the EI people are more positive in person and I hope they have helpful suggestions for you. That’s too bad about the OT not being very good. She’s the only one you can see?
June 20, 2006 at 2:29 pm #10138AnonymousInactiveWell there is anotehr one and she is just very similar in her style — i guess it is her style that bothers me? She is pretty rough and I do not want that… if if is going to take him longer to transition, let that be but do not make him cry for 45 min (which is what she did). They also push EI at the cllinic ( i guess that their specialty is feeding so they only have 2 people doing OT i think).
Hope Myles is feeling OK these days. Yes right… i am not about to let him cry and vomit. But he is doing OK i guess if he is walking so he must have some coordination and he will just learn i guess!!
June 20, 2006 at 2:34 pm #10141AnonymousInactiveSorry to hear about the OT not being good – are you going to see the private one again?
Marisa can’t go from laying down to sitting (she’s close but not there)
but does go from hands/knees to kneeling and then standing. She doesn’t
know how to go from standing back to sitting though.So cool that he’s taking steps! I’ve often heard that it’s very normal
with any new skill for them to do it once or twice and then not do it
again for a little while before they start doing it more regularly.Christine – sounds like Myles is making some good progress!
June 20, 2006 at 2:44 pm #10143AnonymousInactivewell he just took a few more steps again…. so he is going at it… pretty amazing (wew thought he had no balance).
Private will not come out to Westchester – which is unfortunate. we are waiting for EI evaluation but if they say no to us, we are going to get a few sessions privately (they gave me a list of agencies).
Glad Marisa is doing well!!
June 20, 2006 at 2:55 pm #10144AnonymousInactiveThais-I just saw this post. I will post my first EI visit later when dh is home and I can do it specifically. Maybe it could help. We saw a PT today, and OT, ST, and BT over next two weeks. They think the OT and ST will be the most helpful because of Ian’s needs-speech and belly. I’m sorry you don’t like the OT at feeding clinic-I wonder if it’s the same one? We really liked her. Perhaps you could switch? But it takes soooo long to get out there.
Basically, PT thinks we need the OT instead of her. Ian has taken crawling steps and can get on all fours no problem but doesn’t like flat belly at all (they said exercise ball is a must-but again I’ll post full details later). Basically sensory. On a good note (gotta focus on positive) she says the reason Ian won’t qualify in her area because he’s at a 10 month+ old level motor wise except for laying on belly. He can make transitions from rolling to sitting, sitting to standing. I was a very proud mama.). Matthew will too. They all have their humps in different areas and it’s great you’ll be getting help.
June 20, 2006 at 2:59 pm #10145AnonymousInactiveThanks Tracy – yes, takes too long to get out there. Was going to go tomorrow for OT but really it is too much and we have cardio appointment.
Well, what you said about the not-qualitfying is what is worrying me about teh process. It is really ONLY transitions and they told me that may not qualify in itself because there are babies at his age that are not yet transitioning and it must be a 25%delay in 2 areas or 30% delay in one area and they do not know if the transitions will qualify – hope that makes sense!
Glad to hear your assessments are going well. We still do not have dates for teh appointments but hopefully they will happen soon enough… praying that we qualify!!
June 20, 2006 at 3:12 pm #10147AnonymousInactiveThais – sorry to hear the private OT you saw can’t come out to
Westchester – So great that he took more steps – way to go
Matthew! Hopefully he qualifies for EI – let us know.Tracy – can’t wait to hear how your EI visit went – sounds like Ian’s doing really well though.
June 20, 2006 at 3:16 pm #10148AnonymousInactiveYes, they explained percentage thing. But I wouldn’t worry. I think with Matthew having crawling and transitions issues (it’s both, right?) that should surely make a difference. Also, the feeding clinic could help get you in too. Also, the PT was so great she was very helpful in explaining they do their best to work together (all the evaluators) to help get babies like ours help.
June 20, 2006 at 4:31 pm #10157AnonymousInactiveThais, I think that’s fabulous that’s Matthew’s walking. It’s so amazing and adorable when they take their first steps. I’m sorry that your OT is not good. Ours is also pretty bad, and she wants me to let Hailey cry and not to comfort her if she cries… basically a tough love approach. I don’t believe in that at all, and I got so frustrated with her that I let her have it. I told her that she’s here to give therapy and not to tell me how to raise my child. I think she might d/c us.
Hopefully if you tell EI that he can’t transition or crawl, but can cruise if placed, then maybe they’ll help you. If you say he’s walking then they might be less inclined to see an issue.
Anyhow, regarding your question about transitions:
I don’t think it’s uncommon for babies to learn transitions at different times. Sarah could pull up and cruise along furniture well before she could get down. She was always frustrated, but eventually after trying many times she got it. She sounds a lot like Matthew, in that she always wanted to be doing more than she was regarding her mobility… she wasn’t just happy to sit there, she wanted to go. She went from walking to running and hasn’t stopped since. Sometimes I think we have to challenge them with just the right challenge using what they like to do to get them to move forward. So if Matthew likes to walk and wants to walk over to toys placed on the couch, help him to get up into standing to get over there. Then let him do what he likes to do in standing. And when he wants to come down, help him down and then let him do whatever he likes to do when he’s on the floor. He might get a bit frustrated at first, but he’ll be so happy when he can do it himself. I had the same problem with Sarah- she could get herself up and cruise around, but not back down. I used to bring her back down all the time, because what else could I do. But right when she started daycare at almost a year, I saw that they just left her there to fall on her bum. I was mortified, thinking she’d get hurt. But after falling on her bum a few times, I then showed her how to come down and she was more receptive. She figured it out quite quickly when I stopped doing it for her, but helped her through it.
Anyhow, my point is that if you help Matthew through his transitions by doing part of the action and have him do part, eventually you’ll be able to pull back a bit and then he’ll be able to do more of it himself (in theory). There are some functional things you can do to help with transitions (not sure if he can’t do any of these due to the tube):
1. During diaper changes (which I assume is the only time he’s really on his back)- roll him slightly to the side, and bring him up to 3/4 sitting and then have him push through his hand to bring himself up the rest of the way. This will have him strengthen his abdominal muscles and build the foundation for transitioning from lie to sit. NOT SURE IF HE CAN DO THIS BECAUSE OF THE TUBE.
2. When you put him in standing to get ready to cruise/walk, don’t put him right up on his feet. Put him in sitting in front of a couch or something at the right height to pull up. Put a toy or something that he wants on that surface then sit him in front of it. Then bring him up on one knee, he will likely put his hands up to pull up or reach for the toy, then put your hands around his hips or his bum and give him some support to push him up to standing. Then he can cruise, etc. He may be a bit frustrated but should get it soon, and he will be so happy when he can do it himself. As he gets better at it, you can give less support and gradually move the support you’re giving downwards (ie pelvis, bum, none).
3. Playing in kneeling- put him on his knees in front of a stepstool with a toy on it, and have him play in kneeling. This will strengthen the trunk. Also you can then lift the toy up in the air so that he has to reach up for it.
4. To come down, do the same thing, bring him onto one knee, and then show him how to go onto his bum.
Congrats again about the walking!
Tracy, what is BT?
s&h’s mum2006-6-20 16:39:45
June 20, 2006 at 4:40 pm #10158AnonymousInactiveHow do you teach them how to get down? I’ve tried to show M how to get
down when standing at crib rails by trying to have her slide her hands
down rail but she just stiffens up and won’t do it… Any ideas? Lori –
per your message above, should I put her onto one knee and then what?June 20, 2006 at 4:43 pm #10159AnonymousInactiveLori
THANK YOU!! I know, when you do not have the right support, it is really tough. EI will evaluate him but they were telling me it is really tough when it is only one thing that they are missing (will let you know). They assign a service coordinator and she called today to chose an agency etc so she is working on it. Problem is that after evals are done, if he qualifies there will be a meeting on July 27th to decide what therapy he gets… HMM that is in more than one month, so kind of sucks and we are off to spain for 3 weeks in August so i am thinking of calling somewhere myself and get a few other private sessions.
The tube – he is pretty mobile. Nothing seems to hurt him, which is good but there is ooze (yuckie stuff) coming out all of the time and the more he moves, the more comes out. BUt hey… and yes, he is running on one hand so the minute he figures out transitions we are dead.
We have been doing the first exercise you told me and he pushes himself up that last bit but that is it. Good thing is he is tolerating sitting down much longer… so hopefully that will be good. The second one, you are right, seems pretty good too. On the third one, we put him in kneeling and he is fine with it…
Anyway – always something to worry about. He is drinking formula though (WHY I HAVE NO CLUE). He gets around 3 ounces 4 times a day by mouth…. weird kid!
How is Hailey…. and i promise as soon as i get the scanner, will send the instructions….
June 20, 2006 at 9:32 pm #10173AnonymousInactiveThais, that’s great about the formula! That’s a lot of it too!!!! Could it be that he’s thirsty from the hot weather. We’ve noticed that with Hailey as well. But she’s back to hardly taking in any solids….these kids! They’re adorable but so hard to figure out sometimes.
We were also in a position with getting service at home because Hailey was bum shuffling, which is an acceptable form of mobility, and she could stand when placed, and take steps when placed. I basically told them that she wasn’t crawling, wasn’t transitioning, but that she was able to take some steps and cruise ONLY if placed. They sent someone in for us, so hopefully you can get someone to come and help you.
Here’s some things I forgot to add:
Regarding number 1 (lying to sit)- If he can push up the last quarter of the way, then try only bringing him up halfway and see if he can do the last half by himself. When he gets good at that, only bring him up a quarter and see if he can do that. Then maybe only turn him a bit to the side and see if he can do all the rest. As he can do more, you start to do less.
Regarding the kneeling- When he plays in kneeling, how is he getting onto his knees? Are you putting him like that? Are his heels on his knees (i.e. is he sitting on his heels), or is he totally straight up (if you know what I mean)- sorry so confusing. If he’s sitting on his heels, then maybe hold some toys up to see if you can get him to reach up all the way. Or if you have a surface that’s the right height, you can put things on something that he has to reach up and grab them off. This will strengthen his trunk and can also facilitate pulling up to stand.
He’ll probably just get it on his own, the more he does for himself.
Karen- Since Marisa is crawling and pulling up, she’ll probably learn to come down on her own with time. Sometimes they know how to come down instinctively, but are scared because they don’t yet have all of the stability in standing to come down and feel secure that they won’t fall. If she’s stiffening up when you try to bring her down, it could be that she doesn’t actually want to come down, or that she doesn’t feel safe in coming down, or that she wants you to do it for her. I don’t know which it is. But if she’ll let you, you can help her down, by basically bringing her down the same way you would come down if you were in that position- first bending the knees a bit so she can come down onto one knee, then she might come down onto her other knee, and then shift her down onto her bum. She might do some of it herself. If not, she’ll probably let you help her when she’s ready and feels more secure in standing. Sometimes they just come down by falling on their bums until they feel safer and figure it out. You said that you’re sliding her arms down the crib rails…that’s basically the same thing… you’re trying to bring her lower down so that she feels more secure and can more safely come into a kneeling and then sitting position.
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