United Brachial Plexus Network, Inc.

I wanted to ask some of you other mom's of bpi babies about how long it took your child to learn to sit up and then to crawl with a bpi. My baby is almost 8 months old and can still not do either one. She developed a bad case of torticollis around 4 months of age and her therapist for some reason thinks that is what is affecting her lack of progress. I've noticed my baby's spine is not straight and the therapist is also saying she may have a hip xray done on my baby to see why it is she's not sitting up at least. (she can for about a half a minute and then falls over) Does this sound normal?

Elizabeth is 10mo. She sat on time but still falls frequently to the front or affected side. Her arm has very little movement and no safety reflexes.(her poor little head) She doesn't crawl because she hates to use her strong arm and then have nothing to grab/reach with. A walker she loves though. Our ot has really worked with her to strengthen her trunk muscles but I don't believe she'll crawl. hope you find out what is going on-
good luck,
Jenny

My son did eventually sit up at about 10 months but he also just decided to get up and start walking soon after. He never crawled. I had read somewhere that crawling helps the brain to process reading when they get older so I was worried, but it turns out he is a fantastic reader, at age 14 he has already tested out of college reading.
Best of luck.....just try to keep her busy....we also had the
Department of Developemental Disabilities come to our house and do home visits. It was really helpful.
T.

Aaron sat up at around 5 1/2 months but since he was around 3-4 months I would roll him around daily on his belly on a ball in front of a mirror and encourage him to look up so that he would strengthen his back muscles. Maybe if you try that it would help?
Paula

Wow! I had never thought about trying the ball. That sounds like a good idea to help her back muscles. I also appreciated hearing back so quickly from you other moms about when your baby sat up and crawled. I guess I just need to give my baby some more time.

Hi Teresa! I haven't talked to you in a long time!
Is Mackenzie finished wearing her helmet?
About your question:
I cannot remember how old Ella was when she first sat up. I remember the helmet actually being in the way of making that happen b/c it seemed as if it made her top heavy and she would fall right over....usually towards the injured side. I also think Ella's torticollis made her fall that way too b/c of a balance problem. I think she sat up around 8 months old or so. She didn't crawl normally until after 1 yr old. When she did crawl at 8 months old she would do the combat crawl and no weight bearing on the injured side what so ever. I tried many things to help her practice sitting up. I used the boppy pillow for a while and would sit her in that while I did her ROMs. I would place her sitting on my lap and just practice with her learning how to keep her balance. I am sure Mackenzie will be fine. Every child progresses on their own and at their own pace. I would have a specialist/doctor look at her spine though. I know that BPI children can run into scoliosis problems. Email me when you have time so we can catch up with eachother.
Hope all is going well.
Krista

Hi Gavin was around 9 months old when he could sit up unaided, he too used to fall to his affected side
by 12 months he was crawling on all fours and didn't walk until he was 16 months (thank goodness) his physiotherapist said it was better for him to crawl than walk for his shoulder stability.
We are very lucky he is now 11 years and has a beautifully stable shoulder.
Try and not fret too much - the torticollis may have set her back a little way too, I am sure that she will manage to sit unaided in a few weeks time.
Karen

Gabrielle could sit up very early (3 months) but with lots of falls. I started using the Boppy around her bottom and it realy seemed to help. She could sit but could not get herself into the seated postion until her first birthday. She never crawled and did not walk until her 2nd birthday. At age three she still can't crawl but she sure can run. My sisters baby non-bpi did not sit up until 9-10 months then took off walking at 11 months. She only crawled for a month or so.

Teresa - you didn't mention what type of therapist you use...in case you are just using an OT, I would highly recommend that you start using a PT as well. PT's will help your little one move forward. Maia was a late one in all things... sitting up, crawling and walking. She didn't walk until 22 months. But her PT was a great motivator.

-francine

Katie too took a little longer to sit stably on her own. We had one neuro tell us it was becaue she had lost the sense of her upper body. We did lots of therapy on the balls, teaching her how to move from one position to another, long before she could do it and that helped tremendously (her pt really helped here). Sometimes they will develop scoliosis and this is something you will want to keep an eye on--her pediatrician (or therapists) should be able to examine her for this and refer out for an xray. Katie's started straightening soon after she started walking. She did not crawl until she was over 2 years and even then it is modified. Using the boppie is a good idea--it gives them that extra support when they start wobbling and you'll soon notice that she'll start swaying to try and keep her balance.