An Expert Tip To Get Your Baby Standing
If your baby is not putting weight on his legs and showing little interest in standing, you’re probably wondering if this is a problem. It may be. In this week’s post, I’d like to share a tip the experts use to encourage reluctant standers to muster the effort to get on their feet.
Most babies begin pulling to standing holding on to the sofa, coffee table, or crib rail by around eight months of age. By nine months most are standing for up to five minutes while holding onto something steady. When eleven months comes along, most are sidestepping or cruising holding the sofa.
There is much variation in this time frame because the normal age range for babies to begin walking is between nine and fifteen months. A baby who stands early often walks early and vice versa; however, this is not an absolute certainty. Some children stand early and don’t master walking for many months.
The first thing to try if your baby is showing little interest in standing is to place interesting toys on the sofa or coffee table where your little one can see them but they are just out of reach. Standing your child at the sofa or table and supporting his legs so he can’t sit down is a great way to begin this process for reluctant children.
Many parents haven’t set up a safe area for the baby to practice standing and, instead, think putting the baby in an exersaucer or baby walker will do the trick. For these children, it won’t. Your reluctant stander will just sit in the walker or exersaucer and play without really standing on the legs. If your baby is one of these, immediately stop using these pieces of equipment. Place them out of the area so your baby can’t see them and you won’t be tempted to depend on them.
Yes, the expert tip seems sort of easy . . . maybe, too easy. However, you’d be surprised how well it can work if used daily in conjunction with ceasing the use of the exersaucer or baby walker. These devices simply allow your child to be upright without putting in the effort to stand.
In addition, if this tip does not seem to be working for your baby, talk to your child’s doctor and request an evaluation by a pediatric physical therapist. You can also contact the local early intervention office without a doctor’s referral and find out what services you may qualify for.
There are many reasons for a child to not want to stand. Some of them may require therapy services and others can be solved by changing some of your habits at home. Now, try my expert advice and see what happens.
Have a specific question about your child? Contact me and let’s find some answers.
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