Avynlee is 18 months now and still not walking. My family doctor suggests we start her in physical therapy and get her walking asap. I'm not opposed to that, but I have decided to consider all avenues to addressing this situation. Two very good friends of mine whom I highly respect and admire are each taking one of their children to a sensory specialist in Idaho Falls, both for completely different reasons. Each friend has noticed Avynlee scooting on her bum and not crawling and mentioned to me that I ought to have Dr. Monika Buerger (Eagle Canyon Wellness Clinic) evaluate her because scooting instead of crawling can be a sign of a neurological disorder.
After procrastination because of the expense and the fear of having to commit to a treatment plan that would greatly interrupt the flow of our lives, I finally brought her in for an evaluation. It turns out that according to Dr. Buerger, Avynlee missed critical neurological development as a young baby due to not enough tummy time. She was very late in rolling over and when she finally did, it wasn't from the hips first as it should be, but from the shoulders. I attribute that to the fact that I put her in the bumbo chair far too much and for too long. I have never read one bad article on the effects of letting your baby sit for long periods in a bumbo chair. Everyone knows that tummy time is important for infants, but I always thought it was so they didn't get a flat head in the back and so they could strengthen their neck muscles (which are both true), but it seems the more important effect of tummy time is the brain development. It is absolutely essential that babies lay, roll, push and pull themselves around on the ground for healthy brain development. Make sense, but Avynlee was always much more content to be sitting up, whether it was on my lap, in the bumbo, propped up with a pillow, ect. If I'd have known, I would have made her spend more tummy time on the ground, but I didn't and I do the best I can (AND she was child #3, that's hard in and of itself).So we are starting a not-too-intense treatment plan with movement exercises meant to help fire up those critical neurological pathways and help her to let go of some of the primitive reflexes she is hanging onto (go google primitive reflexes to see why it is significant).
Here is Hudson's cute thing:
As he was falling asleep he popped his head up and said, "Mom! I have exciting news! I don't have to say beeskwetti (spaghetti) anymore! Now I can say bssget....bssget...the real word!"
