- When you see your baby doing things that look
a little strange like this,
it's really common to be concerned
that it might be an indicator
of an underlying medical condition or delay, but is it?
This is one of several things children do
in their first year of life that can be quite concerning
for new parents when they first see them.
The challenge is knowing which are a real cause for concern
and which ones are just a normal part of development.
Knowing the difference between the two can save you a lot
of unnecessary stress and anxiety, and also make sure
that you do take the necessary steps
if there is something you need to do to address it.
So to help with that, let's talk about what this type
of behavior means, and then I'll walk you through
three other common behaviors that are often worrying
for parents during a baby's first year of life.
Those repetitive movements you just saw
like shaking their head from side to side
or in my daughter's case, twirling her hands and legs
in a circular motion is actually typical in young children.
Babies generally do these repetitive movements
for a few reasons.
They tend to be experimenting with the new movement
which helps to increase their overall control, balance
and muscle strength.
They also do it simply because they enjoy the feeling
or they might be trying to communicate something
to you like they're tired, overwhelmed, excited, or bored
and they do these behaviors
because they simply cannot express themselves
with words yet.
My daughter actually used to do the repetitive circles
with her hands and feet
and that was how she actually communicated
from 6 months of age all the way up to 10 months
of age that she was excited or hungry.
I often saw her start to move her hands
and her feet when I put her into that high chair
just before giving her food, and this was totally normal.
It was actually really nice to see her get
so excited over mealtime.
Where repetitive behaviors may become a cause
for concern is when it's accompanied by other signs.
So if you notice that there's also a lack of eye contact
or the baby's doing that repetitive behavior constantly
throughout the day and it's their form of play
or you're noticing that while they're doing these behaviors
there's significant drooling,
they're having difficulty focusing
and they're not meeting their developmental milestones
it may be a sign of a more serious issue
like a neurological disorder or a developmental delay.
That's not always the case by any means
but if you are concerned, it's best to talk
to your doctor or pediatrician to ensure
that your baby is developing as expected.
Another unusual looking behavior you might notice
at around 3 to 5 months is your baby refusing
to put their arms on the ground
when they're doing tummy time.
Instead, they'll lift their head, arms and leg
off the ground as if they're trying to fly or swim.
Lots of parents worry when they first see it
but this movement is actually a reflex.
It's called the Landau reflex
and it's an automatic response that occurs
when a baby lifts their head while on their tummy.
When the Landau reflex is triggered
it causes your baby to raise their arms
and legs off the ground
and arch their back as if they're trying to fly.
What's interesting about this reflex is it's actually
an essential part of development.
It helps to strengthen the neck, shoulder
and upper body muscles, and it also helps to improve balance
and coordination and assists with posture development.
What you'll notice is that this reflex will lessen over time
and be fully integrated
meaning they will no longer do it by one year of age.
While we are on the topic of development,
if you'd like a guide to help you understand
which milestones to expect throughout
your child's first year of life, make sure you click
on the link in the description box below
to get my free developmental milestone chart
and this will show you when you should be
expecting certain skills and when to be concerned.
Next, we've got one related to feeding.
When you first give your baby solid food
it's highly likely that you'll see them doing this.
This looks like choking,
but if your little one is coughing, crying, babbling
or breathing when they're doing this,
then what is actually happening is your little one
is gagging, not choking.
Gagging is a normal reflex
and it's actually there to help protect a baby from choking.
Choking on the other hand is when something physically
blocks a baby's airway and prevents them from breathing.
And typically when a baby is choking
they may be unable to cough, cry, gasp, or breathe
and may make odd noises
or no sound at all while opening their mouth.
Seeing your baby gag is definitely alarming at first
but gagging when starting solids
is extremely common and normal.
A baby's gag reflex is much more easily triggered
than an adult because their gag trigger is actually located
in the middle of their tongue
whereas ours is located towards the back of our tongue
and their gag trigger is also more sensitive than ours.
Therefore, whenever a piece
of food touches their gag trigger
they will automatically gag
and either push the food out of their mouth
with their tongue, they will retch
or they'll look like they're about to be sick.
The good news is that over time
your baby's gag reflex will move
towards the back of their mouth and become less sensitive
and as a result, you will see
that they gag less frequently when they are eating.
In the meantime
whenever you see your little one gag, remind yourself
that gagging is a normal reflex that helps protect your baby
from choking and shouldn't be a cause for alarm.
Strange crawling styles are another really common cause
of concern for parents.
Usually we expect our babies to crawl on their hands
and knees, but there are other ways of getting around.
In fact, there are seven different ways
that babies can move around.
These include the traditional crawling technique
where the baby moves forward on all fours
alternating their arms and legs.
Then you've got the bear crawling technique
where the baby moves forward by alternating their arms
and legs while keeping their elbows and knees straight.
Then you've got the step crawl mix
which is where the baby moves forward by crawling
on the knee of one leg and the foot of the opposite leg.
Then you've got bottom shuffling
which is where the baby moves forward by pushing off
with their feet while keeping their bottom on the ground.
Then you've got step scooting, which looks very similar
to bottom shuffling, except the baby also uses one
of their arms to help them move forward.
And then you have rolling
which is where the baby simply rolls from one side
of the room to the other, or army or commando crawling
which is where the baby moves forward
by pushing off with their arms and legs
while their tummy stays in contact with the ground.
Now, although it's perfectly normal for babies to use any
of these crawling techniques or skip crawling entirely
and go straight to cruising along furniture or walking,
some cases may be a sign of a more serious issue
and require a review appointment with a pediatrician.
These include when your baby has not developed a way
of moving from place to place by 13 months of age
or if you notice that your baby is using only one side
of their body to crawl.
So for example, they may only push off with their left arm
and their left leg when they're commando crawling
or they may drag one side
of their body as they bottom scoot across the floor.
Now, if your little one is not yet crawling
but you want tips on how to encourage them to start moving
then make sure you watch this video next
to get three easy tips that you can start doing today
to help them gain this independence.
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