Doman Mobility Developmental Profile

Early Learning Early Learning General Discussions
1

Hi, my baby will be turning 5 months end of this month. As per the Doman Developmental Profile chart (the colorful chart in his book “How Smart is your Baby?”), she is way slow as far as the mobility section goes. Although superior in the other areas (yellow).

This is because when I put her on her tummy on the floor, she will play with her toys close to her. But if they are put a little away, she struggles to crawl towards them. She starts crying after a good 30 minute effort. So basically as per the Developmental chart she is in the Stage I section for mobility at 5 months - “movement of arms and legs without bodily movement”. Although she tends to rotate 360 degrees with me when I move around her.

Now, I am wondering if this is happening because we never used the crawling track at night when she slept. We kept her on her back in a sleep blanket. With all the SIDS scare around us I didn’t want to take chances.

I go to a mommy-baby play group for babies her age. I found that she was one of the more mobile ones in her group.So, in a group of babies who are sleeping on their backs instead of their tummies she is fine. But according to the Doman chart she is way behind.

As a parent I am wondering what else could I do to encourage her to crawl forward. We used a make-shift inclined crawling track at home and she was able to move down the track. But on a flat surface she is getting frustrated. So we have stopped using the inclined track to practice crawling on a ‘flat’ surface.

Has anybody else had a similar experience?And what did you do to get your baby to crawl. Yes, I do want her to crawl sooner than later. We have increased floor time with her and stopped putting her in a crib.

We are in the thick of winter here in the Northeast of US - Massachusetts. So wondering what other warm clothes options we have for night time sleep. I think the wearable sleep blanket is restricting her. she has been waking up a lot at night kicking as if to get it off. But we also want to keep her warm. The temperature at night is usually at 62 degrees at our home. Anything higher makes the air dry.

Another question I have is about the Vestibular Stimulation. There they want your baby to wear a neck support and you turn your baby upside down. I am too much of a wimp to try that. And there are these other vestibular stimulation exercises like the pitch swing where both parents swing the baby one on each side. I just feel she is too tiny for that kind of stuff. Plus, I haven’t seen anyone do it before. I’ll probably take the book to her next pediatrician visit and ask the doc.

I also cannot understand why the light reflex exercise.

If there is anyone out there who has any information regarding this, please share your experience with Doman’s mobility and vestibular development.

Thanks.
Eva’s Mommy

2

If you see that the baby’s neck is strong enough (muscles are developed, the cranium perimeter is fine and the baby can hold his head with ease) then be confident in doing the vestibular exercises starting in easy mode. In this case, it’s about how much confidence has the parent in himself and in the exercises and how much he/she knows the baby.
And the neck support, especially if you want to make sure the baby’s neck and head are ok together, is necessary, very helpful. We haven’t worn it but I’ve done the Vestibular Stimulation that was suited to what my son should or shoud not do. We still do it and he loves it. It’s easier now, as he’s grown up fine, and muscles are strengthened.

Just know your baby and try things softly, increasing level of difficulty in time according to baby’s development.

As to crawling… Well I wouldn’t worry about that. My son is crawling now more than he did when he should have done it. I don’t know what works for your baby, but if I crawl and play with a toy and show him how he can crawl and play in the same time - using chairs as tunnels, for instance, through which we can pass etc. - he’s having fun doing it. And sometimes we just see him crawling on his own, enjoying and laughing and showing us how the train runs. Or he has a puzzle that he makes in line and uses as a train and crawls around the house pushing the train along. :))
You may use the toys your baby likes as motives for crawling.

We never had a crawling track, and our baby has stayed on his tummy most of the time (he likes to slip like that), especially after his health went on the right track. And we couldn’t keep him on the floor, only in the bed, as the rented houses’ condition we’ve lived in didn’t allow it.

3

Pretty much all babies crawl later that 5 months. My son didn’t crawl until he was 8 months, and he turned out just fine. I really wouldn’t worry about it. And as for the temp being over 62, can’t you get some humidifiers b/c that is really cold?

4

While I really respect IAHP, I always questioned the crawling by 5 months. I have 1 dd that did, but from anyone I talk to, that is really early. That same dd is still very athletic for her age. Would it help to put your crawling track at just a slight angle so she could use gravity to help her move more easily.

We did many of the vestibular exercises, but I have to admit that we didn’t use the neck protector. We were very careful about her neck though & often had out hand under her neck if possible.

As far as the hanging upside down goes, our chiropractor recommends this to help keep her spine properly aligned.