How to Play with a 5 1/2 Month Old

She sounds totally normal; I can't imagine what big milestones these other people's babies are doing at that age! To help her sit up, maybe you can try to sit her with a Boppy pillow around her so she doesn't fall backwards/sideways. We did that and that helped her stabilize herself for a couple of weeks before she got the hang of it. And I remember that was the time we first introduced a toy that did something; it was a lighted piano and she loved that thing for weeks, as she was learning to sit. But I think Babycenter.com has some simple, easy weekly activities appropriate for each age that were helpful. And as for the rolling over, I remember feeling the same way you did at that age, and then one random day soon after, she just rolled over..bottom line is that you're doing great.

Hi! I think I can help. I'm a pediatric physical therapist and what you tell me gives me no thoughts that your daughter is behind at all. A great book I'd recommend to you is "Your Baby's First Year, Week By Week". It gives lots of ideas of how to play with your baby and tells you kind of what to expect at what ages. You can probably find a cheap copy on amazon.com too.

Here's some play ideas. If you don't have one of those playmats with the overhead arches, they are great, but your daughter might not get too much use out of it since she's already 5 months. At that age, play on the floor as much as you can. A quilt is a great thing for her to practice sitting and rolling, and some of them have neat tags and things to feel. Tummy time is SO important at this age. Get down on her level and talk and sing to her. Roll her s-l-o-w-l-y and gently from her tummy to her back and the other way too. Play "This little piggy" with her feet. Play "Here comes the bee"...pretend your hand is a bumble bee and have it buzz around where she can see it and use it to tickle her gently. My favorite toys for her age are the Happy Apple (you can find them on ebay) which is like a huge weeble that chimes when they bop it, the Tolo rolling shape sorter (amazon)...my all time favorite baby toy, and a ball that I have that has tiny beads in it that which rattle when it rolls. You can use any kind of colorful medium-size ball and let her try to bop it with her arms, either sitting or on her side or back. Books are wonderful too. Get some board books (you can check some out from the library too) and sit and read lots and lots!

My daughter was a little behind when she was your daughter's age, the pediatrician said she was within normal range. However, she ended up having learning disabilities, which was very difficult for her. She has worked hard to raise her IQ 20 points, and is doing very well in college, but it hurt her self-esteem. When she was finally evaluated in 6th grade (because I kept looking for answers), I was told she was a classic case. I say all this because I as the parent felt there was a delay, while the pros said no, until she was very far behind. Good for you for speaking up and looking for answers.

What you are looking for is validation that she is a little developmentally delayed. She probably needs to do some good old fashioned baby-work to develop. Today, moms are afraid to put the baby on their stomach to play, because they might get SIDS. Moms are afraid to put them on their back to play because they might throw up and choke and die. But bablies MUST play on their backs and fronts as much as possible to develop normally, not just physically but also neurologically. For example, playing on the back develops their senses, and powers of concentration and memory. Playing ont he front develops back and neck muscles needed to roll over and sit up. So put her on the floor, sing to her, rattle things for her, show her pictures, let her grab, play peek-a-boo - all on the floor.

If she is still showing signs of being easily startled after 9 months, contact an occupational therapist for a primitive reflex evaluation. These reflexes need to be integrated by then, and an OT who is trained in this can not only evaluate her, but can show you exercises to help her catch up.

If you want any more information, feel free to contact me privately; I work with older children who have ADD/ADHD, LD, Dyslexia, etc, and all have had some of the primitive reflexes that were not well integrated.

Best of luck from someone who has been there :)

K. Johnson, MS Ed

Your baby is NOT behind. And don't let anyone make you feel like she is. All kids develop at different rates. Some don't roll over until 7mos. Some don't sit up until 9, etc.... That is not your fault and you can't help it along either. She'll do it when she's ready!

As for games, toys, before the 1st birthday, there's not really much. Do you have an Exersaucer for her? I started putting DS in one around 4 mos and he LOVED it. It let him be vertical, and he was able to explore things on his own. I put him in there before he was able to "hold himself up", so I would just put a blanket or stuffed animal behind him in order to support him being upright. He loved the lights and sounds from the toys on it.

Also, Baby Einstein was like crack for him. There's all kinds of arguments as to whether or not these are actually educational - I used them for entertainment for him. He LOVED them and would watch for hours. I don't think he actually learned anything from them, but it gave him new sensory experiences.

My babies loved bubbles (still do!) and little rattle bracelets. The bracelets velcro on and have a character on them (butterfly/dragonfly or duck/frog sets). I got them at Walmart in the baby dept. on the toy aisle. I put them on both their wrists and ankles. They were great because they had a toy they could play with without having to hold it. My kids loved seeing their images in a mirror. Prop up a non breakable mirror so she can see herself during tummy time. I bet she'll love it.

Don't worry, your baby is not behind. The next time someone mentions that she's not doing something, just say, "She's working on it!" Then change the subject. Enjoy your little one!

Do you give her tummy time? At her age she will probably hate it if you havent, but its important. The 'experts' say to always put a baby down on their back and if you adhere to that the baby will be delayed. But they do catch up, so dont worry. However put her on her tummy on a blanket on the floor and then lie down in front of her and talk to her.

At that age, they're finally sitting up, realizing their hands do what they want them to, begin to have better cognitive function.

Here are a few links of what she should/could be doing at that age.
http://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/baby/p...
http://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/baby/p...
http://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/baby/p...

My best recommendation is just to get on the floor with her and play. Look her in the eye, continue to do Peek-a-Boo, dance, sing, read stories, begin to introduce animals, colors (board books were a favorite at this age).
Our kids loved strings of the plastic rings that you connect together (pack of 25 for $5), the letters that stick in the bathtub, etc.

More than anything, they're finally understanding the interaction, so I'd do as much of that as possible. Kids are peculiar - they tend to LOVE the simple toys as much, if not more, than the ones with all the lights/sounds that we think they'd enjoy.

Good luck and enjoy every moment because they change SO quickly.

It looks like you have a lot of great suggestions!! I remember being frustrated with my first little gal that it didn't seem easy to play with her but she was very content. She developed just fine and is ahead is some areas and seems fine in all areas. I would say that at times she is still more of an observer than a hyper follower but she plays great at the park and loves to dance, etc. My first is now 2yrs8mo and my second is 7mo. My second plays a little more but I am counting my blessings that she is taking her time with more active things like crawling!! I have more confidence this time around that she will get to things when she gets to them and to not hurry things along. Yes, we play with her plenty and she gets the extra interaction of having her sister in the house, but it is nice to have less worry with this one after seeing the first one turn out just fine. Enjoy your daughter and try to have some fun and try to enjoy that she is not looking like an early crawler :)!

Sounds like you are doing a great job and she sounds like she is right on
the mark. Babies do things in their own time. Some sit early some later.
Years ago, when babies slept on their tummies, they learned to scoot,
crawl and sit up earlier than babies today. At 5 1/2 months, you can
sing, dance, put her in an exersaucer. How about the Jolly jumper.
Take her to the park. As long as you interact with her she will be fine.
Some babies need quiet time too. I personally think that all the toys
that talk and light up can be too much. Guesss I am an old fashioned kind of
girl. Just keep up what you are doing and try not compare. You baby
sounds like a wonderful little girl. Just enjoy this time because it goes
by so fast.

First of all, don't compare your child to anyone elses. It'll drive you crazy. My best advice is to read to her. Read Read Read! I read to my daughter from day one and now she's two and well advanced in speaking and recognizing letters too. Good luck and hang in there!

Hey C.! As long as your pediatrician is not concerned about her development, try not to worry!! Its hard not to compare your baby to others, but the range of normal developmental milestones is sooo wide! My daughter is 7 months old and sitting up well, but has zero interest in crawling. At her nursery is a little boy, born 10 days after her who is crawling quite well. In the next few weeks your daughter will get better at sitting and much better at grasping things (and then you'll complain about those octupus arms as she successfully pulls your drink out of your hand while your attention is diverted) Keep giving her the opportunity to grab objects and explore them in her own way. I also did alot of fingerplays when she was 5 months old (the itsy bitsy spider, where is thumbkin) since they still can't do too much on their own at that age. I would dance with her or prop her up in the kitchen while I was cooking and talk to her about what I was doing. On nice days you can take her outside and watch the trees wave in the breeze and talk about what you see. I also made up some texture cloths (just different fabrics that I sewed up the edges of - some silky, some rough, some seersucker) so that she could feel the differnet textures. Reading is also a great activity - let her touch and chew the book as much as she wants! Sounds like you are doing a great job!!

All babies are developing in a range and one baby may roll over before another, certainly. If you've taken your baby for all of her pediatrician check-ups, the doctor should be noticing if there are unusual delays. Your baby is most likely fine, but growing at her own pace. She will soon start to reach for objects to grab, squeeze, push, and pull to show her interest and curiosity in her environment.

My son loved his Tangiball from Discovery Toys. You can find it and other toys I'm mentioning at www.toysofdiscovery.com. In addition to balls, which encourage dexterity and coordination, you can introduce push-pull toys like Go Go Caterpillar, and easy stacking toys like Measure Up Cups.

Get down on the floor with baby and place a favorite toy just out of reach to encourage your baby to reach and grab for the toy. You'll be encouraging her to touch, smell, look, and learn about the world around her.