1 year old will not attempt to get up from lie down position

So, this 1 year old DCG came to me in June @8 months not able to sit up or swallow anything but purée. I have worked hard with her, she now sits, crawls, cruises, self feeds small bits of food, holds own cup etc. But, I cannot get this child to roll over & sit up to crawl from lie down position. She is heavy, I try whenever I can to save my back so, I prefer for them to get themselves up after a bum change (I change them on a pad on the floor). I've tried incentives, at all times of the day...a toy, some food, her cup. Nope she just lies there & cries until eventually I pick her up to sitting position. Same thing at naptime, I never find her sitting up in the playpen, she just lays on her back and stares at the ceiling. She's also really difficult to carry...dead weight is the only way to describe it; I've never seen anything like that before. Any advice?

I would recommend practicing this with her. When she is lying on her back cross one of her legs over the other and the same side arm across her chest and slightly push the bottom half of her body encouraging her to turn. I had a 1 year old with the same issue and I practiced this with him every diaper change and a few times in between and he progressed in no time.
I would recommend checking to see if she seems to have any decreased muscle tone or strength. Although this is not our job, sometimes parents really do not know what appears to be normal development and what actually might be a potential issue. Does she sit in a W position, can she bear weight through both legs equally while standing, does she seem to have normal strenght in all her limbs?
The not rolling thing, although odd, can likely be addressed easily with a bit of practice, however her feeling like dead weight when she is being carried seems very odd to me.
How are the parents dealing with these issues? Are they aware of them? Did they notice the progress she is making since she is with you?
Although these are difficult things to discuss with parents, especially when the parent seems oblivious, if the child requires a medical assessment or intervention, it would be good to discuss sooner rather than later. My d/c kid also had issues with his stance (bending forward at the waist) and his walking (internal rotation of the feet and walking on the outer part of the foot), the parents chose to bring him to a chiro (although this is really not the route I would've taken)... but he improved alot with adjustments. The parents had not noticed any issues before I started discussing these with them.
Good luck

A few year ago I had a little girl that was the same way. She would scream her head off if she ended up lying on her back, diaper changes were okay but otherwise she just could not or would not make an effort to get up. Eventually after me refusing to help her, she figured it out.

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Originally Posted by Naftafia

I would recommend practicing this with her. When she is lying on her back cross one of her legs over the other and the same side arm across her chest and slightly push the bottom half of her body encouraging her to turn. I had a 1 year old with the same issue and I practiced this with him every diaper change and a few times in between and he progressed in no time.
I would recommend checking to see if she seems to have any decreased muscle tone or strength. Although this is not our job, sometimes parents really do not know what appears to be normal development and what actually might be a potential issue. Does she sit in a W position, can she bear weight through both legs equally while standing, does she seem to have normal strenght in all her limbs?
The not rolling thing, although odd, can likely be addressed easily with a bit of practice, however her feeling like dead weight when she is being carried seems very odd to me.
How are the parents dealing with these issues? Are they aware of them? Did they notice the progress she is making since she is with you?
Although these are difficult things to discuss with parents, especially when the parent seems oblivious, if the child requires a medical assessment or intervention, it would be good to discuss sooner rather than later. My d/c kid also had issues with his stance (bending forward at the waist) and his walking (internal rotation of the feet and walking on the outer part of the foot), the parents chose to bring him to a chiro (although this is really not the route I would've taken)... but he improved alot with adjustments. The parents had not noticed any issues before I started discussing these with them.
Good luck

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I mentioned this to parents prior to her medical checkup/immunizations last week. They don't seem concerned. They are more concerned that she does not talk (?!). It's a unique situation in that I have this child daily from 7:30 to 6:15 daily and she's often with a babysitter on weekends. So, I honestly wonder if and when the parents take a role in working with her (Dad has said often that at home she loves to sit in her excersaucer and watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse for hours)!!! She does in fact Y sit, which I keep changing because I read that it is not good for alignment. She seems to be normal in muscle development/strength; although I am certainly not an expert to assess that. For sure I am going to continue to work with her rolling her partially over to start.

It's hard to be so involved in these kids lives.... yet have our hands completely tied when it comes to these types of important things! The child is lucky to have a dedicated provider like you!:yes:

Well, the fact that they put her in an exersaucer for hours to watch TV tells you what the problem is!!! At 12 months old! I have a 19 month old who just finally started walking and he was also like a dead weight until very recently...no attempt to hang on to you with his legs when being carried...and he is also quite heavy. He could roll over, but everything else was slow...crawling, walking, self-feeding. The parents have admitted to carrying him around a lot and I suspect he watched a lot of TV in an exsaucer too as they once mentioned his favourite show (a 12 month old has a favorite show???!!). She will get there, but you are swimming against to tise with it as she gets no practice at home. Hang in there!

Yeesh.... so do you think it's that she CAN'T, or that she WON'T/doesn't know how?
Because if you feel like she lacks the ability, I think it's time to make more of an effort to tell the parents that it's NOT normal for her age.
However, if you are seeing progress in her development, I guess just be patient. Sadly, it sounds like you will be the one teaching her all these fun things.

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Originally Posted by mom-in-alberta

Yeesh.... so do you think it's that she CAN'T, or that she WON'T/doesn't know how?
Because if you feel like she lacks the ability, I think it's time to make more of an effort to tell the parents that it's NOT normal for her age.
However, if you are seeing progress in her development, I guess just be patient. Sadly, it sounds like you will be the one teaching her all these fun things.

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EXACTLY!!

My little dcg WILL NOT get up if I lay her down, she will go purple before moving! But if she's playing and happened to go flat she WILL get up on her own!! Yeah stubborn a$$ child

I was thinking exactly the same thing as MominAlberta. Can she or won't she is a big difference. I start telling the parents right away when babies start here to encourage them to learn new things and to be independent and not to cater to their every whim and need. It's hard for parents who really 'baby' their children to learn to do that but it's best for the child to learn gross and fine motor skills by playing and doing everyday things for themselves. Your case really scares me that there is a physical problem. But it's up to the parents to ask the doctor. You could put out some strong hints though.

The sad part...both her Dad and I are hobbling around with a sore back and I know a lot of it is her...when I carry her down stairs for example, the normal child will lean into you, hold on etc., not her, she's all over the place, tipping her head way back suddenly so that you're are straining yourself in an odd position to account for those sudden moves and she is a solid child!!!

Ya, I would be concerned. My daughter is 13mths and doesn't walk yet BUT she was scooting around on her bum at 6mths, she crawls, pulls herself up, walks while holding furniture/push toys, crawls up and down the stairs etc. From what you are saying it seems that this little one should be seen by the doctor or a specialist. It's great that she has improved since she has been in your care but not rolling over, crawl from lie down position, not pulling her own weight when you carry her etc is a concern in my eyes.

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Originally Posted by Momof4

Your case really scares me that there is a physical problem.

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This concerns me quite a bit. At 1 years old she should be showing more back/neck strength then what you're discribing.

I have a skinny 13 mo who also does the dead weight thing. He'll be as straight as a board and then suddenly loosen all his muscles - totally different than my 11.5 mo DD. That was mighty confusing!

My first dc child was a one yr old boy. If I chose to, I could have left him laying on his back staring at the ceiling all day as he didn't move! (I had first thought, hey this daycare thing is easy!) On wagon rides he would sit slumped and not may any move to correct his position. He didn't walk let alone crawl and showed little interest in his surroundings and me in my attempts to engage him. He was just a slow starter. He left me at the age of 4 as a very active, talkative engaging fella.

Thanks Mimi; I honestly think this is the case but for sure have relayed my concerns to parents several times...thus, doing all I can do from my end (well, except continue to work with her, of course).