Development of 5 Month Old

K., you are wonderful for being such a great Aunt and Big Sis. I was told I would never have children and when I got pregnant with my son it was a miracle from God himself. He was a very sick baby but now is a strong 2 1/2 yr old, if not a bit of a handful!! My pediatrician told me once that Mommy's always know. There is that rare case of overprotective syndrome, but if you (or your sister) is worried go to the doctor. If they don't listen find another one! I have learned that the hard way. If your mommy sense is tingling, listen to it. I have several relatives that work with kids in day care, they see babies everyday and very rarely express their concerns. But when they do it is because they see something very irregular. I am sure everything is fine, but have also erred on the side of being safe than sorry. Take care and good luck!

T. R.

she should call the dr. gl :)

Physical therapy is an option. Have your sister get her in with her peditrician and they can refer her to one. My daughter went to PT from about 5 months until she was 10 months because she could not turn her head as far to one side as the other, and it worked out perfect.
And, just because it is a possiblity, autism, and the peditrician will probably check, but dont freak out or anything because if you catch it early enough there are medications to help it and it wont be a problem. So, you are okay to be concerned with your niece, its better than not being concerened. And no worries, just get everything marked in the no column of what it couldnt be.

your sister should take her to the pediatrician and express her concerns and when they started. The dr. will order the necessary tests that are applicable. If she's not happy with the dr.s response, seek another dr.
there shouldn't even be a question of what should she do. Pure and simple take her to the dr. the longer she waits, if there is a problem, the longer it takes for treatment to begin.

I would have her see a dr or 2 just to start to find out what's going have a friend who's son stopped and just didn't continue on developement around 5 months. In most cases there is very little wrong and the baby picks up things at different paces. But in our friends case he was in the begining of a very long battle with a bad thing. It can't hurt to check and then not worry if things get better.

What does her pediatrician say? I think that would be the first step in seeing if these are things to actually be concerned about. As caregivers they know what is "normal" but babies develop at different paces, and pediatrician are trained to catch signs that maybe the child isn't where he/she should be and then set a plan of action of what to do about it.
At every wellness visit a pediatrician will not just check physical things about the child, but ask the parent about specific milestones--I would just tell her to bring it up with her pediatrician at the next wellness (probably 6 months)

I think it's a good idea to make an appointment with the pediatrician as soon as possible. I'm sure the ladies in the daycare see a lot of babies, so if the her behavior is different enough to stand out, its better to be safe than sorry. If there is something wrong, the earlier the diagnosis and treatment, the better.

Her pediatrician can refer her to Child Find and they can get her set up with a physical therapist or occupational therapist if needed and the state of Florida picks up the bill.

I will like to tell your sister not to get stressed out about what the daycare worker say. Take her baby to the pediatrician(which I know she does)and let them evalulate her motor skills. When my son was six months the daycare worker told me my son maybe be deaf because he cry to loud, and that when they call his name he don't respond. I made my son a appt. to have his hearing check. After the test the doctor look at me like I was stupid and told me nothing was wrong with my son hearing. The worker who told me my son maybe deaf had been working with kids in a daycare setting for 25 years believe it or not. When you take your child to the doctor for her checkup the doctor check all of that, and if they have not mention anything to you evidentually they don't see a problem. All babies are different, I have four children with 2 of them twins(they didn't even do things a like)and all the development was different.