Go, Baby, Go!

When Should You Worry?

Your baby isn't sitting up or walking on schedule. Should you be concerned? Probably not: Your child may just be a late bloomer. Still, talk to your doctor about the following delays or warning signs.

• Your baby can't lift her head and chest by 4 months.
• He's not reaching for objects by 4 or 5 months.
• She's unable to sit unassisted by 10 months.
• He can't stand (even with help) by 12 months.
• Her movements are asymmetrical; for example, she does everything with her left side and hardly ever uses her right, or one side of her body is much stronger than the other.
• He moves very little, his limbs are limp, or his movements are jerky and spastic.

SOURCES: Silvia Fajardo-Hiriart, M.D., medical director of the Early Steps Early Intervention Program at the University of Miami Mailman Center for Child Development; Lucy Crain, M.D., M.P.H., clinical professor of pediatrics at the University of California, San Francisco; and Karen Adolph, Ph.D., associate professor of psychology at New York University.