Many parents reported that their baby often crosses his leg at the ankles. Most of them are worried about it. Some love to watch their baby in that condition. This condition may or may not be customary for a baby. There are some instances for you to know whether to be okay with it or worried.
Baby Crossing Legs at Ankles
Most babies start to cross their legs at an early age. This is a sign that they are growing. This is just a start. Starting from leg folding, they learn to sit up, roll, and even stand up. At a very young age, that is all they can do with their body. They bend their legs to show signs that they will do other physical activities. Times like feeding are cases when babies turn over their legs.
In some cases, the baby may do the leg bending even when he should do other activities as prescribed by the child’s doctor. Parents might be worried if no other physical activity is noticed. After a certain age, this might be a sign of cerebral palsy.
Cerebral Palsy:
Cerebral palsy is one kind of disorder that can be devastating for a human being. It hinders a person’s physical growth in a few aspects. A person who has cerebral palsy may lose his ability to move or even maintain body weight while moving. In short, cerebral palsy indicates that the person cannot use different body muscles than a normal person should. It can be a major issue in the future if your baby crosses their legs at the ankles.
What is the Main Cause of Cerebral Palsy?
The word “Cerebral” indicates it has something to do with the brain. Cerebral palsy occurs if that specific part of the body is somehow damaged or hindered by expected growth. If a baby had difficulty being born or did not grow as much as he should as an infant, he may have cerebral palsy.
Cerebral palsy usually occurs during the infant period or at a very early age. The parent cannot avoid the care the baby needs, even as an infant inside the mother’s womb. Taking good care of a baby during these periods will save the baby from cerebral palsy.
During pregnancy, the mother should take care of her for her baby to be born without cerebral palsy. She should avoid doing heavy work. She should eat enough food, fruit, and liquids required for her baby’s development. She should get enough rest and sleep. Doing all these will ensure the growth of the infant.
What are 3 Early signs of Cerebral Palsy:
Cerebral palsy is a disease that does not show a particular sign at a certain age. Instead, long-term care and close supervision is the way to identify the signs of cerebral palsy. If your baby is crossing her legs at the ankles, then there are three early signs of cerebral palsy you should know.
Development Delays:
If a child has cerebral palsy, he will be unable to show the signs of physical development in time. Physical activity shows that the muscles of the body are in perfect condition. If they are not, then everything is not in perfect order.
Specific physical movements are considered a milestone for a baby’s growth. Achieving those milestones within a certain period is very important. One of these milestones is rolling over. Another one is sitting, then comes crawling and finally walking. Not achieving these milestones on time can be an alarming sign for your baby with cerebral palsy. If you doubt the timing of developing these milestones, contact your doctor immediately.
Abnormal Muscle Tone:
Having perfect muscle tone is vital for physical movement. From walking up to going to sleep, every activity we do results from the contribution of muscle tone. If the muscle tones are not developed perfectly, cerebral palsy might be the case.
Most of the babies we see have grown perfect muscle tone. We can easily assume the dimension of their body parts, like legs. If you think your baby has developed more fluffy muscles than usual, this might be the case with cerebral palsy. If the muscles are too shrink than usual, it is even more alarming.
Abnormal Physical Posture:
Baby crossing legs at the ankles can also show signs of physical posture. If a baby reaches all the milestones in time, the signs of cerebral palsy will be pretty clear if it exists in the child.
Baby Crossing Legs at Ankles, the child may start reaching for the food or even crawl in time. However, he will not be able to balance his body due to cerebral palsy. So, he will be using half of his body to do these physical activities. He might lift only one hand to reach out to something. All these physical postures are an indication of cerebral palsy.
Cerebral palsy is not wanted by any parents. The good news is cerebral palsy is not that common either. Very few babies suffer from it and it can also be cured by doctors.
Is it Normal for a Baby to Cross its Legs?
It is very normal for babies to do that. Doctors have devised a name for it as it is very common. Doctors often call it Bowlegs. Another term for it is genu varum. Any child may roll their legs. There is nothing to worry about it. If the child is developing other physical activities, he is in perfect condition. Some babies crossing legs at the ankle even at an age older than three years is totally fine.
Do Babies with Cerebral Palsy Kick their Legs:
In most cases, they do not. As the growth of the muscles is hindered, thus babies who have cerebral palsy can not perform kicking. If your baby is unable to kick, see a doctor about it.
Not all babies who bend their legs suffer from growth. Look after your child inside the mother’s womb and after he is born. He will have perfect physical growth, and the baby crossing legs at the ankles will look even cuter.
