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Is my baby gifted?

292 replies

Daddynotmummy84 · 06/06/2020 00:13

Hi all. First time poster, long time lurker.
With this being my first child, and the current issues making it difficult to compare my son to other babies development, I thought I'd ask for opinions here. A little of where my boy is at. He's 17 months, almoat outgrowing his 18-24 month clothes (bloody expensive). He can speak around 80 spoken words and 40ish in sign language. He's able to stack things really well (his best so far was 14 blocks). When it comes to puzzles etc he does the shapes in the slots really easy, same with the animal pizzles etc. Also, he only has to see you do something once, occasionally twice, and he can do it himself (within limits obviously). To this extent he now has to have his own tool kit and power drill out when I do DIY to do his own little project. He feeds himsel, helpa with food preparation, loads and unloads the washer and drier, even walks around picking up bits of rubbish to put in the bin or pulls the vaccum out and uses it (it's always on, the plug is behind a secure lock so he can't get to it. What I want to know, is this normal for a kid his age?
Oh, I feel I should mention he was crawling at 4 months, walking at 7 and a half months. At 9 months he wasn't speaking, other than the odd word, but could make 3 worded sentences with sign language.

OP posts:
SandieCheeks · 06/06/2020 12:35

@INeedNewShoes

You had me until 'crawling at 4 months'. Is that anywhere near possible?
No. Maybe move themselves around by rolling or pushing/pulling themselves along the floor, but not crawling.
BikeRunSki · 06/06/2020 12:36

Wait until he’s 12, he won’t be able to do any of those things by then Grin

MrMagooInTheLoo · 06/06/2020 12:36

At 18 months both of mine were eating crayons

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about these subjects:

Sansastark45 · 06/06/2020 12:57

I dont mean to brag but my 1 year could drive so you know I dont think yours is anything special so to speak

bananafish · 06/06/2020 13:03

My youngest was trying to crawl at around 4 1/2 months 🤷🏽‍♀️ took his first step at 6 months and was properly walking by 7 months. He was a big baby though, over 5kg. It was a bit unsettling, actually, as he still had very bowed baby legs so it looked weird as fuck and he had absolutely no sense at all, what with being 7 months old; it was an interesting time.

Your toddler sounds awesome, OP 😊 you’ve got lots of time to discover if he’s gifted, so just try and enjoy this time with him, be as proud of him as you like and follow his lead in all the things he’s interested in.

snop · 06/06/2020 13:04

Sounds exactly the same as my dd, same dd now 6 struggling to grasp reading. I don't think you can tell at 17 months if a child is going to be gifted.

UpsyDaisysarmpit · 06/06/2020 13:15

Hi,

My son was well behind with walking and crawling (at 19 months he took his first steps) but academically, he was pretty amazing.
At 13 he is in top group for maths, definitely above average at English but great at general knowledge. He struggles with school a lot and underachieves because he can't concentrate on whatever doesn't interest him.
He was diagnosed as ASD a year ago after a long battle because all people could see was the academics. He still struggles to ride a bike, tell the time or tie his shoelaces.
His sister is also ASD. She was diagnosed at 2 as it was so obvious, and her speech and communication was very much not at the level expected for her age. At 10, she is meeting expectations in most areas of school and met milestones physically when expected. She has her challenges but I wouldn't say either of them have more difficulty than the other.
My point is, early abilities don't always equal future successes. Help your child to learn in all areas, and who knows?! And enjoy him, this time seems long now but I would kill to go back to those times again.

PatricksRum · 06/06/2020 13:21

Cracking stuff!
My son will be 21 (YEARS not months!) next month and never spoken a word in his life!!!

I'm sorry @Followthelight99 Sad
This is why your thread is awful OP

sofacushions · 06/06/2020 13:26

Growing out of clothes early is in no way linked to intelligence OP. Neither of my kids have ever been in the correct 'age' clothes.

My 5 foot 2 10 year old painted the Sistine chapel before she was 2.

Damnloginpopup · 06/06/2020 13:37

When my daughter was born she took one look at me and legged it down the corridor.

BadLad · 06/06/2020 14:33

When my daughter was born, I knew she was gifted from her first word. I leaned over the cot and I asked her "Who does Daddy love most in the world? Who? Who?"

Know what she said?

"WHOM! WHOM does father love most in the world?"

She corrected my grammar mistake with her first word.

Winifreed · 06/06/2020 14:39

This reply has been withdrawn

This has been withdrawn by MNHQ at the poster's request

iklboo · 06/06/2020 15:13

@BadLad - Grin. DS did correct a teacher for using a glottal stop when he was in Reception. We had a little chat about that...

Afonavon · 06/06/2020 16:32

It could go either way. If they are gifted they could excel academically and have an amazing career, wealth and happiness. Or they could be disruptive, unhappy, unfulfilled. Or they could just mooch along somewhere in between , living an average life, Just like the rest of us really. Although it feels like a direct track to a great outcome, all they really need is love, security and support. The most clever kids in our class were succeeded by the most hard working. Clever does not mean hard working, it often means lazy, because things come easy. Enjoy your little boy, don’t worry that he’s too clever, not clever enough. It makes no difference in the end.

Afonavon · 06/06/2020 16:39

Also, my child quite slow in reaching milestones compared to my friend’s daughter who was very early at everything and was speeding along at a supersonic rate. I felt like a failure at the time comparing both toddlers. However, at a certain point my friend’s child regressed whilst mine plodded along slowly but surely. Both children are on the autistic spectum, my child less severe (undiagnosed aspergers) friend’s child autistic and in a special school.

Just enjoy the moment, and don’t compare.

CuppaZa · 06/06/2020 17:03

Can’t believe the number of posters thinking this is real ConfusedHmmShock

scheffsm · 06/06/2020 18:23

Can’t believe the number of posters thinking this is real

Nor can I. Nor can I believe how many think some of the answers are real. I got someone calling me insane for one of my posts because they had totally missed the point that my post was a pisstake. Like the OP.

scheffsm · 06/06/2020 18:25

OP hasn't been back. The whole thing smells like a made-up post to generate traffic on the site because the writer knows perfectly well that people love to pile on to these "Is my child the next Albert Einstein?" type posts.

corythatwas · 06/06/2020 18:30

Can’t believe the number of posters thinking this is real

Some of us may have been influenced by certain parents we have met in RL. Just saying.

Didn't believe certain relatives of mine were just a figment of my imagination/playing a hilarious joke because their claims concerning their offspring were outlandish.

(no, your toddler is not a chess genius, he just picked up a piece and moved it randomly)

Ritascornershop · 06/06/2020 18:42

I assume it’s real and by power tools she means plastic ones, by helping w things she doesn’t mean he’s ironing or sautéing, just helping out things in a basket, helping pay lettuce, things in a toddler’s ability.

Somewhereinthesky · 06/06/2020 20:03

scheffsm, assume you are talking about me. Of course I knew you are piss taking. I just didn't like your comment of making fun of OP, without being 100% sure it's a fake. I just don't like it.

whattodo2019 · 06/06/2020 20:06

Spend time teaching him to socialise. It is far more important than anything you have mentioned

scheffsm · 06/06/2020 20:18

scheffsm, assume you are talking about me. Of course I knew you are piss taking. I just didn't like your comment of making fun of OP, without being 100% sure it's a fake. I just don't like it.

But you don't seem to mind implying someone is insane???
From your replies to my comment about the guy at orchestra claiming to have played the violin in the cradle it seemed as though you took that seriously and had to point out to me that he wouldn't have been able to do that.
Him playing his violin in the cradle was about as believable as this OP.

This is blatantly a pisstake OP hence the very many pisstake replies.

Somewhereinthesky · 07/06/2020 00:01

I didn't say you are insane, I said any sane person can see that was a piss take. But if that wasn't clear, I am sorry. My English fails me a lot of times.

Blackdoggotmytonguestill · 07/06/2020 00:26

I know a bajillion parents like this (With toddlers like this.). I’m still not convinced it’s a pisstake. The majority of stuff is within the bounds of normal and the only flag that people are focusing on is the drill. Which most widely assumed to be a toy.
The rest is... entirely plausible.
If it is a joke, it’s a bit lame because it suggests that these things are funny, a joke, and unbelievable, rather than pretty ordinary. And that parents whose kids do these things should be pointed at and laughed at. (Which would surely fall under the remit of ‘not in the spirit’?
‘Normal’ at this age is a pretty wide playing field. Babies and toddlers are pretty weird.
I do have a kid with an IQ in the140s (at 5) that didn’t walk or talk until she was 7. She was statemented. Gifted is also a mixed bag. Grin

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