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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:
isabellerossignol · 06/06/2020 05:44

Argh, did she actually mean a power drill? I thought she meant a toy tool kit 😂 I've been had. I sort of replied seriously Grin

isabellerossignol · 06/06/2020 05:45

Mind you. I wish the gifted toddler would teach my 13 year old to load the dishwasher.

Ritascornershop · 06/06/2020 05:45

@isabellerossignol I’ve always taken the word gifted to mean an IQ above about 130 (yes, I know IQ tests have flaws), and not an incredibly rare sky-high iq type of thing. My son is definitely gifted, and I don’t see it as a curse at all, it enhances his enjoyment of the world as there is little that does not interest him.

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PhilCornwall1 · 06/06/2020 06:06

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.

Could you pop him round to my place? I'm still battling through the lockdown DIY list and could do with a hand. Any good at wallpapering is he?

rainbowstardrops · 06/06/2020 06:09

Do you hire him out for cleaning and odd jobs? Asking for a friend

Graciebobcat · 06/06/2020 06:23

He might well be advanced and bright, but it's hard to tell until he starts school. Just enjoy him as he is, share books with him and give him plenty of opportunities for learning in a way that he will enjoy.

claireyjs · 06/06/2020 06:28

IMHO opinion you're possibly setting yourself up for a massive fall... each child is different, I know, but my younger daughter who is now 7 was doing all if that at at his age, I thought nothing of it but now she struggles at school and we have recently found out she is dyslexic. Her memory is great but she struggles to read and to get things on paper Just have fun with him while he wants to help but don't put his name down for Oxford or Cambridge just yet! 🤦‍♀️🤣🤣🤣

InkogKneeToe · 06/06/2020 06:30

My 17 month old is currently licking the floor 🤷‍♀️

PatricksRum · 06/06/2020 06:34

Could you pop him round to my place? I'm still battling through the lockdown DIY list and could do with a hand. Any good at wallpapering is he?

GrinGrinGrinGrinGrinGrin
I love MN

PhilCornwall1 · 06/06/2020 06:36

My 17 month old is currently licking the floor 🤷‍♀️

Keeping life real 😆

Blackdoggotmytonguestill · 06/06/2020 06:37

Assumed it was a toy tool kit. 🤷‍♀️ It’s bog standard mn gifted thread material, so not that well done if it was a joke. Needed a teensy bit more specificity. But taking the piss out of first time mums who get sucked in to the whole gifted thing is probably in poor taste. Needed a bit more to tip it into funny enough for them to laugh at themselves. Hey ho.

Billyjoearmstrong · 06/06/2020 06:37

Oh bless you.

I felt the same way about DS1.

He did everything early, I had dreams of Mensa.

He’s now 17 and failed most of his GCSEs miserably afternoon being distinctly average throughout his life.

So that’s put me in my place.

LovingLen · 06/06/2020 06:46

There is a gifted and talented board, maybe ask for your post to be moved there so that you can engage with like minded people

Mamimawr · 06/06/2020 06:54

Your child sound just like my first born. She's now 14, we hope she passes some of her GCSEs but it's going to cost quite a lot for private tutors for that to happen!!

ForeverBubblegum · 06/06/2020 06:54

Your boy sounds lovely, and I'm sure he's a delight to have, but he also sounds relatively normal. They all learn things at different times, but nothing you have said would be outside normal range.

2bazookas · 06/06/2020 06:59

But is he goodlooking? If so I'd like to marry him as soon as he's available.

Elephantonascooter · 06/06/2020 07:08

Jesus! Op, you need to take a look at yourself. Every other mother you meet is going to run a mile if you start actually thinking like this. Just enjoy your child ffs

SoberCurious · 06/06/2020 07:08

😆

TryingToBeBold · 06/06/2020 07:10

I think it's one of those toy kits

I know someone who is convinced her PFB is talented at less than 6 months because he vaguely groaned/squealed in the same tone as a word she was repeating to him. And when she told him to look at a certain toy.. he looked at his hand which was below the toy..

Anyway. I digress.
Can I borrow DS to teach my DP to put washing away!?

Pogmella · 06/06/2020 07:12

YABU to give your 17mo a power drill. They should start with an angle grinder.

MrsLully · 06/06/2020 07:16

You all made me laugh out loud this morning. I have a massive tooth ache today and it hurts like hell when I laugh, so shame on you all.
PS: my 28 month old doesn't lick the floor, she prefers her knee Grin

TheMotherofAllDilemmas · 06/06/2020 07:18

He is gifted, we are jealous.

But no worries, as soon as they make some friends they dumb themselves down to fit in with the bog standard kids and the numpties.

Somewhereinthesky · 06/06/2020 07:21

My dc was an early walker, there was no crawling stage. Definitely early talker, no baby talk stage, though he never spoke outside the house among strangers. He figured out how to unlock the baby gate, but had clear understanding of danger, so never actually got out, but enjoyed the process. Obsessed with numbers/letters/puzzles. He is gifted in one subject, good in most of things. One thing people noticed when he was a baby was that he was really alert. Also has shown so much emotion to music and scenery, cried with both. Has lots of asd/adhd traits.

SandieCheeks · 06/06/2020 07:23

Didn’t crawl til 4 months? Mine literally crawled out of the womb.

MsTSwift · 06/06/2020 07:24

Our friends dd is gifted or was as a toddler age but everyone else caught up and now she’s top of the class but normal.

My god though. Dd and her peers were 2 ish still in nappies “want banana” type speech. This child fully potty trained and could hold sophisticated adult conversations! It was actually quite creepy. Parents very low key and never even mentioned it. Though they thought their second child was abit slow when actually he was normal!

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