Is my baby gifted?

[Daddynotmummy84]

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.

Your child may be gifted. You will need to make sure you stimulate him at the right level at the right time. My dd was classified as gifted as once at school her teacher asked us if we would agree to an IQ test. We knew she was bright so agreed. She has IQ of 156. When she was 6 months she made a 6 piece puzzle of a seal, not a play tray. By 4 1/2 she could make 100 pice puzzles. Her reading age was 8 years and 8 months. She knew all of her times tables when she started school. She knew lots of other stuff too. It may be because I taught her stuff if she showed an interest. Children are not born knowing things and can learn if given opportunities. She ended up with degree and Masters but did not go for PHD but got job in business.

No, he is not "gifted", he is 17 months old. He is however very wonderful and precious to you so of course you think he is special. To everyone else he is just another kid.

Would you mind sending him round here to do the hoovering and picking up? My DCs aren't gifted and are lazy as fuck.

I really don't know why so many posters on here are being so unkind. Some children are gifted, some very talented at an early age, some are advanced when young but are perfectly normal.

Truly gifted children don't have very easy lives, neither do their parents and they need support.

My sister's child was certainly gifted in the sense that intellectually, he was streets ahead of other toddlers, and was already reading books by age 3.5 years, to the surprise of the health visitor who did his developmental check.

As the years went by, we discovered that his advanced intellectual "age" was equalled out by his being significantly behind in his "emotional" age and the gap widened as he became a teenager. It caused no end of problems at school, frustrations to him and thus bad behaviour on his part. His school days were a nightmare, he refused to go to University and eventually dropped out of society completely to do his own reclusive thing as an adult.

We all want our babies to be special...and indeed, they are....but be careful how much 'special' you wish for....

If the OP had started a thread asking if posters thought her baby was delayed she would have received reassuring, informative replies. She has asked a very reasonable question but has had nothing but the piss taken out if her. I think it’s appalling.

OP your little ones sounds very bright indeed. Hard to tell if they’re gifted in any way yet but they could be. Sometimes really bright kids can level off later - my DD was doing addition and could have proper considered conversations at 2.5 but sort of peaked around 11 and really struggled by A level time in some subjects. She’s no fool but definitely not gifted. Just support and encourage DSs interest and willingness to learn for now and see how he goes. It’s wonderful to have an interested, curious and eager little mind .

Lots of people being a bit unkind. It’s too early to tell if your child is gifted. It’s lovely that you feel so proud of him.

I was considered gifted as a child. I'd read most of Stephen King's novels by the age of 8. Then again, I also deliberately shook a bottle of lemonade and opened it in the car whilst we were driving on the motorway - I knew it did something cool but couldn't remember what...
Swings and roundabouts really.

Focus on your child's happiness and safety and you can't go far wrong. Comparing to other children is a slippery slope.

OP you're getting a hard time.

Your baby sounds lovely, a bright little boy.

Just enjoy him. Don't forget to do all the other toddler stuff too... Messy play, welly walks and watching lots of cbeebies .

Aw bless he sounds adorable but it's way too early to think your child might be gifted. Maybe wait until the child is 5 or 6. Some kids develope faster or hit milestones faster but most catch up and the most advanced baby can be the most average child a lot of the time.

I also flooded the bathroom (water through the kitchen ceiling apparently) by making toilet roll "bird's nests" in the sink, leaving the tap on and then getting distracted.
Fairly certain I set fire to several things in the kitchen - accidentally - by wondering off before switching things off.
Top sets in all classes - but clearly a complete moron.

Just relax and enjoy your baby. Comparison is the theif of joy.

Crawling at 4 months?! No he wasn't, stop lying 🤥

Our son was very much like yours. He’s 20 now, and whilst delightful and hardworking, his intelligence is more of the common sense variety than the highly academic. I’m happy with that- he will always do well because of his attitude, but if we’d laboured the point about him being gifted, he might have felt as though he’d underachieved. Please don’t label your son, just let him enjoy his childhood.

@alwaysstressed- my son crawled (Commando style) at 4 months and walked at 9 months!

He sounds like he is getting along well. Don't worry if he is gifted or not just make sure you continue to give him lots of interesting things to do like more challenging puzzles, games, conversation and make sure you help him develop a love of books, stories and reading. Keep him away from you ipad and too much screen time.

There is Gifted and Talented section in education board. You may get more sympathetic and practical advice from parents who actually have advanced children, especially when she/he is slightly older.

Above average perhaps but not gifted. DS2 is 11 months old and he may be gifted. He is having Mandarin lessons and is already quite fluent, can solve basic calculus problems and wallpapered his nursery yesterday afternoon without a scrap of help. This morning when he woke he entertained himself by identifying the birds in the garden using his ornithology book.

He sounds a bit like my DS at that age. He could sing full songs etc. He is 7 now and can't put his pants on right. So I wouldn't get too excited lol.

Lulu, good for you, to have a child doing calculus at 11 months. You must be very proud of yourself. What a great parent.

One of my sons was walking by 7 months...and was advanced level escape artist by 12 months. he would also concentrate for hours on an activity at just a few months which was unusual. But he said nowt for 3 years!!! His first words were a whole sentence😂😂....he now works in communications 😂😂
Nope, not enough evidence to say gifted....merely a reflection of his personality and what motivates him.....but you clearly put time in to parent him and that will always ensure that if he does have superpowers you will ensure he can make the most of them

Quick maybe, but gifted? Impossible to tell at that age

Well I'd like to think I sit on the fence with this one.

DC all develop at different rates. Your baby might be or not be. Too soon to tell really. Little ones don't necessarily meet their developmental markers all at the same stage, although if you belong to a competitive NCT group you may find that 'early to do' is determined as clear evidence of genius status

It is a known thing that firstborns are brighter than their siblings because they are the only ones to get the extra attention that their younger brothers and sisters never get, at the stage when it is most important. However, that doesn't necessarily equate to success in life and/or happiness. I think it's also shown they are more likely to be 'conformists'.

Keep 'nourishing' your DC OP you may or may not have a gifted child.

However not all G&T children will become super academic or successful. A lot is to do with personality as well and of course life experiences on their journeys to adulthood and beyond.

To be fair, it's a term that is over bandied about these days and a lot of chiidren are probably intelligent rather than really being gifted. And one school's G&T children may not be another one's.

I reckon I've only come across one person in my life who you would really call gifted (and I've been around a lot of well-educated people, including Oxbridge graduates). She was just stratospherically so even in pre-school (similar age to DS so I've watched her grow up). Almost like one of the alien children from The Midwich Cuckoos, if you know the story!

*PhilCornwall1

My 17 month old is currently licking the floor 🤷‍♀️

Keeping life real*

We're off to eat some forest dirt shortly too!

Gifted? No. Get over yourself OP. If indeed you come back.