Just seeing a lot of posts with anxious mums and I can definitely relat!. DS1 did a lot of weird things as a baby and toddler that made me worry. He's older now and seems to be thriving, but just thought it would be nice to share, perhaps in a lighthearted manner to calm some of those mum nerves.
Obviously if you have strong concerns, seek professional guidance (doctor, HV, etc.) but it can be nice to know you're not alone with your worries and sometimes there's actually nothing to worry about.
A couple of mine are:
Eye rolling - at about 8 months old DS would roll eyes his eyes and have this weird vacant smile. Went to the doctor with it and he was referred to a paediatrician. They even mentioned it at his nursery once he started going. I remember breezily saying to them "yeah, he's fine. He's had his brain scanned and everything. He's apparently doing it because he's learned that he can."
Saving food in his mouth like a hamster - I can't remember his exact age (maybe around 2yo) but he developed this strange habit of saving bits of food in his mouth "for later" as he would say. I'd brush his teeth at night and somehow in the morning, he'd wake up and I'd discover food in his mouth or on his pillow that he'd saved. I thought the behaviour was really odd as it was like he was obsessed with doing it. He'd never eat anything without saving some in his mouth for later.
Hand flapping - typical toddler behaviour but there seemed to be (and still is) this propoganda about autism. Great that there's more awareness but some literature (and Google!) makes it seem that everything a baby does could be autism. They also leave out more information about the spectrum and sometimes make it seem like such a dreadful outcome. And, when you're already anxious, you imagine the worst case, highly exaggerated, scenario.
Being afraid of bubbles - I put bubbles in his bath once and he FREAKED OUT. He was terrified of them lol. He got over that phobia but it was quite a comical discovery.