AIBU to wonder if my 27 month old is ahead?

[Byron1990]

And if so should I be doing more to support him?
My first child was very behind in every area for years and is now about where he should be. I don’t know if it’s just the contrast or if my 27 month old is very ahead and worried I’m not doing enough to stretch and support him.

He speaks in full sentences with advanced vocabulary but also humour, tonight he said to his dad, ‘what are you wearing daddy, you look diculous (ridiculous)’ he was wearing pjs. He retells stories but put him and his brother in the place of the characters and makes them do funny things. He uses me/my/you/his/I correctly.

he can also catch a tennis ball with two hands and hit one with a racket. He builds houses and castles out of magnatiles and puts animals and figures in them. He can count objects up to 11 and also recognise groups of things by number up to three by looking at them not counting.

Does this sound like he’s far ahead and should I be doing something specific at home/out of home?

I personally would say thats about average really

Wrong place to ask as MNs have babies writing novels & composing symphonies in the womb

He sounds lovely and capable, but not ahead.

Ah that’s good to know, thank you. My eldest had ten words at this age and couldn’t catch a tennis ball until he was four so I was wondering it I had a mini Einstein 😂

catching a tennis ball at that age is unusual

He sounds lovely and spot on for a two year old
encourage him to play and explore - talk, read and sing with him

Having worked with young children for most of my life, it’s not unusual.

He sounds very capable in terms of his motor skills and yes, possibly ahead generally than some children but I think it’s getting a touch carried away talking of support in and out of the home. Just enjoy your bright little boy and try not to put undue pressure on him to be a little genius 😂

As someone who does sports with children in my experience it is @Blimms

Oh, OP, these kind of posts never go well.

I had this exact same thing with my two 🤣 DS barely had 10 words by time he was 2 and DD was already taking in small sentences by that point. He's 8 and she's 3 now and there's still a vast amount of things that she's doing well before he did.

Academically she is far more advanced than he was at the same age but I would say only slightly above average for a child of her age. EG she happily counts up to 30 and recognises approximately 15 phonics sounds.

Keep honing his skills, it doesn't hurt to challenge him as long as it's age appropriate

It probably does sound dramatic but I definitely carry some guilt around not getting my eldest the right support early on that I want to make sure I get things right for my youngest and it is such a stark contrast

He sounds brilliant! I think that’s probably within the realms of ‘normal’, but he sounds like a lovely little boy.

DD2 seemed faster to gain skills than DD1 as a baby/toddler (who was entirely on target) but I think that was from spending so much time with her sister and wanting to keep up. As she gets nearer school age, it’s sort of evening out a bit now.

I don’t think there’s anything you need to do with a child that age, even if they are ‘ahead’. They will learn without you having to do anything special other than the usual sort of play and reading. I often think social skills at this age are far more important as they are a lot harder to teach, whereas smart kids will easily get to where they need to be academically.

Thanks @Clefable @TeddyBeans i think it’s the shock of how much he can do in contrast to his brother at the same age that has made me wonder if it’s normal 😂 we do all the usual things but didn’t know if I should be getting him tennis lessons or going to a different sort of class

My message seemed a little snarky, I think, on a reread and I apologise, I certainly didn’t intend for it to be so.
Re the tennis lessons, if you want to, go for it, he may become the next Federer or he may just do it for a little while before it fizzles out, but the best case is that he enjoys a sport where he can run around a bit and have fun. Good for every child, if you ask me.

Well I’m going against the grain, he sounds older than his age to me. And all of my friends grandkids seem very far ahead for their ages too so maybe it’s normal now. My daughter was slow with those things like speaking and counting but was quick to learn other things like riding a bike on the first try, and using a computer and a mouse before she was 2, and putting things together without looking at instructions.

He sounds great and above average for that age . My ds only had a few words at that age . I think they are all so different when they are toddlers . It’s personality as well i think .

I have a video of me at a month off age two talking in complete sentences - and my DC did too! We're all very bright tho/top grades etc at school (family members top of their year at Oxbridge etc) so I'd say it's above average

Having coached tennis to preschoolers I'd say it depends on what you have done with him.
A child who has been regularly playing, even if it's knock about in the garden, it sounds normal.
If he's picked up a racquet out of the blue and served from the baseline and hitting well, and catching the ball having never really messed about with one before then he's good. I knew one like that. Turned up to coaching, clutching a cheap wooden racquet and just knew how to play.

A child who has been regularly playing, even if it's knock about in the garden, it sounds normal

Most 2 yrs old don’t play tennis regularly hence why imo it is unusual.

He sounds a lovely, bright little boy but within the normal range.

He doesn’t regularly play but his brother does so he sees him playing and will potter on the court if there are not other lessons going on. I think we may well just get him into lessons and see wince he seems to enjoy it so much

@MxCactus it is the sentences I find the most surprising! It seems so strange to me to hear this very small child chatting away and having conversations in sentences that are complex and grammatically correct but I do probably think after the responses that is just in contrast to my eldest

The votes on here. 😆
Hes advanced / above average.

I have a child a similiar age.
He is considered advanced by childcare professionals...he can do most but not all of this. I thonk its a 2nd child thing.

It doesnt mean much of anything long term but I think its cool when they can chat and tell you they are tired or there ears hurt or whatever

He definitely sounds above average/advanced to me