10 months and didn't pass heath visitor test! [shock]

[kittypurry]

My little girl is nearly ten months and just had her 9/10 month check.
She failed!
She doesn't grasp with her finger and thumb, doesn't pick up and won't hold food to feed herself.

She is number two- and I know all babies are at a different pace- but why is she coming back in a few weeks to make sure she's doing these things

Just wondered how old other people's babies wer/are when started doing the food thing. (We don't see many other babies..)

Thanks for reading.

Kittypurry and her kittensxx

Your health visitor did the 9/10 month check on time - wow! Out check was just after 12 months and thats apparently the norm in my area.

DS is now 16 months and it feels a while ago (although it's not really). So I'm a bit hazy about exact dates.

However I have a picture of him with a Organix sweetcorn ring in his mouth taken around 9 months old. So I would say that by 9 months he would of been picking up food.

At 12 months he had no problem with the "bead" test they use for the pincer grasp test.

I think most start picking things up somewhere between 6 and 9 months. I know I've got a picture of my DS digging into a Christmas lunch with a spoon aged 7 months. 10 months would therefore be relatively late and would explain why the HV wants to see her again. Don't panic unduly but do try to encourage her to hold things in the meantime.

kittypurry don't worry too much. I childminded a child who started with me at one year never ever picking up food and putting it in his mouth. He just had no idea he could do it. I worked on showing him how to do it gradually and after a few weeks he was feeding himself totally normally. He is perfectly fine developmentally.

Watch her yourself and give her things to encourage her to use a pincer grip. Small items which interest her. It might have been the presence of a stranger which inhibited her.

Give her lots of finger food. Gently and patiently encourage her to put it in her mouth herself. start from what she is already doing and try to gently move her on a little bit each day. Use loads of praise and encouragement rather than pressure or refusing to help. make it a pleasure not a chore.

Do you have any other concerns about her development? If not I'd suggest that you try to relax.

You'll probably find she's doing it fine when the HV comes back.

At risk of getting things thrown at me...

Cheerio's are good for finger practise :)

My DD struggles with manipulative skills and has been assessed loads by various profs since she was born.

Can your DD push things along with her index finger? Does she rake toys with her hand? Pass an object from one hand to another? Those are all things we were told to look out for by 9 months.

From what I have read, pincer grasp is usually developed anything up to 12 months old so wouldn't worry just yet!

DS didn't have pincer grasp until 12 months, and certainly never fed himself (never could have done BLW with him).

He's a perfectly normal, if slightly fussy eating 2 year old.

Thank you for your helpful comments about your little kittys--it's helped to convince me that it does range alot. I just have no other mummies with kittens to ask.
mintyfresh I noticed she can rake so shall not worry about this pinch grasp just yet after all.

Thanks

My DD failed her 10 month check because she wouldn't bear her weight on her legs.
She's fine. Different developmental rates.

I had my 8-12 month check about 3 weeks ago (DS was just 10 months).
They didn't check anything like people are talking about here! Jst weighed, measured him & gave us some books & a doidy cup!!! - Is it the same test? I had a card through saying to book the aapointment.
Seems to me like things vary so much in different areas.

Also try not to think of it as "failed". It just means she hasn't done those things yet and the HV has to check again in a few weeks.

I am a HV too and babies are so different in how they develop - some are doing everything by six months but others are just content to be babies and watch the world go by until they reach a point where they want to take part. I've seen them doing all sorts of things at different times. Don't worry about the pinch grasp - it will come.

Did you health visitor actually use the word 'failed'? That's a very inappropriate word to use I think. It sounds almost like it's something to be ashamed of.

I don't think they need to have a pass or failed system, but simply weather they have concerns or don't have concerns.

I wouldn't worry too much anyway. I'm sure it's just something that will come gradually. The fact that you said you were shocked makes me think it'll be ok because normally a mother has already picked these things up.

Best of luck. :)

Don't do the 10 month check here anymore.

Please please don't worry.

I have 4 DC's and DD2 (who is DC4 if that makes sense) wasn't walking at 12 months.

I was paranoid.

She still wasn't walking at 13 months, or 14 months, or 15 months, or 16 months.

Got sent to the doctor, who knew me, and laughed me out of the office and said "I've been in your house, she sits on her bum and shouts and someone brings her what she wants. She doesn't need to walk"

She did walk at just over 16 months and when she did she took off like a rocket - no toddling, proper walking and running from the get go.

Your DC will more than likely be fine, and is just developing at a different rate to the charts (which i think should be binned lol)