11 month check

[Lollypop1983]

My LO had his developmental check a couple of weeks ago. The HV says she needs to follow up on a few things.

1: LO didn't scribble with a crayon. Any time my LO gets a crayon/ pencil, it goes straight into the mouth. Lo doesn't get them a lot.

2: LO hasn't put things in and out of a container. Again, he's never really had the opportunity to, although he was able to do both by that afternoon.

3: LO doesn't walk holding onto hands. He sees it as a game and crumbles like a sack of potatoes laughing.

Am I wrong not to be overly concerned about these thing. Was your LO scribbling on paper when they were 11 mo?

I don't know how to deal with number 3. I hope he is walking by the time she follows up.

It seems a bit over keen to arrange I follow up based on those things.

I wouldn't be at all worried about the scribbling thing - maybe just give him some more opportunities to try, and supervise closely in case of attempted eating!

The walking thing, again seems a bit soon to be worried. 11 months seems early to be walking, even with holding hands. Does your lo pull up to standing? Can he weight bear at all on his feet? Maybe if she thought that he wasn't weight bearing at all, she might be a bit concerned. I don't think there's much you can do to encourage walking other than make sure he has opportunities to pull up and furniture cruise.

He is crusing, walking round furniture, walking with his walking, (trolley type that u can push).

Was really just wondering about the drawing thing? Maybe I've not given his enough opportunity, but like I say, it just goes straight into the mouth.

DS is 12 months and every effort to use crayons has ended up in pretty determined efforts to eat said crayons, so he'd fail that test too

Glad mine wasn't the only one

I think all this talk about getting 2 yo school ready has got me thinking that what I do with LO isn't good enough.

But he's just a baby. Singing songs, playing 'games', it's not like I can teach hi the akaphbet at this stage! Although lots of his toys sing the alaphabet song!

My baby is 11 months old today!
No way will she draw on paper, straight into her mouth! That seems crazy to me actually. She can walk unaided for a little bit and then crawls.
I wouldn't worry about the drawing at all, it seems too early. Maybe I'm wrong I don't know..

Good lord, none of these seem like concerns at all to me.

DD is only just starting to vaguely draw with a pencil/magnetic board at 16 mo. I still haven't given her crayons as I reckon she'd chew them.

She started putting things into containers at about 14 mo I think (out of containers was a bit earlier, but not 11mo I think)

She's loved walking holding hands since 6mo but that's just her. If your LO is cruising on the furniture and walking with trolley that sounds totally fine.

I wouldmt worry about any of those things.
Just practise walking with him.
I think most crayons say not suitable for under 3 anyway.
My 22m still bits off end if shes had them too long.
Maybe there is another reason for a follow up.
(My hv was helping with sleep but only did a follow up when i took DD out of the nursery due to issues)
You can get aquadoodles to do scribbles (though again mine sucks at the water in the pen)
I think its about getting the fine motor skills.
Maybe they think you arent stretching him/ doing enough activities- i always get bring x to the groups

Another reason for the follow up? Any suggestions?

I take him to 4 groups a week, all different. Not enough?

Sounds fine OP.

Maybe it's just because he's 11 months, it's a "1 year check" in theory, so maybe she just feels she can't sign off till that age and is being cautious. I am guessing here as I can't see any reason tbh.

She hasn't referred you has she - just said she'll see you again in a month or two?

Don't feel that you aren't doing enough, I'm sure you are. I would maybe contact the HV team and ask for an explanation/clarification. It seems unreasonable to follow up based on the 3 things that she said.

Not been refered. She should me the scoring, out of the 5 areas, 3 were fine, 2 were to follow up. Probably once he was able to do these things, he wouldn't need a referral.

She not even coming to visit, just a phone call in two months.

I'm hoping LO will be walking by then, cos he just wants to swing from my hands!

I'm no expert but my DS is 13months now and wouldn't know what to do with a crayon or paper! He'd try to eat both. That wasn't part of his 1 year check at all. Although my HV did mention potty training to me! A one year old?! I switched off at that point to be honest...

He also wasn't walking or putting things into containers at 11 months, but he is doing both now.

I know a lot of babies his age too and not one of them can use a crayon properly at the moment (ie, without eating it).

Don't worry!

As a nurse who does developmental reviews I'd not be concerned, but would be checking back informally after a couple of months with you that progress had been made.

Non of those is especially concerning, but there has to be a line drawn somewhere as to when things would be followed up & in your area it's around those things. It definitely shouldn't be seen as you "failing" or not doing enough with your child - it's given you a few new areas to explore regarding play (as you've said regarding putting things in a container). Think the only complaint I'd have is if she didn't make it clear to you that they weren't huge things & it was more a formality than hugely worrying.

Briefly consider it from the HV team point of view - we have to document all contact with families & for the developmental r/v need to record how/what the child can/can't do so would need to say that your child didn't do all the things expected (otherwise that is inaccurate/falsifying records which could lead to being struck off).

Having documented it, there then needs to be a follow up recorded (with minor things as described by the OP via conversation with the Mum) to confirm that there are nil further concerns, thus nothing falls through the net & ongoing concerns are acted upon swiftly.

As is the MN way, HV teams can't do right for doing wrong - if a Mum was to post saying the team hadn't followed up on this and another yr or so down the line there were probs which took ages to be ref on which could have been picked up sooner, then, quite rightly, the team would be being roasted.

When I started with the HV team, I googled "health visitor blog" and got lots of results of Bloggers moaning about HV's inc one who'd moved & had a home visit from a nursery nurse on the team to give info about the area plus, to check if there was any support required by the family. The blogger was apoplectic that the NN had said there were potentially probs with her son's speech & ranted on about how out of order she was etc, etc. I noticed the post was 18mths old & went to her home page to find her most recent post, which was all about her son going to the speech therapist & how helpful it was/that she was seeing such big improvements!

loftyjen, it's interesting to get your perspective on this.

However, a lot of the "moaning" about HV could be avoided if they explained themselves properly! It's about communication and empathy, not just about form filling and following procedure. The HV that the OP saw has managed to alarm and worry the OP, when she should have been able to explain the situation in a way that left the OP calm and reassured.

I really hope that there is at least something in the HV training that is about interpersonal skills, and empathy.

Loftyjen, thank u so much for posting.you do make some really good points that I totally agree with. And your right, LO and I are exploring new things, and although I'm not terribly worried, it is true that they need a line somewhere.

It wasn't that she left me overly concerned, if she had, I'd be on the phone to her to clarify things, I more wanted to see how other LO were doing at this age.

The fact that it's a phone call follow up, rather than a visit eases my worry.

I just wish I could get LO walking with my hands!

Ex-BB - indeed, the communication is between them is key , however, I know despite my best efforts to explain & reassure parents during a r/v the eyes glaze & I can see that all their thinking of is what the r/v has seen (I've done the same myself!). A few changes of tack & encouraging future questions can help, but despite best efforts I know parents sometimes leave not being as reassured as I hoped.

Lollypop - hope you're feeling reassured, I bet in another 6wks or so you'll be seeing improvements, as said above, if little 'un is cruising it won't be long (get your back strengthening exercises in now )

At my ds assessment I don't think those things were even checked. Especially not the scribbling. My ds was cursing around the sofa but it was not tested whether he would hold hands and walk or not.

Ah, LoftyJen, so it's the parents' fault for not listening to you properly and glazing over?!

Lollypop, I'm glad you aren't perturbed by the follow up phone call and hope it all goes well when you get to that point.

ExBB - that's not what I was suggesting at all, more expressing a personal frustration at not being able to break the "worry fog" despite me trying my hardest to reassure/minimise worries & ensure their questions are answered.

...sometimes not breaking...

Sorry for the dig Loftyjen it was a bit PA of me .

I felt that my 12 month check for my ds was all a bit hurried, and wonder if there was more time allocated for appointments that this would help.

I also think that coming from the position of not having any children to having had my first child, I had no idea what a HV was, or what they are for or how they fit into ante and post natal care. I wonder if there is room for a clear summary of the role of a HV, the visits that are standard, plus how they fit into the wider picture. Something that could be included with all the other unnecessary bumph that is given to pregnant women.

That's ok, funnily enough I wasn't that impressed with the way the area I live in does its reviews (seemed to be v light on detail) & find it that in the neighbouring area where I work, a much clearer framework is used & offers more transparency to parents.

We have 40mins for a r/v which is very often not enough (esp if they have limited English, or have particular concerns parents/we have.

Unsure if you were offered, but in the area I work, all first time mums are offered a HV visit antenatally but think the uptake varies & so there's often lots of info to get across by the HV in the first home visit which isn't ideal.

Working on the HV team made me realise why it can be difficult to get replies/advice from a HV, their workload is phenomenal with regard to safeguarding/work with targeted families (preparing for/attending case conferences then carrying out the action plan, then documenting progress/escalating problems - for each family) on top of the more typical needs and support families need with baby clinics/new birth and on going support visits

In the last few years there's (finally) been funding to increase the training places for HV's and to try and increase their numbers, but recruitment has been low (no surprise as for most experienced nurses to train/be a qualified HV is a significant drop in pay for greatly increased autonomy/reduced immediate senior support).

Frustratingly for me, I've had my second child at the (right time for me) wrong time & it looks like there won't be any recruitment local to me for HV training this Sept (couldn't have started in Jan as DS was only 8wks old!) - my moan done

At 11 months my ds could bang a crayon on a bit of paper for about 6 seconds, not lines as suck more like dots. Then he would put the crayon in his mouth, I would take the crayon away from him and put them away.

He did put things in and out of boxes but he is a bit obsessed with tidying up.

He didn't wouldn't walk holding hands, only this month at 15 months has he decided he will hold my hand. he was walking from 10 months and pushing his trolley/walking around furniture for months before that but he would never walk holding my hand. I think it was the lack of freedom, he wanted to decide exactly where he was going to go. I remeber seeing my friends babies toddling around holding tightly onto mum or dad's finger and wishing ds would do that, meanwhile he would be pushing the coffee table/chairs/toys around the room to support himself.