12 month old ds won't clap his hands or gesture

[spaniorita]

Ds has just celebrated his first birthday, and I'm starting to get worried (maybe rationally, maybe not!) that he won't clap his hands, he doesn't point at things and he doesn't wave.

He has been crawling since 7 months, was cruising at 8 months and took first steps at 11 months, he is starting to try and say a few (very few) words like "dog", he can pincer grip and pass toys from hand to hand, he makes good eye contact, smiled and laughed at appropriate timeframes... I don't have any other concerns.

He will hold my fingers and clap my hands together and if I try and clap his hands for him he opens his hands rather than forms a fist.

Do you reckon I should be concerned or am I being neurotic?!

It doesn't sound like there is a cause for concern to me.

All children develop at different rates. There will be loads out there that can clap and wave, by can't walk or can't crawl or can't talk. If he's doing everything else the gestures will come. Just keep mimicking it wave, clap, pat-a-cake, point, blow kisses etc. and eventually he'll join in.

I remember going to a class and the teacher saying that by 10 months old they should clap . My DS didn't butstarted a few months later, so about 1 years. I did keep clapping a lot which I hadn't really done before.

If you open a book can you ask him to show you the dog etc. This might encourage him to point.

Has he had his 1 year review you can mention these and see what the HV thinks.

He hasn't had a one year review with hv - he had one at 10 months though and I wasn't so concerned at the time. He demonstrated a high 5 and she wasn't bothered about it either, now 2 months down the line and he's still not doing it I'm worrying myself.

Thank you for the reassuring reply's though I do appreciate it.

*Replies I mean

I would ask for another review if he's not pointing by 18 months. So you have a good while for him to work it out.

Yes fingers crossed he will get the hang of it soon. I keep doing all the songs and actions with him and getting his brother to clap along - the baby looks at us both like we're really strange

DS2 started clapping within a week of singing “wind the bobbin up” and pouting about a week later. It was the repetition that did it for him - I was singing it to him while I cleaned up after his meals. He was 9 or 10 months old at the time.

I honestly wouldn’t worry. My little boy didn’t start clapping until past one.

He started pointing after a few days of me pointing my index finger at him and having him touch my finger with his. This wasn’t deliberate, just a little thing I did. A couple of days later, he was pointing everywhere to show what he wanted. Maybe I just showed him that he could do it or maybe it was just coincidence.

As for words - completely normal! There’s such a broad range of what they should be saying and when. But anything upward of zero now is normal. Understanding is more important.

Wouldn't be worrying about this at all! They're all different. My DD is 11 months and has been clapping and waving for about 2 months now but on the other hand she still hasn't mastered many other things e.g. she can't crawl, cruise, stand unaided, can't eat much solid food yet, and the HV said her communication is delayed (she has never said mama or dada even unspecifically). So count yourself lucky tbh that all you have to worry about is the lack of clapping!

Finally!! He learned to clap his hands yesterday