Worried mum

[Rattles1]

Hi all,

Looking for some advice on my 8 month baby boy.

I have for a while had some niggles about some of his behaviour and today a comment sent me worrying a lot and I was looking for some input.

My son is generally happy little boy. He does smile at myself, husband, our parents etc. He was excited and crawling up to another baby that came round , and seems like he was showing an interest in others.

However, he has just started nursery. When i went to the meeting along with him, he was playing and looking at the nursery staff member we were talking to. But there was a huge ceiling fan above us, and he seemed to keep looking at that, being distracted by it often.

I did forget about it, but when I dropped him today, another parent mentioned he was cute and she recognised him from an event the other week because of his hair (he has big curly hair).. she said ' he was really mesmerized by the fan, it was really cute' , so of course I can't stop thinking and worrying on the back of that comment as when i google, everything says that such an interest after about 3 months is a red flag. How much of a red flag is this please, can anyone advise?

Other observations which make me worry are:
Sometimes goes off into his own world
He will get excited and start laughing at random things like a picture on one of my t shirts (it has a 3d type fluffy nose)
He babbled ba ba, ma ma, etc for a bit about 3 weeks ago, but no further babbling since, just squeals recently and grunting
Sometimes will tip his head back to look at the ceiling / light
Will stop to look at the light shade over the kitchen counter when eating
Looks and laughs at the fire alarm and running water / tap / fridge

How much of a red flag are these things please? And is it worth getting some assessment just on his development, can anyone recommend any such next steps

Thank you!

Hate to tell you this but he's a baby! All sounds perfectly normal at 8 months

@PanicBuyingSprouts thank you :)

It was the fan comment that got me feeling like this. I wasn't at the event, but if there was dancing, singing etc and he was just staring at the fan I'm wondering if this is a worry (along with lack of babbling, excitement at things like water running etc). But I don't know what she meant by 'mesmerized' and if he looked away at other things etc, but the word really got to me.

My pregnancy was full of anxiety due to scan findings, and lots of tests etc, so not sure if that is adding to my feelings.

Also googling 'baby stares at ceiling fan' fuelled my worries of course

He sounds completely normal to me, they do go through phases with language development where they seem to try out different sounds for a while and it sounds like that tbh.

If he's never seen that ceiling fan before then he's probably just thinking to himself "what the hell is that!!!!". Mine stared at the washing machine ALOT and she's fine.

@Mattieandmummy thank you! That’s reassuring to hear

Hello,

It’s been over a month since my last post and I was hoping for some feedback pls. I sometimes don’t know if I’m being overly anxious but also feel like there are some real worries. I had a bad pregnancy , premature birth , son was in NICU and the whole thing has made me worried in regard to with his development.

1)He does now babble more, some more consonants. Still no words like mama, papa etc. Babbling has only picked up in the last week
2) he doesn’t wave or clap
3) doesn’t imitate any sounds or gestures. He might bang on a toy etc if I do it but that’s all
4) doesn’t look where I am looking or pointing
5) he was turning in response to his name, but doing it less in the last week

The physical milestones he seems to be on track with, but it’s more the communication and I worry those are the red flags. He is a few days away from 9 months now

Thank you

Far too early for any of that to be a problem xxx

@Hotpot33 thank you. When should I be looking out for those , or they be classed as delayed pls

Thanks for coming back to me x

Well my DD wasn't doing those at her 12 month check and they've given her 3 more months to see if she starts. The lack of pointing, I think, is generally is considered a problem if still not present at 18 months.

I would be looking more for signs of desire for communication and interaction at this age. Does he enjoy you talking to him/making silly faces/singing songs/peekaboo?

My son is autistic, and while I could teach him how to play peekaboo, he had no enjoyment in the game until he was much older.

My DD doesn't necessarily play the game but she laughs her head off when I do it to her.

Does he watch you when u walk around the room or notice u come into the room? Is he happy to see u? Does he show interest in his toys?

If he is crawling, does he check in with u? Like does he play on his own for a bit and then come over for a hug? If he crawls away from u, does he look behind him to check where u are? (My DD has only just started doing these things, but they tend to start a month or so after they learn to crawl) xxx

Sorry for the delay in coming back, we have all been sick here, so been a busy few days.

He is generally a very lively baby, nursery call him a character with his big eyes and smile.

He will smile at us, smiles or laughs at peek a boo (but doesn’t play it). If he is crawling, he tends to look back, but I’m not sure if that’s because he’s taking a break or go check. If he’s going to crawl into another room he doesn’t go into much, he will kind of sit outside and wait, almost like he isn’t sure.

Sometimes if he has his back to me and is engrossed in a toy, if I call him, he won’t respond at all which worries me. He hears me more from the side and will turn to his name sometimes, not always. But i fear I was doing it soo much which might have the opposite effect and am trying to reign it in and not ‘test’ him.

He likes some toys, but others he will drop quickly or ignore to crawl away and climb things at the moment. He will play for a while with one of those activity cubes, otherwise he often throws things lately. He’s learned to pick and throw the ball lately which he finds hilarious as he will throw it and chase it and keep doing the same thing !

He does come over to me for a hug if I’m sitting there on the sofa or floor. But I’m not sure if that’s because he wants to climb or rest his head or because it’s me ! He started doing that at nursery too , crawling over to one of the staff and hugging her leg to get up. So not sure about that one. He does always look at me though if he is playing or sitting on his high chair.

What he never does which worries me as I keep reading here that babies do this by now is copy me , copy my facial expressions or any sounds I make. No clapping or waving either.

@Hotpot33 thank you for your responses ! You seem like a very kind helpful person who I can see provides a lot of insight and support on here

Hi @Rattles1

My baby sounds so similar to yours! She's 7 months and 1 week. She's always been an easy going baby and everyone keeps commenting on how 'easy and good' she is!

From the day we brought her home she has slept in her bassinet and now cot, slept through the night and naps well! She rarely cries. She does grizzle when tired and does generally cry if there is a need. Otherwise just super chilled. I have to remember to feed her sometimes as she doesn't really give off that cue.

She's super smiley, and gives great eye contact other than when sitting on lap facing us. We really have to act silly to get her to look at us when on lap. She's also smiles at strangers and happy to get passed around table of 16 people (that worries me a bit). She really is a happy content baby!

My worries are when she learnt to coo she would do a sound for a while then never again and now she's been pretty quiet the last few months. She was also late to laugh. Only recently have we got belly laughs and we still need to work for them! When we do things she smiles like she always mildly amused. She isn't babbling yet. She does smile randomly at the pets as they walk past/smile at toys etc.

She's ahead with physical milestones. I took her to Pead and speech pathologist and they both believe that she's just a quiet content baby due to meeting all other milestones.

It's so hard not to worry about everything little thing we notice our babies do so I really feel you!! ❤️

@Possum1986 Sorry I had missed this, your little girl sounds adorable. How is she doing now ?

The professionals think she is doing just fine, and it sounds that way too - hopefully that eases your worries. Seems like she is focussing on the physical milestones and the others will suddenly come no doubt !

Thank you - glad you understand. Everything is a worry, isn’t it. I never realised I was an anxious person until having a baby, or it’s certainly brought it out in me x

@Rattles1
Thanks for replying!

I'm still worried. She's 8 months on Thursday and still no babbling. She did babble for a whole day a few weeks ago and then just went silent again.

She smiles at us and others. Sometimes she won't smile at people but will just stare them down into their soul. No problem with eye contact there lol. She still doesn't have good eye contact when on lap facing us but otherwise her eye contact is fine in every other situation!

We finally got belly laugh at 7 months but we still need to work for them.

She interacts with us and other babies. Crawling to us/other children. Crawls after us if we leave room etc. She advanced with gross motor and pulling self up and nearly walking.

The only thing I worry about is lack of babbling, especially as she was late to laugh too and they're still hard to get.

She's a very happy, content baby still, still sleeps well and very adaptable to change.

She can mimic and understand the word bounce and splash and when I open/close my mouth over and over she does it too, just with no sound lol.

Not sure what's going on, she starts daycare 2 days a week next week so hoping she becomes more vocal!

@Possum1986 how are you doing now?

My son has just turned 11 months now, and admittedly I am still worried
He still doesn't wave, and no sign of pointing
He has started clapping now, and more to mimic us. However, he always seems very excited when clapping and doesn't do it properly, one hand is a bit floppy / still, but he seems to be trying hard

The other question I had was regarding his interactions with others please, if anyone can offer any input re how much of a worry this is:

He is a nursery now, and they told me that he is always on the move. Like during story time, he crawled to the back door as the staff member went to close it - he must have followed her

They said that he has started to interact with the babies, but that he will put his arm around them. He climbs legs of the staff and sometimes bites (he does this at home too as his top teeth have come through). They said that he is very 'cuddly' and like cuddles, tries to cuddle / put arm around the babies, and puts his head down on pillows etc when crawling. Are these red flags / worries for sensory seeking (i've been at google) admittedly

@Rattles1

Hello!

I'm still slightly worried but not as much. Baby girl started babbling around 8.5 months and babbled non stop for 5 days! Then she kind of went silent again and only a few times a day do I hear a rara or something like that! She's 9 months now.

Her interactions are good. She waves, claps and points! She can point to our nose, eyes and mouth if prompted and randomly points to everything with her pointer finger! She smiles and interacts with children and adults and she giggles now too.

I'm still concerned that the babbling has kind of stopped again though. Although she does make sounds throughout the day!

I'll have to ask Kindy how she is there!

I hope your doing okay ❤️

@Rattles1 any progress in ur baby?

@Possum1986 hi any updates on your baby? ŤIA

@Mas05
Hello! My baby is doing great. She's 11 months now and I have no concerns. She's been pointing (pointer finger) since 7 months, claps, waves, blow kisses etc and babbles now daily. Babbling started around 8.5 months but picked up consistently at 9am.

Her receptive language is advanced and she can meow and woof when asked what sound does a cat/dog make.

I no longer have any worries.

How are you? Do you have concerns?

@Possum1986

My 5 months baby is exactly same like yours, very vontemt, rarely cry, happy to pass around to evwryone, good eye contact other than when on lap facing us, have to sing to get his attention when on lap, used to babble alot but now has been reduced, respond to sound but doesnt respond to his name, respond to other people voices more than my voice which worries me most.

He sounds just like a baby 🤗

@Rattles1 how is ur baby now? is he pointing now?

Hi mums, Im also worried about my 6.5month old baby. He will give us eye contact when on the floor, but not if we sit him up on our lap facing us. He will laugh and smile if we play peekaboo, tickle him or sing to him. He will give eye contact and smile to us (my husband, me and older sister). But he will not look at strangers or smile at them. :( sometimes we leave him to play with toys and when we come back in few mins he wont acknowledge / turn his head even if we talk to him. He doesnt babble back and forth with us. He grunts, says ‘ma’ and blows raspberries. As for the motor development, few days ago he started creeping/commando crawling so not very worried about that. People aways say he is very chilled baby when we take him out. Im worried about autism. What do you think?

@MeMyselfQuietly TBF my almost 3 year old son was like this at 6.5 momths old and all seems normal. Does he respond to sounds and look towards the sound? My son started making eye contact whilst after 6 months. My son never babbled back and forth. Regarding looking at starnger and smile at them because staranger anxiety starts and they know that they are strangers. My son was same like this and even advanced at 9 months old as he said 3 word when he was 9 konths old and also started pointing, clapping and waving by then also. I know we all worry about this stuff. I have a almost 4 months old and i have also started wordy about this stuff 😉

@Mas05 thank you for reassurance! I have 2.5year old girl and she was/is super social. I know we shouldn’t compare but it’s hard. Yes, he turns towards sound so it’s def not hearing problem. I raised it to GP but he doesnt seem to be concerned. Ive been reading so much about autism and how some babies started therapy when 6-8months old and by the time they were 2yrs they no longer screened for autism. Im know even considering if I should start therapy or maybe wait until he is 9month to see if any other signs show up 🤦‍♀️

@MeMyselfQuietly He sounds typical, and there are no signs for autism for babies, that is why they don't diagnose it this early. By 18 months, if he will be behind in social and non-verbal communication, then obviously, you can start the process. Every child do thing on their time and as you said not every child is the same. But what you have said so far sounds totally typical. My boy wasn't social, never babble back and forth, didn't make eye contact up close until 7 months old, maybe later and always made good eye contact whilst lying down, he even started crying to see people with beard lol, ised to flap his hands a lot, my anxiety was at its peak but then he started doing things eventually but still never babbles back and forth, and now he is a chatterbox and can have a conversation with you all the time. So give your little one sometime, and you will see he will start doing things in no time.