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Behaviour/development

Talk to others about child development and behaviour stages here. You can find more information on our development calendar.

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Original poster

Nearly 6 months old, no hand-eye co-ordination and strange sleep pattern- Help!

21 replies

RagingHormone · 29/10/2008 20:25

It's not NO hand-eye co-ordination, but he sometimes misses my finger when he goes to grab it, and he tried to feed a carrot to between his eyes the other day. Dp mentioned it to me first and then I realised.

In other way he's really good. He can stand up at the sofa and he gets so chuffed with himself when he does it. He's ALMOST crawling, and he eats well, he's on to chunks and loves his food. He's always giggling and he's very social. He loves to watch telly and look at pictures in books and he loves his flashy noisy toys so it's not like he's blind or deaf.

But it's something we've both noticed. He went through a phase of trying to feed himself his own bottle, but now he won't bother any more.

The other thing is that he doesn't have feeds through the night anymore and he usually sleeps through 10-12 hours, but suddenly he's up about 9 times a night sort of shuffling up to the other end of his cot, turning on to his tummy and trying to crawl. Then he gets his leg stuck in the bars, or can 't get back on to his back and he starts gurning. So I put him back to the right place and put his blanket back over him, and a few minutes later he's off again.

And he's having nightmares which is weird because he's such a happy baby. But I always had bad nightmares as a child as I had a vivid imagination, and I think maybe he's got it from me?

So a big mish mash of worries really... anyone help?

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IAteDavinaForDinner · 29/10/2008 20:29

The shuffling around the cot thing sounds like a baby who's on the brink of crawling and is sodetermined he's doing it in his sleep. Tedious, but will probably resolve any day now

The coordination thing could well be normal clumsiness I guess but maybe your HV would be able to advise you? It's going to take someone in RL actually seeing him and telling you he's OK to truly reassure you anyway, right?

He sounds like great fun - I hope you're enjoying him

kalo12 · 29/10/2008 20:38

my ds didn't have great hand eye when feeding at 7 months. he's 8 1/2 mths now. he learnt to crawl last week and since then loads of skills have suddenly emerged that he didn't have at all two weeks ago.

i know how worrying these things are, i have pnd and anxiety cos i was thinking the worse but actually things happen suddenly.

sounds like he is doing very well to me

my ds has been waking up every hour every night from four months

hth

Original poster

RagingHormone · 29/10/2008 20:39

He is great and I'm definately enjoying him but I do worry myself sick over every last thing and my vision's terrible so I don't want him to have the same. And someone told me the hand-eye thing is a sign of autism which has got me flapping a bit.

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MegBusset · 29/10/2008 20:40

The sleep stuff sounds very normal (sorry!) -- it's a developmental thing, as they learn to crawl/stand/walk/whatever they seem to like to practise it in the night!

As for the co-ordination. Could well be nothing but worth getting checked out -- a friend's baby had co-ordination problems and turns out she had a lazy eye, she wears glasses now and I think it's sorted the problem out. Would just mention it to your HV or GP just in case.

Original poster

RagingHormone · 29/10/2008 20:40

Cross posted, sorry.

Kalo- relief to hear he's come on since crawling! Hope the same happens with DS. Poor you with him waking up a lot. It's strange what they get into isn't it? I'm going to try and put him in his own room next week and see if that helps.

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kalo12 · 29/10/2008 20:46

i really feel for you - i have been going out of mind worrying about autism for two months - it has sent me completely round the twist in fact but actually this last week i no longer feel it.
i never believed anyone when they said all babies develop different etc etc, i know how you feel but your baby honestly sounds fine.

6 months is really early for crawling the average is ten months, but if he crawls you can rest assured that co ordination is perfect (I have an MA in developmental movement)

gagarin · 29/10/2008 20:46

Firstly all babies do what they've learnt to do during the day - in their sleep! So he will crawl in his sleep. He will pull up onto his feet in his sleep (and not be able to get back down so have to call you. He will roll and wriggle in his sleep.

Geting food in your mouth is not really hand/eye co-ordination is it? Because you can't see your own mouth! Lots of babies at his age are still being spoonfed by an adult so no-one would really know if they are the same as your ds.

And his motor skills sound VERY advanced compared to your average 6 month old - so it's prob just that he can't advance in more than one area at once... somewhere they may be a dc who can't rollover or stand up but who can get carrot in their mouth every time .

gagarin · 29/10/2008 20:48

And the autism worry - do you mean reduced hand/eye coordination is a sign of autism? Or did you mean social eye contact?

IAteDavinaForDinner · 29/10/2008 21:03

Oh I sympathise, I went through the autism worry recently as a result of lots of aversion to eye-contact, hand-flapping and a few other odd things. But one day he woke up and he'd had some sort of developmental spurt and he started doing imaginative play, pointing and naming, became hugely affectionate and started generally making the most of any interaction opportunity. This coincided with walking so I think he was just busy in his head up to that point - but it was very worrying at the time.

I think the greater awareness of autism these days is great, because early diagnosis is so important, but because lots of normal babies will do things that might suggest autism at some stage it's just something else for us neurotic mums to worry ourselves sick over!

Original poster

RagingHormone · 29/10/2008 21:12

Well someone was telling me a lack of hand-eye coordination is an indication of autism, and also that autistic children are very clever and he does seem clever. He's less than 6 months and he says muma, dada, daddy, iya. So I just sort of linked the two in a panic really I suppose.

I think everythings just built up in my head. Everyone on here has been very reassuring.

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Original poster

RagingHormone · 29/10/2008 21:13

Oh and he can't sit still, he jumps, jiggles, waves arms about etc constantly.

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goldilocksandmylittlebear · 29/10/2008 21:23

Have you tried a baby sleeping bag, worked well for us, its just his mind and body working in his sleep........my husband hammers as if at work in his sleep!
I teach autustic children and have not heard of hand-eye coordination being an indication of autism - the fact he is so social is in itself an indication he is not autistic.

He sounds very normal to me!

Original poster

RagingHormone · 29/10/2008 21:27

Phew, sounds good to me. He seems to be able to get places faster in a grow bag!lol

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kalo12 · 29/10/2008 21:32

children aren't born with hand eye co ordination, it is a skill which develops (infact it it the only function in the human body that IMPROVES with age) therefore babies have to learn this, and that means doing it wrong lots, like babies fall over alot when learning to walk.

before this age I guess he wasn't really picking much up and putting it somewhere else.

Hand eye co ord or lack of is more likely an indication of dyslexia but that is only if hand eye co ord is not good at about 3 years old.

Am special needs teacher btw.

My ds flaps / twirls his hands and doesn't babble much, he seems v clever and I am not worried about him any more having autism and he has lots more indicators

If you feel your worry is getting out of hand please talk to your doctor. I recognised that I was suffering PND and am now getting help.

Also took ds to cranio sacral oesteopath and it has been brilliant

Original poster

RagingHormone · 29/10/2008 21:35

I do have PND

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kalo12 · 29/10/2008 21:40

its rubbish isn't it?

actually last time I took ds to cranio oesteopath, she did some work on me and i have been feeling better since then

are you having counselling?

Its nothing to be ashamed of, its only hormonal.

i'm the talk of my baby club, and i do what i like and no one bats an eyelid, infact they make me cups of tea

Original poster

RagingHormone · 29/10/2008 21:55

Lol I think I need to join a baby club. I've not got time for the counselling as I'm working full time to cover someone who's off at the moment. But when that dies down I'll go. I'm on Prozac though but I don't know how helpful that is really!! I'm sort of overwhelmed with love for DS and DP which I think is linked into the PND as I'm terrified of anything ever happening to them IYSWIM?

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kalo12 · 29/10/2008 22:11

yes i do. i had a mc 6 months before pg with ds, so i think i feel the same - that something will happen to ds, but also think prob my hormones were all over the place.

apparently basil is good for producing good moods

Original poster

RagingHormone · 29/10/2008 22:34

Ooo I'll try that!! I was just thinking today about trying to control my moods with diet. I think I'll look into it all. Thanks Kalo xx

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gagarin · 29/10/2008 23:32

RagingHormone - what helpful pals you have.

The autism things that people say are not usually helpful.

Some clever babies are autistic. But from that you cannot make a connection between cleverness and autism - NOT all autistic babies are clever! Being clever is not a "sign" of autism AFAIK.

It's like that philosphy/logic thing - all dogs have 4 logs but not everything with 4 legs is a dog....

gagarin · 29/10/2008 23:33

that's ...dogs have 4 LEGS

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