Trying so hard not to compare but...

[annabanana169]

Hi

I'm trying not to worry or compare but I'm hoping for a bit of reassurance - he's my first. My 17 month old ds (who was 2 months prem, so is 15 and a bit months when corrected), isn't saying much or walking. He babbles a lot with a few different sounds: da, na, la, ra etc, but can only say 'tickle' as a recognisable word linked to something! He can't name any things yet and his little friends can (cup, ball, mummy etc) - is that unusual?

Also, he was a late weight bearer and crawler, but finally started crawling about 2/3 months ago - he's very fast at that now. He can now stand and cruise and he can stand alone for a second. He's very smiley and sociable and loves nursery.

Last thing, he used to take a loaded spoon from me but now insists on being fed... is that unusual?

Or am I worrying unnecessarily? Guilt at having him in nursery 4 days a week is also there... ugh, ugh... Help!

Anna

DS didn't talk until nearly 2 - takls for England now! It sounds normal to me... Being at nursery I am sure they would pick up if he was way behind the others.

Sounds pretty normal to me. Apparently being able to point, or follow you when you point at an object, is a marker of the ability to develop speech - can't remember what age that applies to, but if your ds does point or follow you when you point, that should be reassuring, I hope!

well within normal boundaries, especially when you consider his corrected age. DS didn't really start making ANY recognisable sounds till 16 months (bye was his first) and the HV said that was absolutely fine. Get your HV or doc to do a check if you want reassurance but i'm sure they'll say he's doing fine.
My brother didn't walk till he was nearly 2, but he could bumshuffle in Olympic time so didn't feel the need. They are all different.
Enjoy this time its so special. Now i have a madly mobile 2.10 year old i wish he would stay sat in the same place sometimes!

are his little friends girls?
Ds only really started saying more than a few words at about 18 months - nearly two now and he seems to have a new word every day. He also didn't do the smiling/waving/pointing that his friends seemed to do from about 6 months until recently.

my DSD didn't speak clearly (other than mama / dada / baba etc) until she was around 3 and she's got perfect speech now.

Hope that helps.

Thank you for the quick responses - starting to feel better. He's only just started pointing and has sort of started to look where we point... quite interested in the end of my finger normally...

Anna

Don't worry at all. My dd was 6 weeks prem and was late with many things. She's nearly 3 now and has totally caught up. She's a little yapper now and talking in sentences all the time. She never properly crawled till 17 months and never took her first steps until she was 21 months.

Don't worry about him wanting you to feed him. I still have to take the fork and spoon off of my dd and feed her (although she feeds herself too), because she gets lazy and wants mummy to do it!! That's all your son is doing tbh. They want you to feed them as a way of getting attention sometimes.

If he's babbling then I wouldn't worry at all about lack of words - I assume he manages to convey his meaning to you .

Insisting on being fed - normal. 'tis a phase. I think it's quite understandable really - we praise them to the sky for doing something by themselves at first, and then very quickly take it for granted and expect them to do it all the time - cue LO thinking 'hang on, just because I can do it, doesn't mean I want to all the time'

Nursery will pick up if they think there is a real problem but in all honesty these 'differences' will almost certainly disappear in a matter of months.

Don't panic I'd say. I had one non-walker until over 18 mths, and neither talked significantly until 2yo. Neither will shut up or sit still now, (at 3yo and 4yo) needless to say! Some children are just quicker at other things.

IME the things they start later, they learn quicker so they soon catch up with peer group.