9 month development

[Ladyk79]

Hi all,

Please can you help me, we have our 9 month development check next week (although lo will be nearer 10 months) I’m a bit concerned as he is not copying sounds we make, doesn’t clap or bag objects together. He does bang his hand on the table and will shake a rattle. He is pulling himself up to standing, cruising along furniture whilst holding on with both hands and can sit up himself from laying down.

Is the clapping and banging thing an issue? Looking at the ASQ 3 form he falls in the grey area for communication and problem solving. I am getting really worried something is wrong.

Development is not linear. That means your baby won’t necessarily hit the milestones in the correct order (DD crawled 3 months before she could sit) and it maybe that your baby is focusing on something else at the moment. I always use Mary Sheridan’s From birth to Five Year to check DD development as it is more comprehensive and none of the things you mention are in there. It would not worry me. I will photograph the relevant pages for you.

That said the development check is there to see if there are any issues so you can get early intervention if needed.

Talk to your health visitor about your concerns at the development check next week - that’s intended to be all about checking to see if your baby is developing normally, so that any necessary interventions / referrals can happen early.

The things you mention may be an issue, but equally, it may be nothing - as a pp says, development’s not linear, and it’s pretty common for a baby to be moving ahead faster in one area of development than another.

When DS3 had his development check at 10 months, he was vocalising but not babbling, and the HV said it was something to keep an eye on, and go back to see them if he’d not started babbling properly by the time he was 1 yr.

My DS was the same at his check. A couple of weeks later he was doing everything. Don't worry they all learn at their own pace.