Seven month old with repetitive behaviours and sensory seeking, should I worry?

[PeachesPeaches80]

Hi all my 7 month old has quite a lot of odd repetitive behaviors and every time I try not to worry about it being a red flag for ASD a new one pops up. My nerves are frayed. She used to move her arm like a conductor when she was 2-4 months all the time now she does it just while nursing , she also clasps her hands and brings them to her mouth repetitively when she is anxious or crying- sometimes a little hard hitting her mouth, she also claps a lot- not when we are clapping or singing a song- just sitting in her chair, nursing etc it’s never to mimic or play along, she pats everything- me my husband her leg , every surface she comes into contact with over and over or scratching me or surfaces as well. She did hand gazing for a bit when she was younger and still does a lot. She now presses her fingers together and looks at them or gives thumbs up and looks at it (then puts in her mouth lol) she also gets really really excited and jumps/ stomps up and down in our laps to get her energy out a lot, leg thumping at nap time and bedtime bc she has a lot of energy and possibly likes the way it feels- she also scratches and plays with her ears ALOT mostly when she’s tired and sometimes when she’s stressed. my point is it’s not just one odd repetitive behaviour it seems to be a lot of gestures to self soothe or get sensory input and she is a sensitive baby but also laughs a lot and interacts with us a lot and makes eye contact most of the time (for now). We are testing her responding to her name but that’s only 30% successful but I think she’s still a bit young for that to be consistent. I’m very worried and I know it’s too soon to tell anything but does anyone else have a baby with multiple “stims” or behaviour like this - not just one - and it was all fine??? Thanks for any advice:(

She is seven months old. Is what babies do.
Please speak to your health visitor for advice and refer to gp. Were you anxious before?

This really just sounds like baby behaviour. Please try not to worry.

That's what babies do. They're all little weirdos

She sounds like a normal baby

She sounds like a baby. I’d speak to your HV asi really don’t think you nee to worry.

I think you’ve been googling too much. Imagine if you hadn’t googled any of this, would you be thinking about this as stimming? Of course babies self soothe and seek sensory experiences. It’s absolutely too soon to tell anything and you need to step away from google.

Your baby sounds absolutely fine. Nothing you have mentioned would concern me, it all seems like very normal baby behaviour, all part of growing and learning about the world and ourselves.
My son at the same age, you would think his limbs were not attached to his body, lots of hand flapping and random movements. He’s absolutely fine and still hand flaps when things are really exciting :)

She sounds like a happy, contented little baby doing her best babying thing 🥰.

These behaviours are totally normal for this age. Try to relax and enjoy your baby.

Exactly this. None of what you describe seems unusual. Try not to worry your baby days away.

I laughed at the leg thumping thing - my son used to do this when my husband got home from work. He was just so delighted to see him again. It is one of my most treasured memories of his babyhood - try to see these behaviours as something to cherish and just enjoy- it all goes in a flash and before you know it they are at school!

None of this sounds unusual at all. Please don’t worry or try to label her.

One of my sons did the arm thing when feeding. Like he was pumping for milk. Thanks for making me smile with the memory as I had forgotten that.

As per all above- really does sound normal baby development things.

Thanks so much- I will try to mute my anxiety and laugh at weird baby stuff. I’m trying to join mums groups as I know this would put me at ease. I am doing this a bit on my own with no comparison and Internet doesn’t help when I see something that looks odd to me as a new mum and wondering if she’s just a sensitive baby soothing herself- or if there is something more I need to keep an eye on / emotionally prepare myself for.

I did contact the HV and she said to see my GP. She didn’t want to see my baby in person or look at any of the videos (bc I know a nervous mum describing things isn’t really much to go on).

She's seven months old.

Why are you so fretful? You have actually taken the step of videoing your baby?

Kindly, have you ever been assessed for PND? When you go to the GP, please ask for an assessment for yourself. Your level of worry here and lack of perspective is unusual.

Maybe she is autistic, some of us are. Mothers are often right about things like this, it doesn’t mean we re being overly anxious or doing too much Googling. If I’d known more, I would have sought diagnosis and support earlier for my daughter, there were differences present from birth, noted by friends from 6 weeks and out GP from about 10 weeks.
If the time comes when she is assessed, these are things that can be mentioned, they would meet some of the DSM-5 criteria. You might even find that you or other family members meet those criteria too.
With kindness, enjoy your baby, she sounds an absolute delight.

OP could you speak to anyone close or the GP about your anxiety and stress around the baby, I had a similar phase at 7 months and would worry about everyone it lasted long enough for people to be concerned and it tuned out with some good GP care that I had Post natal depression which can hit anytime after the baby’s is born.

Everything you've described is just normal baby behaviour at this age! You really need to stop googling and just enjoy your baby!

This is the really sad consequence of our societal shift towards over diagnosing everything. Your baby sounds totally fine, OP.

Please try to stay away from social media parenting accounts. They're designed to make you feel bad and sell you stuff/programmes/courses/schedules you don't need.

You're clearly a loving and devoted parent 💛 Trust your instincts and try to enjoy your baby - is there a family member or friends you can talk these things through with?

Are you or your dh autistic? Is that why you are looking out for it so much?

Your HV is sending you to the GP so the GP will sort your anxiety. This is what you need help with.
Shes 7 months old, what you've listed is litera0lly what they do at that age!

If the HV said to see the GP, then it's ok to see the GP for this concern.

But also in general instead of looking at your baby then googling behaviours - this brings up lots of unlikely but possible things to worry about - start reading up on expected child development and then look at your baby.

I just wanted to provide some balance. I had concerns about my baby at 4 months old, I think I posted on mumsnet / spoke to friends & family and HV about it and was dismissed numerous times as an anxious FTM. But I knew something wasn’t right. My child is profoundly autistic, non verbal and high care needs.

im not saying that this will be your journey, but I felt so fobbed off and not heard. So I do hear you OP.

that being said there’s not a lot you can do right now, just be prepared to push for a referral at your 9-12 month check with your HV if you continue to have concerns.

It’s not about muting your anxiety it’s about dealing with it. I think a GP appt for you might actually be a good idea to try to identify if you are more anxious than reasonably expected for a first time mum.

There will be no point in the next X years where parenting becomes less anxiety inducing. Right now you’re examining every action looking for issues, soon your little one will be moving around and at higher risk of trips and falls, then they’ll be heading to nursery/school where you’ll have to trust others to act in their best interests……… you can’t live the next 18 years in a state of high anxiety.