Is this just normal toddler behaviour - or should I start worrying?

[dinkystinky]

DS1 is nearly 3 - a sweet friendly and loving little boy most of the time. He has a fairly healthy varied diet and generally watches less than an hour of tv a day. Recently he's starting acting up a little bit (which I'm putting down to testosterone surges and a little brother arriving recently) and in particular he's started ignoring when adults ask him or tell him to do something - me, his dad, his nanny, his swim teacher, playgroup teacher etc. He will just carry on doing what he's doing and I find you have to just keep repeating to him until he confirms he's heard what you said - which can take 10 minutes or so sometimes. I'm hoping this is normal toddler behaviour which he'll grow out of by the time he starts school - as if he doesnt god only knows how he'll focus at school in a large class of 30 kids. Anyone have any thoughts?

My dd does this now and she is only 20months!!!

DS will be 3 in July and does the selective deafness thing. If I really want him to do something I get down on his level and try and make eye contact - makes it harder for him to ignore me!

Goodness, hope this is normal - DD (2.5)does this a fair amount too. Completely blanks me if she is doing something else/not interested. Thing is, I know her hearing is fine so it is just selective deafness on her part, or maybe I'm just not interesting enough.

definitely normal.
one way of trying to get round it though, I have read, is not to repeat yourself too quickly. sometimes if they're involved in something it takes them a moment or 2 to process what you've said. so if you start repeating it again too soon you interrupt that and then they're figuring it out agian when you repeat again and so on and so forth lol

I try and tell ds1 something, then give him a few moments and then say "ds1, did you hear me?" and give him time to reply, he'll either say yes or no and then we go from there

but yhes, it is totally normal

My ds is 3 and a half and does this alot though mainly just with me and dh. However, if I'm offering two choices and after several attempts say ' Ok I'll choose...' and decide myself his hearing usually has a miracle recovery.

Oh yes, selective deafness. I find it's generally cured by the offer of sweets/chocolate/bubbles

Thank god its not just us - and thank you all.

dd takes selective deafness a step further... she stands there and says 'what?' so you repeat yourself and she says 'what did you say mommy?'... by the end your roaring it at her

thing is if you say the word chocolate in the next room she seems to hear that just fine and she doesn't do it to anyone but me so i know it's not a hearing problem

Oh yes nearly 4 and this is DS's speciality. All day long I am going, "hellooo-ooo, Earth calling DS, DS I'm talking to you, did you hear me, bleep bloop bleep bloop we have contact!!!" If I say something to make him laugh he eventually does wake up. It's usually that he's just so engrossed in what he's dismantling doing or thinking about.

I went to the GP to have DDs ears checked as I was convinced she must be deaf but apparently not. Tis very annoying and very normal. I ask twice and then say right if you don't do XXXX by the count of 5 you will lose XXXXX toy, or visit to park, etc. Always resolves the hearing problem!

"if I'm offering two choices and after several attempts say ' Ok I'll choose...' and decide myself his hearing usually has a miracle recovery."

That sounds like a very good ploy; I must remember that one

Why not take him for a hearing test, just to be sure.

He is but a small man. Selective deafness . . . Think of it as a positive thing to develop - means they can concentrate on stuff and won't be flitter witted.

I would definatley get his hearing tested. It's probably behavioural but better to be sure.