Baby Questions for Other Moms

This doesn't really sound out of the ordinary. Typically developing kids do lots of stuff that can appear similar to behavior of kids with special needs. That being said, mommy's intuition is best! If you have a feeling that something isn't right or you just need to pursue having him evaluated to put your mind at ease, start by taking him to the pediatrician and communicating your concerns. If you can find a developmental pediatrician even better. I have a developmental pediatrician after going through a few others, and he has a slightly different approach to how he looks at my kids. Anyway, if your baby should need therapy, the earlier you can get him going the better. Don't wait until he's 18 months old, like many of the pediatricians will recommend to start having someone work with him.

Sounds perfectly normal to me. My son said mama once when he was about 7 months and then seemed to boycott m's. He's 13 months and sometimes I'll get a m sound but rarely. He loves his d's but I wouldn't say he's said dada just yet. As they get older they like to use their bodies. My son was shaking his head a lot but it's because he could! We also realized everytime we told him no we shook our heads so he was just imitating us. My pediatrician said his language is totally normal at this point. He should say 3 words by 15 months. He babbles all the time and I know it's any day now that he'll say his first word. It's true that boys are slower in the language dept. Go on babycenter.com and search for articles. It will make you feel better!
As far as autism goes the signs at the 9 month old stage are more like not making eye contact, etc. Nothing to do with language. Babies make weird movements with their arms at this stage because they are getting better with their control and using their muscles.

Hi J....

Congratulations on your new little one! Your questions are totally natural, and your baby sounds perfectly healthy! It's interesting to note that often the first sounds that babies make are dada, mama, baba, because the muscles they use to make those sounds are the ones that develop well from sucking. Babies often make strides in one area of development, and then it seems like they stall, but it's only because their brains are busy working on a different area.
It also sounds like he found a fun way to explore how his body works and the world around him by waving his arms up and down - he's learning about movement, gravity, and exercising his muscles. It probably won't be the only quirky looking thing he'll do... but it's just how they figure things out and develop physically, cognitively, and emotionally.

Going through all of these changes with a baby can be exciting and overwhelming. I am wondering if you've considered taking a mommy and me class. It's a wonderful way to meet other moms, get all of your questions answered and learn a ton about your baby's development and your parenting approach. I'm offering one that starts next week in Beverly Hills, Brentwood, and Studio City. If you are interested, please check out my website at www.inspiredmotherhood.com
Also know that I'm available as a resource if you ever have any other questions!

Take care and enjoy your precious little one!
D.

as everyone has already mentioned.. your situation is typical. Even your question is typical. With so much info on autism it is very easy to worry about everything. My son is now 20 months. He also said a few words and then stopped. I think I wish I had talked and repeated many words much more when he was younger. Also, he is exposed to multiple languages at home so his speaking is less that most. Continue to communicate with your son. See if in his own way he is trying to talk or say something. My son has his sign langaguage for certain things. And I have often asked my Peditritian to confirm I am not crazy about his behavior.
So far.. it sounds very normal and even your question shows that you care very much for your little one. Good luck

Its all normal.

Keep in mind, that at this very young age (and older)... .it takes them time to "master" something... and something like "talking" is a MAJOR milestone and speaking and the articulation of it/gaining words/saying it properly/using certain words repetitively/understanding verbal directions & word meanings etc., will ebb and flow.
It will NOT be the 'same" every single day.
Progress comes in "spurts" many times.

Also, yes, babies flap their arms in front of them... they are gaining other types of "motor skills" and coordination. Both my kids did that too. And, the baby will sometimes find it funny! Which is normal too.

But like anything, if you are really worried, then ask your Pediatrician.

A great book is: "What To Expect The First Year", which you can find at any bookstore or online like at Amazon.

All the best,
Susan

I'd say you have a perfectly normal little boy.

Baby #1 (boy) talked really early. Perfect language skills by 20 months. He's now 6 and uses words like antagonizing.

Baby #2 (boy) is almost 3 and we can barely understand him sometimes. He really didn't start talking too much until he was 2. He cried a lot as a baby and toddler since he did not have any language and was frustrated. His crying stopped when his words started and he refused to learn sign language.

Baby #3 (girl) is almost 18 months and has a pretty large vocabulary...and never stops talking or singing.

Boys tend to talk slower than girls....and less. Look at most men, if they could grunt to get their point across, they would, but us women FORCE them to communicate past grunts. I wouldn't stress. They all develop at their own rate.

its the hardest path in the world to follow...but it happened to me-and you have to be strong. take your child to get checked at radys autism clinic, or ucsd centre for autism. Early intervention is the key. it could be nothing-but the 'wait and see' attitude' equals lost time if it is something. and if it is autism, the sooner you get a diagnosis and therapy the sooner your child will improve. trust me-dont sit back and wonder, dont allow yourself to be re-assured by all those people dont really know...go to an expert - have your child monitored and you will live through it-whatever the outcome is.

no its normal :). some babies just babble away with a new word and others dont. my daughter was always a talker but my nieces and nephews never talked as much. just talk to him a lot. i would always talk to my daugher when she was a baby and say ma ma ma ma, da da da da, ba ba ba ba etc.

This is probably not a problem, as babies and children sometimes learn a new things and stop doing it after the novelty wears off...but will do it again later. Just pay attention (it sounds like you are). He may start saying other words first before he says mama and dada again.

Are you wondering about the waving arms thing being linked to something, like autism? If so, I don't know much about that. But kids gets interested in different body parts (just like different noises they can make and tastes) and will focus on that area for awhile. Maybe he's just found his arms and the crazy waving they're capable of?
~N.

Totally normal for both.

<grinning> you MAY still get the cool arm reaction thing too, at this age. (When they turn their head to one side that arm bends toward their face and the other sticks straight out to their side...turn their head the other way and the bent arm straightens and the straight arm bends toward their face. LOL it can actually look like mini-body builder thing, or like they're directing traffic.

For the next few years he'll be figuring out how his muscles work (from big motor to fine motor)...and this is including his tongue, lips, throat. There have been many many studies done on baby-movement (both for general baby knowledge, as well as to help therapists help people who've had strokes/brain injuries/etc learn how to repattern. One fun study actually had a group of grad students try and mimic every movement of a single baby (they couldn't, it was too exhausting).

He's going to be building up muscles as well as laying neural pathways (both for motor and sensory stuff...just wait until you get baby-squish-face on the sliding glass door/couch/tile/floor/etc.) that let him move *on purpose* (learning how to walk is fun...you'd never realize until you watch a baby learning how to walk that we actually make tons and tons of tiny muscle movements that correct for walking on combined surfaces...like tile to carpet).

Oops...reminiscing. Totally normal.

Sounds normal for the most part. I do have a friend that her son did the arm waving thing. They do grow out of it for the most part but it may be a sensory issue. I would check with your doctor and ask specifically about that. Good luck!

J.,
You shouldn't be concerned with either the speech or the arm waving...all typical development for the little one. I would recommend getting the "What to Expect the First Year" and also the next book (I think it's "What to Expect for Toddlers" but am not quite sure). Those two books will give you a bit of peace with their breakdown for developmental milestones - especially helpful for first time parents. I'm a pediatric physical therapist (going on 11 years now) and have two sets of twins (ages 6 and 13 months).
Please feel free to e-mail me with any other questions! I would be happy to help.
Take care -
A.

Hello, Your baby sounds perfect! He will wave his arms and probably kick his feet while he is doing it. He is just excited and learning to use his body and try to control it. As far as the Mama and Dada thing. It will return. He is just learning so many new things and trying them all. Keep up the good work.
Good luck with your precious baby.
K. K.

This is very normal! Babies will stop talking when they learn to walk, crawl or do other "new" things. It's like they put things on hold, then go back to them. The waving of the arms is normal too! Just checking out all their new limbs and what they can do!
Best.

All normal! Don't be concerned about him saying mama and dada and then stopping. At this point he may be able to say the words, but does not yet associate them with you or his father. When my daughter was a year old she started saying more than just mama and dada, a few words here and there...and then by 1.5 years old it was really only a few more words. It was right before 2 years old that she REALLY started talking, putting words together. Now, she is almost two and a half and I can't believe how much she is talking! Anyway-- that all seems normal to me!

totally normal..my son is now 3 1/2 ..and he said some random words when he was very young and i always worried about it..my friend told me to just wait..at 2 1/2 he'll totally be talking..and she was right..so don't fret..he's only a baby.

I think it's pretty normal. Most babies under a year old don't speak consistently, if at all. I didn't know anyone consistently saying words at nine months.

The arm waving sounds normal too. Do you have a nine month well baby checkup scheduled? You can bring it up with your pediatrician but I really don't think you have to worry.

K.
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Yes, it's normal. Do not worry about it at all! My daughter did the waving/flapping thing as well, mainly when she was happy or excited, and it initially concerned me - but I got over it and just enjoyed how expressive and enthusiastic she was, and eventually it stopped. You can ask your doctor about it when you go in for your 9-month visit or 1-year visit.

Again I am going to remind those who suggest running to the doc for every little thing - you are holding up the wait time for your "peace of mind" when there are other kids who are *really* sick and need to see the doc, as well as babies/kids there for well-checks who don't want to sit in a germy dr's office all day long. All of these unnecessary and frivolous visits help to drive insurance rates up and have got us in this huge mess that we are currently in. If you have a legitimate concern, do visit your doctor, but for developmental issues in the first year, when you have a visit every couple of months (one of the purposes for these visits is for doc to check on development) is totally unnecessary.

Hi J.,

When I had concerns about my daughter everyone told me to go and have her tested and I'm glad that I did. I hear concern in your voice and so if you are concerned I would check it out. Most peds don't really know, mine didn't. So maybe a specialist in developing babies could really put your mind at ease. But I wouldn't wait check it out now.

My first babbled a little then said practically nothing till he was over 2!!! Don't be worried...now I can't get him to be quiet!! Oh, and he's pretty darned smart...I think he was just observing and learning....he even typed his name on the computer before talking!! B.