I asked a question last night about my almost 11 month old having seizures. I actually asked a question about her staring off into space and after reading the responses I was shocked that people pointed out seizures. I never would have thought about that. I have an appointment Monday with her pediatrician. Theres a childrens hospital that I wanted to take her to, to have an EEG done but the neorologist said I need to see her doctor first, to get referred, and then we can go see him.
I understand this is not a medical board and most of you probably are not doctors. I have to wait till Monday and I'm just really worried so I wanted to ask another question since maybe a lot of people didnt see my first question. Has anybody had a baby just stare off into space for less than a minute and did it turn out to be normal? As far as I know, this is has happened on 3 occasions, out of the last 5 months. Shes only 11 months old, (As of next week)..She seems to be on track..She says Mama, and walks with her walker. Maybe Im just trying to get reassurance and I was really hoping that other moms out there had a young baby that would sometimes just stare into space for a few seconds without it being something serious as a seizure...
Thank you for answering again. I have to wait till Monday so Im just really nervous and Im hoping its nothing serious. I have seen her do it a total of three times... The second time I caught her doing it, it seemed like it was longer than a minute, like she was really looking at a ghost or something..The last time I saw her do it, which was last night it only lasted maybe 20 seconds. I was just hoping to hear other moms say the same thing happened to them and it turned out to not be seizures. For the first time, yesterday evening I gave her a tiny, tiny piece of a cookie so I was thinking maybe that might have caused it.
I will say that when my newborn daughter had seizures, she had the staring spells too, but the distinction to know that it was a seizure was that she would have what is known as a "post-ictal" period afterward, and this usually involves extreme tiredness that comes shortly after the seizure. Hopefully, you haven't noticed this. I'm sure it doesn't always happen with a seizure disorder, but often it does.
Definitely take a deep breath. I'm one of the ones that answered last night and said that there's a POSSIBILITY it could be an absence seizure. It could also be nothing. :)
In this question, you say it's less than a minute. Last night's question said it was "a couple of minutes." I would start by trying to narrow down the time frame...and really try and get a video.
The first time my daughter had a "staring" episode that seemed "off" was when she was 14 months old. We took her to the ER because I seriously had no idea what as going on. She was playing around, and then suddenly stopped moving and speaking for about 20 seconds. I thought maybe she was trying to poop. :) But she wouldn't talk/respond/act normally for several minutes afterward...and THAT freaked me out. That's when we were advised to try and get a video, because it's really hard for a doctor to "guess" what happened when they weren't there...and the kiddo is acting normally by the time they see her. All bloodwork and tests came back normal.
We're still keeping an eye out, but no need for a visit to the neurologist or an EEG yet. She's now 20 months and doing fine.
As other mamas have said, sometimes babies just get really focused on something. They don't "know" to respond to certain stimuli because they don't "know" they're supposed to. And they do get really absorbed if they're seeing something new.
So, while it doesn't hurt to get it checked out, I wouldn't jump to conclusions just yet.
HI L.,
I answered yesterday and was one of the first to suggest Absence Seizures. I also recommended you take a video to show your doctor what is occurring.
It's important to video your daughters behavior after the staring spell. What is her affect like? Is she sleepy? Does she resume where she left off? Does she seem dazed, or still a little out of it?
Your doctor will ask these questions and proceed with the right tests. You cannot personally request an EEG. That test is ordered by the doc, as there are different types of EEGs.
Out of all the seizure disorders to have, this is a common one in children that is frequently outgrown. So be glad you noticed and that there is a Children's Hospital near you.
And to answer your direct question, I have raised 5 children, and have been around 100's of kids, I have never known a child to stare off into space for extended periods of time, where the parent could not regain their attention. 11 mos. is a little young to hyper focus on one particular event or sensation or discovery and you cannot break their concentration.
Also, my husband is a Peds Neurologist, so perhaps my input is biased, as I have seen lots of videos of kids having Absence Seizures, and your description is right on the money. But please don't worry, there are very good treatment options and support.
My son is 6.... he stares off into space on a regular basis. So do I. Neither of us are having seizures.
Please, please, please-- do not get medical advice from an online board.
Honestly, and this was my same advice from last night, I would have her hearing and vision checked before I started worrying about seizures. And yes, even babies can have those "in a daze" moments...please don't spend your weekend worrying! I know that's hard, but for your own health, try to relax.
They are called absence or petit mal siezures. It looks as if though they may be daydreaming, but in reality they are having a siezure, not as violent as the grand mal, where the body completely shuts down. It happens to babies alot, definitely see a pediatric neurologist.
Have you tried looking on youtube for videos of other children doing the same thing? My sister's little boy would turn blue and pass out, she found out via youtube that other people's kids would do the same thing, so she video taped her son doing it and took it with her to the doctor, and they figured out that when he gets really upset, he stops breathing, passes out and starts breathing again. If I were you, I would have a video camera or phone ready to tape it if she does it again. Pictures/video is always helpful for the doctors.
It sounds kind of like when someone daydreams.
I am sorry that I freaked you out with my answer last night, The other moms and I really have no way of knowing whether or not your daughter is having a seizure - when you described what your daughter is doing - it was my first thought, I was hoping that it would make you aware of the possibility so that when you talked to the doctor you would have it ruled out. I feel bad that this has caused you so much distress.
I think that if you are worried enough about it that you asked the question it is worth seeing the doctor to rule out all possibilities including seizure, problems with hearing or any number of minor things that could cause this, including daydreaming.
In all likely hood it is just a quirky behavior that your daughter is displaying. Please try to relax and know that we cannot possibly know what is going on, we are only making a guess based on very limited information. The best thing you could do is document the behavior she has before a staring episode, time the staring episode and document the behavior she displays after the staring episode this information will help your doctor figure out what is going on.
Please let us know how she is doing, I will be waiting to hear that it is just a fluke and all this worry was over nothing!
One of my older girls used to zone out. She would be doing somehting then look up and just stare for a minute or 2, somteimes just for a few seconds. You could not get her attention. Then she would "snap out of it" and like it did not happen. I noticed it thought when she was 2. Never had any issues with it. Today she is 14, incredibly creative. She uses her ipod (that she bought herself by earning the money) to draw and create animated skits more than she uses it for music. She is also very sensitive in that she takes things more personally and gets majorly upset when he ipod runs out of memory or someone does something that upsets her or a close friend/family member. She is also very smart and a straight A student. It is really hard not to worry about our kids but try to until your appt.
What you described did sound as though it could be a seizure, but I have also had kids do something similar when they are very tired. It is usually when they are kids that are constantly on the go and when they sit down in a booster seat or a highchair they zone out. They aren't physically moving about and they feel the tiredness and space out.
I'm glad you're getting it checked. Even if it is seizures it could not be super serious, so try not to worry too much until you can get a medical diagnosis.
Good luck!
My daughter goes through spells of not being able to break her gaze if she is fixated on something. It could be cartoons and no matter how loud I call her she won't break her stare. I have actually stood right next to her and called her name and finally waved my hand in front of her until the gaze breaks. I know it is easier said than done but try not to worry. Enjoy your little gal, say a prayer that all will be well and keep things moving.
Take care L.!
My granddaughter does it. She is the same age. They just get very focused on something. If these were seizures, these kids would not be progressing the way they are. My friends grandson was having focal seizures (staring type). There is a difference. He also was not progressing with certain things. He has since had brain surgery and is seizure free. He is walking, running , climbing. He gets speech, OT to catch him up. But what a difference. So I think we both have little ones that get distracted and focus. A cookie will not do it. I am sure she is fine. If this was happening 10 times a day, I would feel differently. Try to relax. Please let me know what happens.
I was one of the people who answered yesterday, & my response was based on a friend's experience. It turned out to be seizures, & very serious, but she also had a diffcult pregnancy & had been taking medications before she knew she was in her 2nd trimester... So I don't have any personal experiences to share myself...
I just wanted to post & offer hugs & my prayers that no matter what is going on with your daughter (from nothing to something serious) the doctors will be able to determine it for sure quickly & any treatment necessary will be successful.
T.
Even if it turns out to be a form of epilepsy, it's not the end of the world. Seizures do not always = developmental delays. Hugs and good luck.
