I have an 11 month old daughter and sometimes, not always, she will stare like she has just seen a ghost, and nothing you say or do will get her attention. One time she was staring at something and when I came closer she seemed startled. Does anybody have a baby that does the same thing? Just now she was by her baby gate standing up and my dog was on the other side and all of a sudden she took her attention away from the dog and looked 3 inches to the left of me and I couldnt get her attention for a couple of minutes..is this something to worry about? She just stares into space and it makes me a little bit worried. Shes also very very hyper sometimes and it worries me...But I'm not sure if I should be or not?
Now Im really nervous..I never realized it could be something as serious as a seizure.. All she does is stare..I didnt think that was considered a seizure.
When I asked this question I never once thought that anybody would tell me seizures..Ive been reading on google for hours now and its hard not to be freaked out. Ive seen her do it a few times, and after she stops staring she seems very confused. She is only 11 months old, I never ever would have thought something this bad..Im going to call her doctor first thing in the morning..Thank you everybody who answered.
My dd used to get so involved looking at something that I could call her and she wouldn't look at me. I would repeat her name over and over and she wouldn't look at me. I was worried she had autism because that was supposed to be one of the signs. She didn't have autism and was just distracted I guess.
Now at 9, she's still a bit distracted, but a good student and very social. I guess she just gets very wrapped up in her own thoughts.
I agree with the others. While we always associate seizures with shaking or writhing, there are seizures where the child is completely zoned out and unresponsive. I would absolutely talk to her doc ASAP. Not sure if they hyper-ness would be related, but it's worth mentioning. The seizures can often be managed well with medication.
I hope everything turns out to be ok.
This is definitely something to follow up with your doctor about. Because children cannot be counted on to reproduce events at the times we want, it will be best if you can capture a video (either iPhone or small camera).
A friend of mine has a son who was acting out of the norm (her 3rd, so she was not an inexperienced mother) & the ER docs told her multiple times "oh you just startled him". On the 4th episode @ home, she didn't know what to do so she videoed, & when she brought him in they were able to diagnose from the video that he was having seizures. It helped determine testing to do from there for diagnosis.
Since seizures can be mild to serious, I would suggest scheduling an appointment as soon as you can, & getting video. If you can't get in right away, ask if you can email a copy of the video. That way, if it is serious, your doctor can either squeeze you in, or refer you right away to a specialist.
Don't panic, I know this information is scary, but better that you be informed & move forward to make sure that either it's nothing to be concerned with, or help to get it diagnosed & treated, than not know & do nothing & have your daughter end up with complications that could have been prevented.
Best of luck in this. T.
It is possible that she is having a seizure....how does she act after the "staring" episode? Does she move at all when she's staring? Absence seizures usually only last 30 seconds or less (not including "recovery"), but it doesn't hurt to get this checked out.
As other mamas have said, try and get a video of it if possible. Our dr mentioned that it is much easier if they (the doctor) are able to "see" what happens vs trying to glean information from you afterward. Good luck!
My friend's daughter did this same thing for YEARS and she would get SO frustrated with her (she was a little older though, like from 4-8yrs old)... and she finally found out she was having mini seizures. If you truly cannot pull her attention at ALL, then I would have it checked... if she is just spacing out and you can clap or yell her name and she will look at you then I wouldn't be concerned. I am pretty sure that if it is a seizure then she will be totally unresponsive for that short time that she is staring off into space.
This sounds like classic "Absence Seizures"
Please take a video and schedule an appointment with your family doctor and insist on a referral to a Pediatric Neurologist for a proper diagnosis.
Good observation, by the way, some parents don't notice until later.
For a little extra reading: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/petit-mal-seizure/DS00216
I would see the doctor about this just to rule out abscent seizures. A type of seizure in which the person stares into space. Most likely not this, but don't take any chances.
Good luck
Next time it happens video it while calling her name. Show your peditrician.
Hyper is just fine. But the staring can be a seizure.
Yes, staring off into space is how an absence seizure is described. Call her pediatrician in the morning, if they mention she's due for her one year checkup tell them you'd rather not wait. Try to make a video of her when it happens to show the doctor.
My friends daughter has seizures where she stares off. I would talk to your ped just to be safe.
Sounds like Seizures. Make a dr. Apointment , and have it checked out.
L., I hope everything is ok. I definitely would take her to the DR to make sure she is not having absent seizures and make sure there is nothing serious going on. However, chances are she is just fine. You say she is 11 months and standing by the gate; at 11 months it is hard to stand by herself with a dog in your face - she may have just been tired and zoned out for a minute. Or perhaps she saw something more interesting beyond you. Take her to DR but don't freak out just yet. There is a lot to take in at that age and i remember my DD being somewhat focused on other things vs what was right in front of her. Please let us know how it turns out and good luck!
Holy cow! A lot of kids just get distracted and stare. Can't believe how everyone jumps to the worse possible scenario. My granddaughter does that. Just gets involved at looking at something. She is happy and healthy and active. Having worked in Peds and it never even crossed my mind about seizures. Now my friends grandson was having focal seizures and there is a definite difference.
Yes it also sounds like absence seizures to me too. Sorry :) Your next step is a neuro appt.
My niece Abby has seizures that present something like that. She is 10 and they started at about 18 months old. She kind of does that staring thing too and then will just do a quick small jerk and then she's back. Test showed at one point she was having hundreds a day and is on meds to try and control them. She has a world of other medical issues too, a metabolic disorder and is mentally retarded. She has the abilities of about a 3 year old. Not telling you that to scare you, just letting you know that we have seen these seizures personally that the others are talking about. Definitely worth mentioning to the doctor.
Sorry -- I instantly thought seizures too. But please take a deep breath. Many seizure disorders are treatable. You just have to get on it, which you're doing.
She may just be really interested in something that you wouldn't notice. But just to be safe, ask your pedi. Record it the next time. See if you can record her face close up as well to see what her eyes are doing. Record it so you can see her body and how it moves or doesn't move. That way you can show the doc next time you see, which would be the 1 year checkup.
My first thought would be to have her hearing checked, and perhaps her vision as well.
