As much as I'm trying to stay relaxed, it's hard to not get worried. What if he's NOT just a laid back little boy and I wait to get him help? We live in such a world of early intervention, should I err on the side of caution and bring it up?
Then, I remind myself that numerous people have told me it's not unusual for younger siblings to do things later and I feel like a dolt for worrying.
This mommy business isn't as easy as Hollywood would have us believe! Any moms out there have any sage advice one way or the other?
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Hi, found you from Mckmama's thing. Anyways, both of my kids crawled and walked late. The oldest didn't crawl until 11 months, didn't walk until 15 months. She was a chubby baby (Is your son chubby? That can delay large motor skills). My oldest (now four) talked extremely late and I did have evaluated. She was three months behind developmentally but she didn't qualify for intervention because her cognitive and small motor abilities were high (she could follow directions well, just not talk about it). We left it be and she is talking like a 12 year old now at age four. My youngest is also behind on speech (20 months and barely talking) but we are waiting to see if she follows in her sister's footsteps. If you are concerned, at least in my state the evaluation is free. Then you can decide what to do. I would talk to your pediatrician, though. Mine, except for speech, is pretty laid back about intervention.
I saw your discussion in MckMama's blog community. My daughter, my oldest, was very laid back as a baby. She rolled over on time, but the rest was on her time. At 9 months the ped told me she needed to be seen for developmental delays and said she had failure to thrive. It did not jive with me, I tried to explain how laid back she was. Anyway, I freaked. I was pregnant with my second at the time. I took D with me to my midwife appointment and just bawled as I told her my story. She thought D seemed good, and suggested I take her to he family doctor. Best thing I ever did. Doc agreed about the weight issues, so we did do formula supplements, but said I could still nurse too. And said, we could intervene with the development (D did not do any weight bearing on her legs, didn't crawl, was just happy wherever you put her), or we could just wait and see for awhile. I chose waiting, and all the sudden at 11 months, all in one weekend she started sitting herself up, pulling herself to a stand and trying to walk. She took her first step at 15 months 5 days old and by the time her sister was born when she was 15 months 20 days, she was running through the birthing center. And she has not paused yet (and she is 3 1/2 years old). I have no idea where your son is in the continium, but I thought I would tell my story...
I would check into it. I thought my little guy wasn't talking because he's the younger sibling too, but then it turned out he has verbal apraxia and some mild sensory issues. So he is now in speech and OT. You're better off to get him evaluated if the doctor thinks it is necessary than to wait too long and waste precious time he could be getting help if he needs it. And if he is perfectly fine and just laid back, then you'll also have the peace of mind that he did get him evaluated and he is okay. It's a win either way. Good luck!
Just want to let you know that I have a 20 month old son. (He is second born and has a four year old sister)He is perfectly healthy, but he did not crawl until well after he was a year old, and he just started walking about 2 months ago. My boy is very laid back and easy going. I think he was just content to be still. But not anymore! Now he is into everything! {grin} Hope that sets your mind at ease a bit, but I do not think it would hurt to talk to your pediatrician.
He is a cutie!!
My kid is 9 months and really laid back as well. He's consistently behind by about 2 months is many ways BUT he's really ahead in odd other ways.
Maybe your son is the same way; there may be areas he's very advanced in and he's just doing things his own way.
I saw your post on the blog frog and I wanted to stop by. I am a huge advocate for early intervention. I actually probably err on the side of worrying too much, but I feel like you are the mom and you know your baby best. Definitely trust your gut. My little boy (8 months old, 6.5 adjusted) has been in early intervention since it he was four months old. It has been hard, but has been such a blessing to our family. In fact, I just posted about it like an hour ago on my blog if you want to read about our experience. www.thecriglercrew.blogspot.com. It gives me comfort and peace of mind to have access to an expert.
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