My son is not clapping or waving goodbye. Should I be concerned? He has only waived bye and said bye 2-3 times sporadically.
Otherwise he is a very happy, well adjusted little boy who has hit all other milestones including talking up a storm!
My son started clapping/waving and saying bye right around 16 months. He loves doing this now. His favorite word now is bye and he says bye to everyone he sees even strangers.
Thanks everyone for the encouragement
HI T.. If his speech/language development truly is normal in other ways- then I wouldn't worry about it. I wouldn't make a big deal about it either- you just keep kissing him and saying bye and waving. Maybe he's getting something out of not doing as expected. I work as a speech/language pathologist- and see every day how some parents actually promote the type of behavior they don't want to see ( calling it "cute", etc.)
Your child should probably be waving and clapping by now on a regular basis, definitely as part of the imitation process but also as part of the social interation process. It may be just a social delay that may fade away as your child gets older or possibly there's something going on with your child's vision or hearing that may need to be checked out. Or there may be a communication delay going on (before children start talking and communicating, the learn pre-linguistic skills such as pointing at objects to show a parent, holding a toy up from across the room for mommy and daddy to look at). If your child also has a communication delay going on, the sooner you address it, the better it will be for you and your child.
Also, I'd like to urge you not to take a "wait-see" attitude toward addressing the not waiving, not clapping issue with your pediatrician. The soon your address developmenetal issues with your children, even if it means talking to your doctor about your concerns, the better especially if there is something going on that would benefit from early intervention.
Take care,
L.
nope i say there's no need to worry..i was worried too..my son is now 33 months old..was an early walker..but not a talker...after he turned 2.5 years old...he just started talking..he is really going at it too..he wasn't waving much or saying bye..at 15 months..now he says he likes Bach more than Beethoven..and is super into dinosaurs and can name them b/c i let him watch Prehistoric Planet..and also Little Einsteins ...don't fret..my friend who is a mother of a little boy told me.."just you wait til about 2 weeks after he turns 2 1/2, you'll see the words will come spilling out" and she was right! Don't forget to work on words ..i also think Dora the Explorer is a good show to help w/ talking.
T.,
Toddlers do different things at different stages...my son didn't start talking in full word phrases until well after 15 months, but was very capable of pointing and showing us what he wanted.
It can be very concerning when you're child isn't reaching the 'milestones' like we have read, been informed or think they should based on other peoples experiences. But, trust me it's okay. If he's talking and being vocal, then he's just going to be a different kind of learner and that is very important to recognize early on.
What worked for me early on, was realizing my son was a very visual and auditory learner. He listened intently to conversations and watched liked he was dissecting every bit of an action or motion...then, I found ways to play up on that learning skill set. Videos, walks, CD's and toys that empasize those learning modes.
It was amazing when one day my son spoke like he had been talking for months!!
I would embrace what he is doing right now, and work with him on exercises that emphasize using his hands...like peek-a-boo (demonstration and showing with his hands), clapping and singing together, practice saying 'bye-bye' to people when they leave the room (daddy, grandma, whoever) and I found rolling a ball back and forth did wonders for my son's fine motor hand/eye.
I hope that helps a bit...it sounds like you're doing a wonderful job!
Good Luck.
Try teaching him some baby sign to help with his motor skills. It is a fun way to interact and communicate with your son.
watch him in the bathtub to see if he is using both hands to splash, and not favoring one, or both, see if he pulls away from you when you try to get him to use them, take items and rotate handing items to both hands, left then right, see if he will switch holding the items, start playing patty cake with him, watch and see, if he is being protective with one of his hands arms take him in to doctors to be evaluated.
Kids develop at their own pace.
That said, it can be helpful to talk to your pediatrician and have an "expert" opinion based on actual observation. If you waited to see and there were any form of a delay, you'd end up wishing you had acted sooner. These first 3 years are so precious!
