My daughter has had 2 earinfections and is working on her 3rd one. She is almost 15mnths and Doesn;t talk a lot and Let alone says no words. When do you become concern? When do you go to the ent over the ear infections? When dose speech become a proublem? It has been so long since I had children at this age and I want to make sure that this one is on track. How long do you let a cold ride out before you go to the doc?
I would take her to see an ENT. Both my children, 3 and 15 months have tubes. It will really effect her speech and hearing if left unattended. But once those tubes are in you will see a big difference in your daughter. I am not sure what area you live in, but if it's in the PA area let me know. My daughter had a really good ENT.
My first didn't really say but a couple words before she was 18 months. It was really after 2 before she really picked up on talking more. She did communicate quite well with signs so we were thrilled we had taught her that as a tool. When she did start talking, her vocabulary grew quickly. We also always knew that she was understanding us by following directions and her interactions. My son on the otherhand, started talking very early and learned some signs as an afterthought. To this day my daughter is more quiet and shy while my son talks to anyone that will listen. Part of it is their personalities I think.
Usually I try to ride out colds for a week - 10 days before going to the doc if symptoms seem pretty normal. If fevers start getting extreme and holding there for more than about 24 hours, then I consult. Also complaints about throats or ears - either words or by behaviors like pulling, not eating, etc. - I will get them checked too.
My 3rd child had tubes inserted @ 8 mos after 3 mos of recurring ear infections. Let it be known that her infections were tough for me to pin point as her sleep wasn't badly affected by the infections....so different than my 1st child & a little different than my 2nd. My 1st would wake up screaming with them & my 2nd showed clear signs of being sick (junk from the nose, etc), but my 3rd just seemed "off" but still pleasant & just a little bit affected through the night (it could've been a wet diaper or anything that woke her up, right..? And, she'd go right back to sleep).
After yet another "breakthrough" infection while taking a daily dose of Augmentin, I bypassed my pediatricians & made an appt to see the ENT....5 days later she had the surgery. He asked about her speech & with this being my 3rd child & each being different, I didn't think much of her not babbling. He told me he could see the fluid & for what she was on & for this long, that shouldn't be...that what she was hearing was akin to the muffled sounds we hear when we take off in an airplane, because of it. When he did the surgery he told me that pus just ran when he made the cut into 1 of her ears & that we did the right thing by not waiting (my pediatricians were/are very conservative in their approach & were content to ride it out during the winter mos). I came home that day & put her in for a nap & she woke up crying when her brothers made a little bit of noise outside her bedroom door. ??? This was new & I thought it was just from the disruption of the day. Then the babbling started....oh my gosh. It was clear she was NOW hearing better. And, she slept all through the night again! The change happened instantaneously & was SO marked after her tube surgery.
The moral of the story is, even as a seasoned mom, the only way I knew it was her ears was for the docs to check them & that I had to take matters into my own hands by being "done" with all the antibiotics & calling the ENT. How I found him was basically tossing a dart at the phone book....I knew he worked out of Children's Hospital here in Pittsburgh, was about it. By the way, 1 set was all she needed & she was MORE than fine afterwards.
Don't you wish each child came with their own handbook that comes out right after the placenta..? ...for problem X, turn to page 32.... :-)
Good luck!
Both of my kids didn't talk much before they turned two. I mentioned my concerns to the pediatrician when my first child was 18 months old. She told me to track any new words and other language skills such as responding to his name, babbling, hand motions, facial expressions, and voice intonations. I would recommend asking your pediatrician for her opinion so she can help you monitor your child, but I would try not to worry.
As far as riding out a cold, I would wait a week unless there is a high temp or one that won't go away, signs of pink eye, or signs of any pain (such as ears, throat, head, sinuses) that could indicate something more than a cold. Also, if measures to treat the symptoms (cool mist vaporizer, saline, elevating the head while sleeping, etc) don't seem to work I might consider making an appt. My kids haven't had recurring ear infections so I can't comment on the ent. Good luck! I hope your little one feels better.
