https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Sun, 26 Apr 2026 00:44:10 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/toddler-development-worries/page/2#post-1353989 Thu, 16 Jan 2014 15:48:47 +0000 irene 1353989@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@looch: That's good to know! Please definitely keep me posted! I do need some advice if I should seek out oral motor therapist or a speech therapist.... will message you on your wall later... </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/toddler-development-worries#post-1353431 Thu, 16 Jan 2014 13:39:00 +0000 looch 1353431@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@irene: We decided to change insurance providers this year, so we finally got ourselves situated and are starting therapy tomorrow with my first choice provider, who didn't have availablity last year. She's an oral motor therapist, so she can help both with speech and eating, which is huge for us.</p> <p>I am really pleased about the whole thing, I only wish I would have been able to start sooner, but we're here now, and will go forward.</p> <p>Let me know if you have any questions, I am sure I will be able to be more specific after the first few sessions! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/toddler-development-worries#post-1353424 Thu, 16 Jan 2014 13:38:08 +0000 irene 1353424@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Anyhoo, in these situations, I still remind myself that Albert Einstein didn't speak until he's 4 :P </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/toddler-development-worries#post-1353403 Thu, 16 Jan 2014 13:34:30 +0000 irene 1353403@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@looch: I actually have been thinking about what you said the whole time. You are right. The other day we went to the aquarium with LO and his buddy (He's 5 days older than LO and speaks English only). DH was pointing at some penguins to LO and says the Cantonese name ("kay-or"). Of course my son didn't repeat, but LO's friend repeated "kay-or" perfectly, and he's a caucasian boy it is just so funny to see him speaking Cantonese!! The other day I was facetiming my friend and her daughter is trilingual (3 days older than us). She can say "Mooshi" (my cat's name) accurately with me only saying it once. My son still couldn't say Mooshi, he'd say, chiiiii,thiiiii.....omitting the "Moo" part (even though he could say "moo" on its own on other occasions)</p> <p>So what happened to you guys? What was the diagnose and how did the treatment go?</p> <p>@MrsMccarthy: I also look forward to reading Mr and Mrs Bee's story with Olive! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/toddler-development-worries#post-1353259 Thu, 16 Jan 2014 13:14:02 +0000 MrsMccarthy 1353259@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>oh good to know. i guess there are many variables at play in any given situation but it never hurts to get things checked. well the worry hurts a little but the potential benefits outweigh that i believe.<br /> @mrbee: i so look forward to hearing more about your journey with Olive. she reminds me a lot of my son and i think it will shed light for a lot of us who are in that gray area. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/toddler-development-worries#post-1352934 Thu, 16 Jan 2014 12:07:36 +0000 looch 1352934@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@mrbee: Haha, yup, it was me.</p> <p>I've had numerous discussions with speech therapists and oral motor therapists and being bilingual in itself is not a cause for speech delay. Usually, if a child has an issue saying a sound, the issue presents itself in both languages. As an example, my son has problems forming and saying the "L" sound. He has this issue in both English and German. The fact that there are two words in his arsenal for Lion are not the root cause of the problem. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/toddler-development-worries#post-1352921 Thu, 16 Jan 2014 12:05:04 +0000 mrbee 1352921@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>&lt;&lt; I've read many times that bilingual children are later in speech too. &gt;&gt;</p> <p>@MrsMccarthy: I had read that too, but apparently more recent studies have shown that's not the case? I think looch pointed out that one to me... </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/toddler-development-worries#post-1352691 Thu, 16 Jan 2014 11:25:55 +0000 MrsMccarthy 1352691@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@irene: I have a feeling he is but ya know if there is any question then a little therapy can go a long way in helping him catch up. Good luck and keep us posted on his progress. He sounds like a very bright and loved little boy. I've read many times that bilingual children are later in speech too. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/toddler-development-worries#post-1352079 Thu, 16 Jan 2014 09:41:34 +0000 brownie 1352079@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@irene: have you heard of dapper snappers? They can help pull the waist in. And if he's in diapers, those help keep pants up as well. So you can get more wear out of them. It's the thin underwear that has them falling off.</p> <p>I also agree that daycares don't always know. They always told me he was their best speaker. It's not hard to he the best when everyone is delayed. And his issue is so different and he is so smart had everyone fooled (even the ei speech therapist). </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/toddler-development-worries#post-1351982 Thu, 16 Jan 2014 09:19:08 +0000 irene 1351982@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@creativemomma15: No, I don't think everyone has training in childhood education. They are just experienced with children (previously a nanny, or a bachelor degree of something else, or worked as a daycare teacher before...etc.).</p> <p>@mrbee: @brownie: @MrsMccarthy: @Sammyfab: @Freckles: I just made a call today to EI and they will call me back within a week or two to set up an appointment. Thank you so much for pointing me to that direction and I honestly hope he's fine....! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/toddler-development-worries#post-1351879 Thu, 16 Jan 2014 08:32:59 +0000 creativemomma15 1351879@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@irene: do your daycare teachers have any type of education or training? The daycare I work at requires all teachers to have at least an associates degree in early childhood education so we are familiar with child development and can help parents and children with their concerns. So sorry you are worried about your LO. I find if hard not to worry about my DS too! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/toddler-development-worries#post-1351871 Thu, 16 Jan 2014 08:22:53 +0000 irene 1351871@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@mrbee: Oh shoot. OK, I will seek out early intervention.... Part of the reason why I haven't done anything is because all the teachers have told us we have nothing to worry about. I thought they are around kids all day they would know if there were a red flag. And of course I thought I was crazy in worrying about everything. Thanks for the info.....</p> <p>@MrsMccarthy: Thanks! I hope your son will have an explosion in terms of development soon!</p> <p>@brownie: Bummer for me, I bought all these winter pants at 24 month / 2 year sizes when it was on sale during summer!!! Argh! Not sure if I should wish he has a huge growth spurt in the coming year, or if I should wish we could wear them next year. haha! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/toddler-development-worries#post-1351673 Thu, 16 Jan 2014 00:04:00 +0000 mrbee 1351673@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We wrestled with a lot of similar issues around Olive's delays!! It was and is a very emotionally difficult process!</p> <p>And btw, we learned that most daycare teachers don't provide great info around developmental delays... that was a real surprise to us! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/toddler-development-worries#post-1351659 Wed, 15 Jan 2014 23:48:11 +0000 brownie 1351659@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@irene: we didn't retire twelve months until this fall. The shorts were great. I'm suspect we will be in 18 month shorts next summer still. But I do like how much wear I get out of clothes. His jacket has lasted two winters now. So there are advantages. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/toddler-development-worries#post-1351657 Wed, 15 Jan 2014 23:46:38 +0000 MrsMccarthy 1351657@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@irene: search early intervention in your state. It's pretty easy to find usually and they visit you in your own home which is nice. I haven't called them for my son yet but come 18 months I plan to if he is still delayed. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/toddler-development-worries#post-1351655 Wed, 15 Jan 2014 23:44:41 +0000 irene 1351655@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@brownie: We are "potty playing", not yet training. I sit him on the potty every night before bath where he'd pee sometimes, but haven't been able to do that in other times of the day. Besides, he sometimes gives me false alarm, and I am unable to act quickly to beat him to it. For example, he'd pull his pants and say poo poo, I asked him if he needs to go to the potty he nods. But he'd already poop when I smell him. Sometimes, he'd run to the potty himself, but he has also pooped. There are other times, he said poo poo, and nods when asked if he needs to go, but when I put him on the potty, he wants to get down...etc. So I don't think he is exactly ready yet. Close, but not ready.</p> <p>And yes, 24 month pants falls off, it is ridiculous!! He is still wearing his 12 month winter pants from last year!!! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/toddler-development-worries#post-1351652 Wed, 15 Jan 2014 23:40:54 +0000 brownie 1351652@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@irene: skinny babies. Are you potty training? We have to go down a pant size for underwear. Though he just shot up a few inches so 18 months fit at the waist but are high water. And 24 month 2t clothes just fall off of his waist. </p> <p>I am hoping he is tall enough for the roller coaster at disneyland this week (he was so close last time). </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/toddler-development-worries#post-1351646 Wed, 15 Jan 2014 23:36:40 +0000 irene 1351646@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@brownie: Mommy, you have gone through really a lot. Here's a HUGE HUG for you. Good job mommy. You've been doing really great :heart: :heart: </p> <p>Our weight issue wasn't as bad, he dropped from 95% to 20% on weight, and that was before he turned 1. He was pretty on track between 12-18 months. Then everyone else grew and he didn't. I am not sure anymore where he is now (you can see his ribs now. People would probably think I am starving my son. I jokingly said to LO I can wash clothes on his ribs because it's like 2 washboards haha). He was 75% on height when he was a baby. I am pretty sure he is now 25% or lower. But overall he is one healthy normal happy boy, and I do not worry about that anymore unless the ped told us otherwise in February..</p> <p>Thanks for the information about the EI! I was just looking.... but have to continue the research tomorrow..... </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/toddler-development-worries#post-1351642 Wed, 15 Jan 2014 23:32:09 +0000 brownie 1351642@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@irene: Yup we had similar issues with weight gain that all started because our pediatrician also believed that a drop from the 50 percentile to under the 1 percentile was okay! </p> <p>I think you should pursue the Early Intervention. I looked up my county by just doing Early Intervention County. Put in the call now. Because every birthday you pass the harder it is to qualify. </p> <p>Now, his preschool is one of the places that EI happens and they would tell me that he was the best speaker there. So, in my county at least you have to be very below BUT I found out that being below the 5 percentile was one of the two we needed after the age of 2. </p> <p>I did everything and the articulation thing I always worried about. I tend to be a fast talker and I wondered if he just wasn't hearing everything from me. I'm pretty convinced he just doesn't hear everything (even though his hearing is at the low end of the normal range). </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/toddler-development-worries#post-1351641 Wed, 15 Jan 2014 23:31:59 +0000 irene 1351641@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Freckles: @Sammyfab: Thanks thanks you guys are great :) :heart: :heart: Chanting "I am a good mom, I am a good mom...." </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/toddler-development-worries#post-1351639 Wed, 15 Jan 2014 23:29:45 +0000 Sammyfab 1351639@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@irene: my SLP said 30% (for intelligibility)...so if the range is 30-50%, your LO is still in the range of 'normal!' </p> <p>I also think waitlists in the US are much shorter than in Canada.</p> <p>And my little bit about not blaming myself wasn't to make you blame yourself even more. I was hoping you would cut yourself some slack! Umbilical cord complications are pretty common and there would have been nothing you could have done to change his position in utero. I was trying to assure you that you are doing a great job as a mother. Is there a positive reassurance mommy group you can join? :silly: :happy: </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/toddler-development-worries#post-1351636 Wed, 15 Jan 2014 23:27:08 +0000 Freckles 1351636@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Sammyfab: I am dying of laughter because i can totally imagine the scenario...since it happens all the time in this house!!</p> <p>@brownie: Sorry, 50% of the words you understand!</p> <p>@irene: Okay, i thought that ALL the time every time i suspected a developmental delay. Was it because i pushed for 3.5 hours? Was it because she had many decelerations during labour? Was it because she had forceps? You have to remind yourself that there are other moms who went through the same thing and their kids are doing fine. How could you have fought against nature? It isn't something that you should blame yourself for!! :heart: </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/toddler-development-worries#post-1351632 Wed, 15 Jan 2014 23:23:27 +0000 Sammyfab 1351632@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Freckles: haha, yes...I understand my son WAY more than my husband does! This evening he pointed to a blanket on the couch and I knew right away he wanted my husband to build a fort. My husband just kept saying "blanket? blanket?" </p> <p>I know my mind-reading capabilities aren't really encouraging verbal development though as he usually gets what he wants without actually having to say anything intelligible. :/ </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/toddler-development-worries#post-1351631 Wed, 15 Jan 2014 23:23:21 +0000 irene 1351631@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Freckles: @brownie: Yikes. No we don't understand him 50% of the time (verbally). Well, we have to guess... and he really does babble a lot and 65-70% of the time i don't know what planet's language he's babbling. Strangers would understand him maybe 15% of the time (hello, bye bye, nite nite)? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/toddler-development-worries#post-1351630 Wed, 15 Jan 2014 23:20:55 +0000 irene 1351630@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@brownie: I know... but I was a bit traumatized by the GI + nutritionist adventure we went through when LO was a baby. Not sure if you remembered, but he was eating very little (but seemingly OK), and stalled in growth. They did so many tests, put LO (and me) through trauma, only to tell me he is OK. At one point the GI basically told me that pediatric specialists are basically psychiatrists / therapists for the parents to ensure our LOs are OK, and we'll schedule our next session of therapy at xxx date. So in a way, I have been reluctant to jump the gun to go to a speech therapist for all this time, because I feel like it is a torture to LO when it is my OWN insecurities and invalid worries.</p> <p>@Sammyfab: 6 months?! OK I will start looking tomorrow.....</p> <p>I actually did blame myself for everything. When I was in labor, there was a short period where the umbilical cord wrapped around his neck and his heart rate dropped, until they changed his position. I have always worried if that had somehow affected anything (maybe the speech/hearing sensors in his brain if there's such a thing?). Then, regardless of how much I talk to him (and I talk to him A LOT, basically NONSTOP), sometimes I wonder if I have problems with articulation, or communication, that makes it difficult for him to pick up words from me. Anything would make me feel like a failure as a mom, easily.</p> <p>@MrsMccarthy: Not yet.... How do you get evaluated by EI? I have heard of it, but never know where to start. I just search "early intervention" on the web? Or do I ask my pediatrician? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/toddler-development-worries#post-1351628 Wed, 15 Jan 2014 23:18:43 +0000 brownie 1351628@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Freckles: Wow, I would say my son was not even 50% understandable at 2 1/2 and I was told not to worry. My husband actually understands him more than I understand him. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/toddler-development-worries#post-1351626 Wed, 15 Jan 2014 23:12:28 +0000 Freckles 1351626@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Sammyfab: My ped said other people (non-parents) should understand 50% of the time. I definitely understand N more than anyone else. She was asking DH for her lovey and he couldn't understand her...as if she hadn't asked for it a million times before!! She sounds a lot like your LO though...i was really worried because she wasn't doing what she was "supposed" to do and also considered speech therapy if things hadn't improved by 18 months. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/toddler-development-worries#post-1351617 Wed, 15 Jan 2014 23:06:17 +0000 MrsMccarthy 1351617@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@irene: has he been evaluated by EI? If not I would do so soon because if he is delayed enough he will qualify for free services and if not then they will give your resources to help you catch him up as well as reassure you. You should do it soon though because I think children only qualify for services until age 3. He sounds healthy and smart to me. He may just be a bit behod but it doesn't hurt to have a pro tell you that. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/toddler-development-worries#post-1351615 Wed, 15 Jan 2014 23:05:03 +0000 Sammyfab 1351615@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Freckles: I was told that at this age, we should only expect to understand our LOs &lt;50% of the time (I think it may be even closer to 30%?).</p> <p>@irene: my son was a very quiet baby and he didn't babble consecutive consonants until after the age of 1. He has few spontaneous words and he rarely mimics us verbally. He much prefers to use gestures and actions to express his needs and wants. I sought out speech therapy when he was 16 months as there is a 6 month waiting list for assessments. </p> <p>I also wanted to add that I have NEVER blamed myself for his speech delay. I'm an Occupational Therapist with considerable knowledge in child development. I've worked with children in various settings for the past 20 years. I'm an avid googler and I know I've done everything on my end to promote his speech the best I can. It definitely sounds like you're doing the same! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/toddler-development-worries#post-1351614 Wed, 15 Jan 2014 23:04:45 +0000 brownie 1351614@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@irene: My pediatrician just continuously told me that my son had no issues. Because he never had an ear infection, it couldn't be his ears. Since he had so many words it wasn't a speech problem even though at 2 1/2 he still only said 2 word phrases. He isn't bad enough to qualify for services but it doesn't mean there isn't an issue. You are the mom if you think there is a problem you should not be afraid to mention something. Even to the daycare if you want him moving faster.</p> <p>My sister's son had tubes, they fell out and his speech got worse. Now it is tubes and adenoids out next. </p> <p>You are a good momma and your little one is perfect. Keep up the good work. We can have little bitty ones together :) </p>