Is My Baby Girl Behind in Her Development at 9 Months Old?

My little guy (now 18 m) didn't crawl until he was 10+ months and didn't walk until he was 15 months. At about a year he started claping consistantly. He is a happy and healthy little boy. They each take their own time.
-S.

I am in the same boat. Went to 9 month appointment today. Pediatrician didn't seem concerned but I pushed it. She can't even roll over from back to stomach (mornings are hard because she just cries when she realizes she is on her stomach. I give her time to try to roll over by herself but 20 minutes later she is still crying). They told me with peekaboo and clapping that as long as she smiles or seems entertained when you do it, is what you should watch for. She can only do "ba" which I was excited for but shouldn't she be doing more at this point? No where near crawling. She is also has no interest in table food. Anyway, called EI and they are coming out next week to set up evaluation. Everyone keeps telling me that a baby develops on her own time line but I my gut tells me she needs a little help. So will see what happens with EI. Can you please keep me posted as to what you do? I think it would be a good reference point for both of us. Take care and good luck. P.S. I am not that worried...yet.

My son was VERY behind at his 9 month visit, he also qualified for early intervention. Within a few months, we saw significant improvement, and after his 6 month evaluation (he was 16 months), he had caught up! I wouldn't worry too much, as long as you are keeping an eye on it, and the Pediatrician is aware, I would just let things play out for a few months and work with her. I believe that kids just do things in their own time, and you can't really follow the books that say what they SHOULD be doing at this point. Each child is different and that also applies to their development... By the way, my son is now 3 and he is a very happy/well adjusted child with NO signs that he ever had a delay!
Good luck, sounds like you are on the right track!

I under stand your concern and worry! But if this helps any my son did not crawl until the day before he turned 10 months old. He is now 17 months and still not walking. I called early intervention as well and they are coming out in one month. I also called his pedi because I am worried he may have a hip problem and that is why he is not walking on his own. He cruises furniture and walks with a walker toy but that is it. But other than that I have no other worries. But every child is different and I would called early intervention again and explain that you and your pedi are concerned and see if they can come out again to re-evaluate her! I know it is hard to listen when people say try not to worry, so I won't say it but you are the mom and you know your child best. Everyone kept telling me not to worry he will walk when he is ready. Well call it mother's intuition or what have you but I said I am worried and I am calling his doc and early intervention. I am sure she is fine could be a personality thing and she is fine too, but better off calling sooner than later, just in case! Good luck.

Mother's intuition is the best and don't let anyone tell you differently. Follow your instinct and get other Dr.s to look at her. Have you had her hearing, vision, etc. tested? Maybe seeing a developmental pediatrician would be a good thing too? Good luck to you.
S.

As a first-timer, your concern is understandable. I've had 4. The last was very slow to develop, and remained behind his peers as he grew, but we kept him up. Slow physically and socially. The MD's were 'worried'.

The concerns we had were simillar to yours, but with 3 others it was tough to focus. It turns out, we needn't have worried; he's now 16, still slightly behind physically, but an honor roll student and football player. He's just taking his time growing, but he communicates well.

Never talk 'baby talk'. Talk to your children as you would your friends, even as an infants. Treat them as 'people'. We found that you can help with communication skills by not treating the kids differently than we do others. Correct their pronunciation mistakes by saying the word they missed correctly without additional comment. They'll get it. Example; Don't laugh at 'biscetti' instead of 'spaghetti' and call it 'biscetti' to them; they'll think they're correct, and later they'll have to learn later that they've been wrong. A lot of times by the criticism of other children.
From experience, you can't start speaking to them properly early enough, and the dividends are remarkable, truly remarkable. Teach teach teach. They'll learn.

Be careful of the word 'normal'. All of ours were not 'normal' in some way, and only 1 didn't live on the honor roll, but he is in college. They're all going to be fine. So will yours.

Hi,
I'm sorry you are experiencing these worries, but your daughter is in good hands, with your help and that of Early Intervention. Please share the doctor's specific concerns with EI, and listen to their feedback. If you continue to be concerned, ask your doctor for a referral for a complete developmental evaluation at Children's Hospital or similar diagnostic center. Also, this is a good time for you to begin a journal of your observations and your doctor's comments, if you have not already begun one. Best wishes.

Hi R.,

You don't mention when you had her evaluated, but I'm guessing it wasn't too long ago. Does your daughter have a chance to be around other babies? Maybe you could find a playgroup and then have her reevaluated in a couple of months. Don't wait too long for the reevaluation because the sooner you start intervention, the better. But don't panic either.

Good luck.
C.

My daughter was also behind developmentally when she was younger. We got her involved in EI and she had weekly visits from a physical therapist for over two years. Go back to EI & have them re-evaluate her so that you can start getting regular assistance. Be insistant! Every child develops differently so you should not be too alarmed. My daughter needed help learning to roll over, sit up and even to walk. She was 4 weeks early & only 4 1/2 lbs at birth so she was always 2-3 months behind in everything. She didnt evern walk on her own intil she was 22 months old. She is now 3 yrs old & runs around & climbs over everything like all the other kids. The thing to remember is that you need to be her advocate. Be insistant & dont take no for answer.

B. - a working mom to an amazing 3 year old girl

OK, first off, you didn't mention the things she CAN do that would be normal for her age, or even advanced.

Secondly, it's quite possible that the things the books say she *should* be doing at 9 mos simply don't interest her yet. If you know she CAN do those things, but is choosing not to, that's a point in your daughter's favor. Also, by now you can tell when she understands what you're saying.

What you can do is see if she can be coaxed into attempting and practicing the skills that she hasn't shown yet. Keep track of what she IS doing. Encourage her to try new things, and to practice. The thing is, not all kids follow the books or charts, but they do everything at their own pace.

Have you had her hearing and eye-sight checked? That would be my next step if you haven't done so yet.

And most importantly, listen to your instincts. If you feel worried and concerned, don't brush them off, but insist on a new evaluation. Demand a new evaluation. Get one independantly if you have to. Be pushy. Don't worry if you sound paranoid. No one else will advocate for our children but us, and while reassurances that our child is normal is healthy for us, I'll be honest that a few of the things you mentioned concern me not because it's something in particular, but those things all together. Individually, not doing particular skills means nothing and is nothing to worry about, but being unable (versus unwilling) to do those skills is another story.

Since she is still only 9 months, the doctors see that as too young yet to worry much. You can also do a lot of the things with her that EI would work on. Have her reach and grab items, change hands with the items, babble to her to try to get her to repeat (easy sounds from the front of the mouth first like ba ba ba and da da da), play peekaboo with a blankie and have her imitate, put things she enjoys just out of reach to have her try to find a way to get to them. Overall trust your instincts and if you feel she isn't responding the way she should go ahead and have early intervention work with her before July.

Of course, there are milestones for development, but kids develop at their own pace. If she qualifies for EI services, they will be involved with her which is excellent. They will keep an eye on her development and will provide services where appropriate and make recommendations to you as you go along. EI provides services to kids until they are three, and then the public schools take over. Be assured you've done everything right. Now you can just relax and enjoy your beautiful baby girl.

Hi R.,
I'm a mom of 7, and I know what it's like to worry about whether or not our children are where they should be. I would continue to keep an eye on your daughter, but I would not get excessively concerned yet. My 6th baby was very similar to what you are describing. He was slower than the rest in every way developmentally: he didn't do anything but nurse for almost a year, would hardly touch baby food or real food. He didn't crawl by 9 months, didn't walk until he was close to 15 months, and is just starting to really speak understandably at 2 years. However, he has been my healthiest baby yet, and now that he's doing those things he took so long to do, he does them just as well as the others did at his age. Some babies just process everything internally and then all of a sudden they just do it. It wouldn't hurt to take advantage of the early intervention services, but as long as she is physically healthy, I would just keep an eye on things, and try to notice the progress she might be making, whether it's by the book or not.

One suggestion is to request that your pediatrician make a referral to a developmental pediatrician for a more thorough assessement. The Developmental Medicine Center at children's hospitial is one such place. Their number is 617 -###-###-#### for older kids, I'm not sure if its the same for kids under 7. The screenings done by EI are in no way designed to actually identify the problem, only established whether or not there is a delay based on observation and info from the parents. Hope this helps,

I'm K., Mother of two great kids, a 10 year old on the autism spetrum who is doing great and a typical 7 year old who is a spitfire.

First, try not to stress yourself out too much. I know several kids that qualified for EI and are perfectly normal and fine!
Second, it is common for babies to crawl after they learn to walk. My cousins son... did not crawl until after he walked and then he stopped walking and would pull himself around with his arms only. It was funny to watch (he eventually went back to walking).
Third, kids go at their own pace. Just keep teaching her peek a boo. My daughter didnt cover her eyes with her hands but would cover her face with a blankie. As for clapping... my daughter did it one day - it was cute - and didnt do it again for 2 mos. no matter how hard I tried to get her to clap again.

Definately do the EI though. It will help push her along. If they get involved now - you will see her progress. It can only benefit her to have the EI as early as possible - just think if you waited ......

As far as daycare goes - I just wanted to say to that it depends on the day care you send your child to. My daughter attends one that works with children of all types. IE: races, financial backgrounds, and developmental issues. They have teachers specifically trained to help with chlidren that are developmentally challenged. So I dont think a center differs from a home day care - it just depends on the teacher they are with. And a day care center has more resources with more teachers to help aid your child.

Good luck though!!!

Hi R.. You didn't say what type of daycare your little girl experiences, so I am not sure if my 2 cents worth will help, but I found that my son even (at an early age) learned things by being with other babies his age, or even better a boy or girl slightly older. A "playdate" with another 9 or 9+ month old might help. Good luck.

My nephew didn't do any of those things at 9 months but by the time he turned 3 he could ride a bike without training wheels and was talking up a storm, so don't get too stressed out by the developmental checklists. That said, if you have a "gut feeling" that there is something wrong, don't hesitate to push your pediatrician to look at things more closely or to request that Early Intervention re-evaluate your daughter.

R.,

I can tell you that my son is 14 months and he just started to clap 3 days ago! I was worried too because he did not start pointing until 13.5 months. My pediatrician was not concerned at all. They all develop on their own timeline. They will all catch up with themselves. I also realized that I do not point a lot - so how was he going to learn?? Just keep pointing and clapping and playing other games with her.

Take Care,
Jen B

Hi R.,

I would be cautious, but don't lose sleep over it either - I've been there!

I wish I knew about EI earlier than I found out about it. My oldest (now 8 years old) didn't crawl till he was over 10 months old, didn't talk till after 3 years old. At the time I didn't think this was abnormal and neither did the pedi. I started getting concerned just before he turned 3 or so and everyone told me "don't worry about it." When he was 4 I had him evaluated and got him EI (Early Intervention) assistance but at that point it was through the public school system, not actual EI, and like you it was minimal. That said, it was an absolute struggle to get him that help. The schools (this was in the state of RI), didn't want to hear it. So DON'T GET DISCOURAGED OVER THIS!

Your baby is going to be OK, as it sounds like she has a really loving and caring pair of parents. You will eventually get the assistance you are seeking but as a parent you will HAVE to stay on top of it, meaning keeping in constant contact with the schools.

Good luck to you!! Keep us posted!

I would definitely be concerned. Both of my daughters were cruising and starting to take their first steps at 9 mos. They were self feeding small bits of table food and drinking from sippy cups. Not to mention chatting up a storm!
If you qualify for services, you should be taking advantage of them. Birth to Three services are free- but if you wait too long there is less that they can do. The earlier they can intervene the more success she'll have.
My friend's son was having some gross motor issues at this age. She got him involved with Birth to Three here in CT and he was able to see a physical therapist and go to playgroups with professional therapists, all at no cost. They were able to teach them exercises to use at home and within 6 months he was back where he was supposed to be.
I would say get her evaluated again and take any and all services offered to you. Even if it sounds like something she doesn't need- the person you see may be able to help you in other ways too.
Good luck,
S.

If your daughter qualifies for services, I'd take it! My daughter was a preemie and qualified for EI services at about 6 months. I was so impressed with all they taught not only her, but me also. I think it was invaluable. I even used the things I learned with my second daughter and the children I babysit! If you can utilize the services, it's worth it!!

Hi R. -

My little girl did not crawl or clap her hands, or play peek-a-boo at 9 mo. She did sit up, roll over, smile, laugh, and make a lot of sounds. Does she do those things?? Do you see her progressing at all? All children are different and develop at different paces. However, what I would do to be safe is take her to Children's Boston and have her evaluated just to be cautious. How is her hearing? Has she had ear infections etc. Sometimes when kids have blocked ears they don't develop as quickly.

I wouldn't stress too much. My daughter was late with just about everything compared to her peers, every baby makes their own schedule. Julia is about to turn one and just started clapping, stacking, opening drawers, etc in the past two weeks. Change happens VERY fast at this age. Keep an eye on things but remember that the doctors are just thinking of 'averages' when it comes to these sort of guidelines.
Good luck.

If she qualifies for early intervention, maybe just do weekly or biweekly visits so they can introduce you to some techniques to get her going. My son is 7 months old, 4 months corrected, he was a preemie and has responded soooo well to EI. They come weekly and show me, more then him what to do to encourage and facilitate development and reaching milestones. BUT every kid is soooo diff. So dont sweat it too much. Does she go to a home daycare or a center? Alot of kids I know tend to lag behind when they are in centers but the ones in home care get more one on one play time. Good luck!

I would have her evaluated by a birth to three team. You could call a childrens hospital near you and see what kinds of testing that they do. Also a developmental pedia doctor could help you also.
Have your daugthers doctor write up a report with their concerns. You will need this report anyways to get into a specialist.
Now a Birth to Three Team comes to your home and it takes about 1 1/2 hours or so. I had 2 of my kids have services through them and the Early Connections Program through..... at the time DMR/which has now changed its name to DDS.
I just re-read your question and saw that you are already getting services, sometimes its takes awhile before you see any improvements/you need some patience here but you can always take her for a second or third opionion.

good luck to you