Do your babies wave, clap and high five?
We had a bad nine month check up with the milestone check. Dr stated that she was a little concerned with where he fell and that she wanted to just check him again at twelve months versus eighteen. This freaked me out though and she gave me the number to the early intervention program to have them check him out. Very long story short both therapists thought he was just fine if a little behind with one mentioning his desire to chew on everything might be effecting where he is at.
The seed has been planted though and I cannot stop worrying about my little one. He is starting to somewhat wave and give high fives though clapping he's only done maybe once or twice. This is what has me concerned.
So back to my question: Do your babies do the above? I am not around other babies DS's own age so it is really hard for me to gage what is on track and what isn't. I know that I should just relax since the therapists both said he was good but that's easier said than done.
Thanks for listening.
Re: Moms of babies 9 month plus
DD used to wave, but then started babbling and then screaming and finds these things more interesting. She does not clap or high five. But, she also doesn't roll onto her belly or crawl yet, so pedi wants to keep an eye on that.
Our pedi only asks if she waves, which she can, she just doesn't anymore.
My LO will clap, but not on cue, and she just started waving yesterday. She is over 10 months. She also does not give high fives. At her 9 month appointment the doctor wasnt worried at all. Is your LO right on with other milestones? Like picking up things with their pointer finger and thumb? trying to walk/crawl/get around? things like that?
In my opinion, i think that if a child is doing most actions around the appropriate age, I dont worry about the other things. My LO didnt roll til 5 months and crawl til past 9 months! and she is fine. I am not a DR though. Personally i would still follow through with Dr's suggestions to be safe, but i would by no means think the worse.
I'm pretty sure chewing on everything is totally normal!!!
Yes Abbey does clap, wave and high five but not all the time and not always on cue. How often do you practice this with him? I really think your docs are giving you undue stress...in fact I don't know that I've heard of any of those things as being "milestones".
Here is what is listed in language/communication for 9 months one of my books (Baby 411)
says dada or mama but doesn't mean it 6-10 months
imitates speech noises (baby talk/jabber) 6-11.5 months
sas dad or mama and means it 9.5-13.5 months
And for personality/intellectual development (which I guess is what those would be)
plays peek a boo 6-9.5 months
looks for hidden objects 5-8 months
stranger anxiety 5.5-10 months
plays pat a cake 7-13 months
plays ball with someone 9.5-16 months
Photos from Libby Hilf Photography
Jake - 1.15.08
Liam - 5.17.11
Sometimes I think he's waving, but he only rarely does it at an "appropriate time" - like when someone is waving or saying hi. He does not clap but he does rub his hands together when he's excited. He's been doing that for at least a month or so, but he only just started copying us when we do it.He does not high five usually, but sometimes when his hand is already up I'll high-five it and he thinks that's funny so he'll reach his hand out again. But he doesn't do it on command.
My DH took him to his 9 month visit, but he said they didn't talk too much about milestones. He asked if he was cruising, that's about it.
if those are the only milestones he's not hitting, it doesn't seem like a big deal to me? Lexi waves and claps, and she has high fived a few times, but not with any regularity.
It something you guys have actively practiced with him and he's just not getting it, or is that something yall just didn't work on? I never would have thought she was old enough to wave yet, so I was shocked when she first did it, but daycare told me they practiced it with her all the time. So I practiced clapping with her, clapping and saying "yaaaay Lexi" any time she did something good or when she was looking in a mirror, and she got it in a few days. I could be wrong - but I don't think of these as natural behaviors, I think of them as learned behaviors?
My LO does none of the above and she's older than yours. She just started smiling at me when I wave at her, so I think she might be starting to make the connection that she can wave back in response. But she hasn't done it yet. She is no where near being able to clap her hands together...I have seen no signs that she might be doing it soon. She will slap our palms sometimes, but not all the time.
I'm not worried. She'll get there.
Thank you guys!! You are making me feel so much better. THis was my first time with this doctor as we just moved to the area. We saw his other doctor a lot due to food issues and he never mentioned anything appearing out of the ordinary but we never did this milestonething before. She rubbed me the wrong way all around and I'm going to request a different doctor for his next visit.
He doesn't crawl yet (we are working on that) and he just started rolling back to belly about two weeks ago and this was after we really worked on it. He pulls up and pushes his little learning walker all over the place and can stand for a little while by himself. We work with him a lot on everything and my nanny is amazing in terms of continuing what we are doing.
Like I said, the seed has been planted and I'm a worrier.
Gee i have to start high fiving Bell...lol...we've never tried. Wonder why that in particular is a milestone? Still she claps, waves and has just caught on to blowing kisses (which took awhile). Guess next weeks lesson is on high fiving...lol
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I started playing pat-a-cake with DS as soon as he was born and we also sing if you're happy and you know it on a daily basis; I think both of these contributed to his early clapping. He started waving about a month/month and a half ago and only started high fiving about 2-3 weeks ago.
Honestly in the therapists aren't concerned I would try really hard to not worry about it and just start playing pat-a-cake and singing if you're happy and you know it, he will be doing all three when tea ready.
We are clapping and waving - but on her on terms - meaning sometimes it is with high and goodbye and sometimes it is at a picture. She can clap when excited or calp just because she wants to. We are not big high fivers.
At DD's 9 month appointment - I believe that there was a question about this but the form they had me answer was for 9 months and 19 months on 1 and I thought the whole thing was odd. It seems odd for your doctor to be so concerned with these things and I totally understand why you would worry.
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Sophia waves and high fives...clapping all depends on how you define it. She smacks her hands together but not palm to palm more like palm to top of the other hand.
I think the thing doctors are looking for with clapping is whether or not your LO can bring his/her hands together. Can he swap toys from one hand to the other?
Yes, he can do that with no problem.
that's Liam's, too
it's kind of frantic at times, I'm scared he's going to hit someone close by!
Photos from Libby Hilf Photography
Jake - 1.15.08
Liam - 5.17.11
He's high fived and done a half-hearted wave for a while (he turns his hand, but keeps it down at his side). My MIL watches him during the day and has been doing high fives with his for months. He just started clapping last week, but that's really the only consistent action he does when we ask, high five and waving are weak.
I wouldn't worry. Babies develop at different rates.
None of the above (DS turned 9 months on the 13th). He does however put EVERYTHING into his mouth.
My two oldest have been through Early Intervention and it's a wonderful program. Even though your LO doesn't need services right now they have something to reference if you are still concerned in 6 months. If you are still concerned and you retest him and he qualifies, you won't be left with "what if I went earlier" and if he still doesn't need services that's great too. The people we have dealt with have been happy to answer questions and help us out. DD2 just qualified for PT (we have a huge pronation of the ankles running in our family), she is slightly behind in speech, but not enough to qualify so the evaluator gave me a few exercises to work on to help promote speech.
I think most LO's go back to the Dr at 12 months anyway, so that shouldn't be a big deal. I hope you don't worry too much, I'm sure everything is ok!
Haha!! Well I'm with ya and my doc didn't mention a thing! We high five and sometimes he sticks his arm out like he may wave... But I don't think it's a real wave... No chance on any clapping! We JUST started babbling lol.
I'm not worried! M has great eye contact, he smiles all the time, laughs, plays appropriately! I'm sure your LO is fine! Boo doc for freaking you out!
Ashur JUST learned to clap, regardless of the fact that I have been trying to get him to do it since he was 3 months old. He does not wave, but he thinks I am hilarious when I do it. I have been trying to teach him high 5, and he has done it a few times...although I am not sure how intentional it was. His Dr. did not even ask about these things, and seems to think Ash is doing fine.
He has done other things ahead of other babies his age (he crawled early, is walking, etc.) and I think he is just more interested in doing some things more than others, for instance mobility instead of communication. I wouldn't worry too much just yet.
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LO has been clapping for awhile now.. he loves it especially when we say "clap, clap clap!" He doesn't wave though.. and he will put his hand on mine when I put my palm out (as pp mentioned, I'm not sure if this counts as "high five"). He also has begun to put balls in containers or in a basketball hoop we have for him. He babbles a ton and is always smiling/laughing. But he seems slow in all gross motor areas.. still doesn't crawl. He just started to roll all over the place to get to where he wants to go. He's not even close to pulling himself up yet.
Pedi didn't seem concerned at his 9 month appointment (he thinks LO is just being lazy) but I will be calling early intervention if he's still not crawling or pulling himself up in a month.
The "wait and see" approach is hard when it comes to your child's milestones. I totally feel your pain on that one.