babbling worries

honeydew01 · December 2013

So I've been concerned that DD doesn't babble much and I brought it up to her ped at her 9 month app yesterday and she said it would be good to get evaluated by Early Intervention people. Now I'm even more worried.

She makes lots of moaning and grunting noises and once in a while says stuff like ajoha, ayayayay and other random noises but no baba, dada, mama. We real a lot to her, sing to her, talk to her a lot, point at things and explain what they are..she waves bye and hi and is able to throw the ball and clap for herself...

She is always very vary of strangers, she just stares at them and watches their every move. If they get too close she cries. So major stranger anxiety going on. So Dr was concerned that she doesn't smile for her. She smiles plenty at home but laughs are harder to get. She is generally a more serious baby and I thought it's because she's shy and quiet and an introvert like her daddy and myself. I have no concerns about her hearing because the tinniest noise and she turns her head so much so we nurse in a dim room with a noise machine so she would not get distracted by the smallest noise.

But now I am freaking out thinking what if she is autistic or has some speech delay and would not talk? It's too bad that it's a weekend and I can't get a hold of anyone.

Does anyone else have a LO that's 9 months old and doesn't babble or is generally quiet?

PhieryBFly · December 2013

My little one babbles just fine but my mother tells me that I did not. I was quiet enough that she was worried. Then suddenly I was speaking in sentences WAY before my peers. She tells me I freaked the doctor out a little bit by how well spoken I was all of a sudden. I have dual science degrees and quit a great, high paying job to stay home with DD so I doubt late speech affected me all that much. I wouldn't quite jump to autism or disability yet.

flummadiddle85 · December 2013

I think it's still a bit early to worry. As far as autism goes, one of the big early warning signs is lack of eye contact. https://www.helpguide.org/mental/autism_signs_symptoms.htm

honeydew01 · December 2013

NVandGZ said:

I think it's still a bit early to worry. As far as autism goes, one of the big early warning signs is lack of eye contact. https://www.helpguide.org/mental/autism_signs_symptoms.htm

I know about the eye contact. She is actually fine as far as eye contact goes.

MomIn2013 · December 2013

I think she sounds perfectly fine, all babies "babble" in their own way, and some definitely smile more than others. Apparently when I was a baby, if a stranger talked to me I would only cry, never smile.

Litgirl77 · December 2013

My LO was pretty much the same with babbling when he was 9 months. Lots of grunting and random vowel noises, but few consonants. He's now babbling up a storm. Im sure she's just fine - just doing things in her own time. It's hard not to worry, so if talking to a specialist will put your mind at ease, definitely do it. But she has plenty of time to start!

honeydew01 · December 2013

Thank you guys! I'll try to relax and not worry so much, it's hard though!

@MichieU79, thanks! Today both my DH and I have been doing what you said. Pointing at things and telling her what we are seeing or doing...and also saying lots of mamma, bababa while laying on the floor with her...

hmontty · December 2013

I think waving hi and bye at 9 months is pretty damn good. She obviously connects language with meaning to be able to do that. That connection is good -- it's what you want to see.

As PP said, an EI eval is never a bad thing. But I would not WORRY quite yet. If she's not saying more than a word or two by 18 months, then I would probably look into therapy.

this decaf life · December 2013

At 9 months DD didn't make much noise, she does now at 11 months.

a13049 · December 2013

My nephew hardly made a noise the first year, he was a quiet baby. Y sister was so worried all the time. Fast forward to 3 years old and he has a very high vocabulary and never sops talking. When he started saying words it was lots of words at a time and went right into making basic sentences. Try not to worry

pb_bride · December 2013

DS made ZERO consonant sounds at 9 months. I was worried and I brought it up to the pedi, but they said they wouldn't worry until 12 m. We also go to baby class and the teachers there used to work in EI. One of the is a speech therapist. She said at this age (9m), there is really nothing EI can do, so just told me to watch DS, and encourage "talking" back and forth.

Anyway, DS finally babbled with consonants when he turned 10 months. Overall, however, DS just doesn't "say" much, when compared to his peers, but he is definitely babbling when he feels like it.

themarquis0 · December 2013

Oh wow - I can't believe I didn'tnotice this thread until now (and hence went and posted my own identical post). OP, you described DD to a T - not just the lack of babbling but also the stranger anxiety and distractability!

It is nice to hear all these stories of babies that did not babble at 9 months but that caught up a month or two later! We're going to look into EI and also a hearing test but I think it's most likely that she will just take her own sweet time and everything will be fine.

Want a personalized experience?

babbling worries

Re: babbling worries

Choose Another Board

Search Boards