Toddler Development.. Should I be concerned?

Dear OP,

Did you bring all these issues to the notice of your Son's pediatrician. What is his say on this?
Comparatively Boy toddlers are slow learners than Girl toddlers, but boy toddlers of 16months should atleast say 2 words like Atha or thatha etc. Some boy toddlers speak at 2 yrs. SO just check with your pediatrician.

 

Nothing wrong with your baby don't worry it's quite common and kids in USA talk lately compare to India .

 

Boys start talking slowly, they say but at 16 months I think he should be saying atleast two words and show atleast one or two body parts.

My son is 20 months old and speaks less than 20 words but my neighbours son is 22 months and he speaks a lot, he even joins two words. Eg. Come here, sit down. I don't think my son would talk so much when he will be 22 months but I am not worried because each kid is different.

 

Sounds like typical boy energy to me - "restless tornado" describes it well. I have a very calm, bookish preschool-aged girl, so almost every boy child I meet amazes me with this predilection for hands-on stuff, as opposed to anything more focussed.

I'm no expert, but your boy sounds normal. I don't think it is possible to teach children anything at this age, if you mean teach in the sense of traditional school sort of learning. I've heard very young children parrot their ABCs and 123s with no idea of what it means or why it is important. This, in and of itself, means nothing, apart from the fact that they are good mimics. The days of memorize + regurgitate = success at school are thankfully over.

I'm pretty sure that your boy will, in time, learn to sit still and get some schoolwork-type activities done. Or maybe he never will (like some grown men I know). Either is fine, because everyone is different.

In the meantime, do not discount his strengths (figuring out how to open a door takes some skills), his boldness, and his engaging with people on his own terms. Babbling with eye contact signals a willingness and ability to learn to communicate meaningfully.

Also, don't lament his lack of peer company. In the absence of daily interaction with peers, until he goes to school, you and your husband are worthy substitutes, being human beings capable of emoting and communicating yourselves.

Look him in the eye, get down to his level, and join in the fun and games. If rough-housing is what he likes, enlist your husband to get down on the ground and roll around with him (this is why I'm glad I have a girl). Talk to him constantly, and not in baby talk or mixed languages or in an informal way (that is, use the proper terms for objects, accurate sentence construction, and so on).

Buy him a plastic T-ball set (safe for inside play, as long as he doesn't take to whacking everything and everyone in sight with the plastic bat), some soft balls, bubbles, balloons (we use them as balls inside in the winter time - provides a good workout for everyone and the priceless Ming vase does not have to be sacrificed. Balloon volleyball on either side of the couch is the best) and so on to get through the winter, and in the summer, let him run free outside. If it is not too cold where you live, make sure he goes outside every day. Play with him, and talk to him. He will soon pick up communication and concentration skills to match his innate physical skills.

Instead of trying to mold him to what you expect, or what his peers are doing, try to pay attention to him as a unique individual, which is what he is. Enhance his strengths and figure out how to help him rise up to his challenges.

If your pediatrician thinks his development is on track, then you really have nothing to worry about. As parents, we can't help but compare our children to other children. This is our problem, but we tend to project it onto our children and see deficiencies where there are none.

Whatever you want to see more of in your child, you have to do more of yourself. If you want to speed up his speech development, spend more time and energy on quality communication with him. This is an example of the kind of communication I mean:

eebee's on the go adventure - YouTube

I find it extremely annoying to have to keep up this kind of patter, but it comes very naturally to a lot of people here, and children here are generally bolder, more outgoing, and far more advanced in their social skills.

So, he will not sit down and listen to you, because you are supposed to follow him and adapt to what he wants to do. In other words, don't disrupt his natural thought process and don't always impose your own agenda on him. See where he goes, see what interests him, and use those things as your learning stimuli. You can "teach" a lot of stuff while playing with the balloons, for example (colors, counting, simple words like throw, hit, kick). The key is repetition, and DOING WHAT YOUR CHILD WANTS TO DO. I can't repeat this enough.

If you show enthusiasm and happiness while playing with/teaching your boy, he will show more interest in what you have to say. Sitting down and "listening" is not a prerequisite for learning. In fact, at this age, it often hampers any real learning. Children learn by doing, touching, repeating, interacting, reacting, and experiencing. You provide your child's most valuable lessons in the way you interact with him all the time. Make every moment count.

Yes, parenting is exhausting.

 

My rule of thumb is always check out possible physical problems before thinking there is any developmental problems. I suggest having his hearing checked.

 

Don't worry every child is different...my 18 month old boy also speak very few words.my mom always told girls has much faster development both in physical and mentally

 

It sounds, you have read, the symptoms of 'Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder' somewhere in Internet. The social awareness of this disease is so high, that many mother erroneously thinks, her normal baby boy also suffers from it. The best would be talking to your Paediatrician and clear your doubt.

 

SaiJan, thanks for receiving my input graciously. It is not easy to take care of a child with full attention and get everything done around the house. I know, because I am a SAHM mum, too. But the bottom line is that meaningful interaction with other humans is the key to childhood intellectual development.

Language/communication is a prerequisite for other higher order intellectual skills. And while words and phrases can be taught by apps and kids' TV shows, this is a passive, flat, non-interactive experience. We learn to communicate by communicating with others, not staring blankly at a screen. It is possible that your son has developed his roving and exploring ways in order to find stimulation that screens will not provide for him. We just had a fruitful discussion on this topic here

http://www.indusladies.com/forums/toddlers/242489-over-usage-of-mobile-toddlers.html

I, too, have been guilty of using screens as babysitters at times. So, I am not standing in judgement of any mum here. But as hard as it is, we have to make time for our children if we want to help them develop as best as they can. Good luck!

P.S. It is possible that your son would be interested in imaginative play, too, if you found out what kind of scenarios/objects interested him (like girls with their dolls). You could involve him in your kitchen work. Kids also love cleaning. They sell tiny brooms and mops. He could play with dough while you cook, get his own pieces of vegetable to clean/chew on, etc. You just have to be creative in the way you include him in your daily life. Your orbits need not be mutually exclusive while you complete your chores. Everything you have to do is a potential learning experience for him, and could be a means for the two of you to have fun together.