Is my little one delayed or am I a bad mum?

Firstly have you seen HV? You are never a bad mum pls be kind to yourself. Babies develop at different rates they should all catch up eventually milestones are not exact. Take her to play groups and get help from professionals if needed.

Your not a bad mum! All babies develop at different rates. However, as you have a few different concerns, I would reach out to the health Visitor for support. They may have tips on how to help little one. Good luck x

I’m in the same boat, little girl no.1 word is dada she sometimes says mama, has said other words previously but now just babbles again She only walks if you hold her hand but other than she wants to crawl or be carried. She used to be a massive foodie but will only accept food if its in small pieces and fed to her now, she used to love the ellas kitchen meals for 12+ but now screams if she sees it on a plate You’re not a bad mum or doing anything wrong, they go back and forth at this age and every child does everything in their own time… you’re doing great!

My baby turns 18 months on 23rd and will only walk holding my hand or take a few steps and can say mama,dada, doggy but mainly babbles! He’s pointing and shaking his head so does communicate but I’m sure he will get there. Each baby develops differently. Comparison is the thief of joy 🧡

Hi lovely, feel free to drop me a message. My son is exactly the same but a month behind as he’s a June 2023 baby. He’s currently under a few different specialists for development delay (he can’t cruise furniture etc yet) and has been diagnosed ‘failure to thrive which was heartbreaking to hear those words. He crawled at 15 months, only started pulling up to stand in the last few weeks. Also only cut his first tooth last week. Sometimes children DO just take a little longer but I’d speak to your HV about your concerns. They suspected delay at his 9 month review back in March & now sees his HV twice a week at a weight clinic due to FTT. I cannot fault my HV for all her support and all the referrals. It is quite overwhelming and I feel like we’re in a pinball machine sometimes but it is all to give him the best start. His physio team aren’t concerned and said because he is mobile that they think he’d work it out eventuathriv

Hi lovely. My boy has hypermobility which has given him a gross motor delay. He crawled at 14 months and can only take a few steps cruising. Our physio gave us a new milestone of walking at 24 months before anyone starts panicking. If your girl is similar she may be having to work harder at gross motor skills, and it might be that she’s putting less effort into communication and she’s focussing on the physical stuff. Also, some hypermobile babies are really sensitive to textures which could be why she doesn’t like touching food. Obv I couldn’t say if she’s hypermobile or not but it could be a possibility. Just remember you and her are doing your best and you will figure it out!

@Hazel ooo is this a thing? I might mention this to my son’s physio lady as he has hypermobility too but they’ve never said an adjustment for milestones before worrying. Would deffo make me panic a little less. He’s only just pulling to stand. Struggles to stand holding on (either onto my hands or onto coffee table etc) without his legs really wobbling…he usually falls after a few mins 😂 xx

@Courtney 100%! We’ve had a couple of physio appointments now and they’ve basically said he’s a lovely little boy and they have no concerns - he’ll do it when he’ll do it. Online says 18-20 months, but our physio was happy to give him 24 months. Meanwhile Health Visitors were putting the fear of god in me talking about special needs schools ffs!!

My boy is similiar! He can feed himself but I do it most of the time because it gets done quicker and he won’t throw it then 😂 he’s not walking but can stand up on furniture fine etc. I think we are looking at at least another 6 weeks until he’s walking (if we are lucky) he also only says DADA, Goooo, nooo and that’s about it. He can copy us and knows some noises such as a dog, lion etc. but yeah I am always comparing 🙄xx

@Hazel thank you! I might ask her at our next appt. He’s been seen 1-2 times a month since April so he’s had a fair few sessions. Back then, he was 9 months old and barely sitting up unaided, couldn’t roll, couldn’t crawl etc. They noticed when he sat he would fold all the way to the floor and she checked his limbs etc and said “definitely hypermobile” and then tickled him saying he was gonna be a gymnast 😂😂 He’s made great progress though! He’s now 17 months and recently started to pull to stand. Doesn’t cruise but he’s pulling much more confidently and can finally get on his knees. We’re not seeing her again until 3rd Dec (our Nov appt clashed with a cardio appt he had so had to resched). My HV deffo has scared me. He’s being seen for FTT due to weight and length on 1st and 2nd centile (born 75th) as well as other developmental delays and referred absolutely everywhere so it’s been a whirlwind 🥲😅 xx