Lack of baby babble - very worried about development - should I be worried?

Panic not, rowan, my youngest DGC did everything right at the end bit of the 'normal' range - rolling, sitting, crawling, babbling; now at eighteen months he's never still and never shuts up. Your GD will be due a development check at 9 months I expect, so any problem will be picked up then. Little buggers don't read the child development books, do they?! Hope you're ok.

DS didn't say much at all until he was well past 2 then started talking in sentences.
DN did not say anything much until he was 3.
Both university graduates now.
They all vary, - both have sisters who spoke in sentences before 12 months.

Try not to worry and babble away to her with exaggerated mouth movements (even if you feel silly she will love it)

oh Dragonfly, thank goodness someone's responded! I am sitting here crying, shaking and generally feeling panicked. I get like this a lot about things, but I was worried that DGD was making strange sounds and noises but no 'normal' babbling sounds as they are supposed to do. I have a second cousin whose daughter is autistic and I think I am terrified she is autistic too. She responds to us, though, smiles and enjoys our company, and my daughter and her partner talk to her a lot, but still no babbling yet. I don't want to worry her by raising it as she suffers from anxiety and depression too and is a bit depressed at the moment anyway (we both suffer from it). I don't know how to cope with my anxiety about it - keep looking on the internet and finding more stuff that says she should be babbling a lot by now - and feeling really sick and panicky. I think my daughter was late babbling, but she was born with Goltz syndrome and it took her ages - I remember being worried but I can't quite recall when she did start to babble properly. She did everything late but we thought that was because she had a rare syndrome. And now she makes her living from writing, so late babbling hasn't been an ominous sign for her! But my GD is a normal healthy baby and we expected her to develop normally. They have just moved to a new area and the HV has seen her but didn't mention babbling (I asked what she'd said) so I am worried it won't be picked up. When we visit I make a point of talking to her and encouraging her to make babbling sounds, but so far without success

Thanks, rosequartz - that's helpful too We don't see her regularly but when we do, I make sure I do just that to encourage her to babble. My DH is exasperated with me - he says I'm just panicking about nothing and he's probably right but I am now desperate for reassurance and everything I've seen indicates that she's late. I'm also worried about the grunting sounds she makes - not pig-like, but like roars. She seems to do it a lot. Otherwise she seems fine and very alert. I will have to find ways of dealing with my anxiety without worrying my DD - that's the last thing I want to do. I'm a former teacher, so language development is something that's been uppermost in my mind.

Try not to worry, Rowantree. It's more common than you think. We all seize on those glimpses of advanced development, forgetting that just as many other children take their time. One of my little grandaughters was late babbling and at nearly 2.1/2 years old, she is just starting to say the odd word after being given a nursery place to bring her on. Her twin sister never shuts up! The development tests they have in the first couple of years will monitor progress with this and support will be there if it becomes an issue, including repeat hearing tests.

Rowan

One of the things we found helpful was repeating nursery rhymes ad nauseum, with actions that the baby could learn to do. They start to take the lead and copy the rhythm of the song even if they don't sing the words. Your DD won't thank you for it when she's having 'row, row, row your boat' shouted into her ears at 4 am further down the line, though

I was going to mention hearing tests, as there has been so many nasty colds around this winter I wondered if she had caught one or two and her ears are blocked as they so easily do in little ones.

I was going to mention hearing, can't remember what age hearing tests are carried out.

Her hearing seems fine. Health Visitor was satisfied with that anyway. We don't see DD/GD every week so can't do that much with her, but I make a point of talking to her and looking at books too..also making sounds with shakers and simple instruments.wish I didn't worry so much!

I agree with everything above but would add - stop looking on the internet - that way madness lies! I know it's tempting but it really isn't a good idea

My GS is 9 months old, we have been through the roaring stage (still roars a bit even now!) and has just started babbling. So you see they all do things are different times. Would buying a good up to date baby book that tells you about the different stages help with your worries?

Rowantree I agree with kitty and stop looking on the internet you will be awash with all sorts of guidelines and totally muddled,my youngest sister was 3yrs plus before she started to utter a word and once started she has never stopped since. I know how much you watch for their next little development when they are tiny but believe me when you get to having 7DGCs you do tend to have put the child care books in the bin and go with your instincts,one day she will amaze you and talk back to you as my DGS1 did when he was 10mths old he left everyone *speechless & ((hugs))

well I don't know what happened there ^^

Rowantree we do worry about our grandchildren don't we? I don't remember this level of anxiety about my children, but then we were far to busy being mums I suppose.
I remembers worrying that GD1 didn't seem to be moving, rolling over, etc. then it all happened in a flash and now she's too active!!
I'm betting if I came back to you in 6 month time you'd have forgotten all about this. Lots of good advice on here, try not to worry

I thought you were being very assertive * Glamma*

Aka I think my little star key must have gone on overdrive ?

Just realised that was another Shakespeare quote . They get everywhere!

Your penance is to give up 'little star keys' for Lent Glamma

My DS was just as Rosequartz described. He obviously understood, but said little until he was over 2 then it was sentences. It took an impressively large drain clearing lorry "with a light going on off on off" outside our house to set him off. He kept talking about that lorry for weeks afterwards.

Do not worry at this stage. I assume she can hear.

There is a huge range of what is "normal" so there is no reason to suppose that there is a problem. These rules" are there to give us something to worry about!

Sometimes if we are a worrier by nature we find something to focus our anxieties on, and it may be that this is what is happening here.

Certainly don't worry your DD with it - she's probably busy enough!

If there is a problem, the health visitor will pick it up at her 9 month check. When my DGD went for hers my DD was told that she was too short!!! She recounted the number of short people in our family which reassured the HV.

When my sister took her first daughter for her 1st clinic assessment yrs ago she came back in tears saying my niece had failed the assessment because her head was smaller than the norm,my mum went ballistic and asked my sister why hats and clothes where made in different sizes ?? we look back now and laugh about it but when its your first you do listen to other people,my niece was very dainty and has grown up to still be very slight in her build she is a size 6/8 even after 3 children.

If I could have back the time doesn't trudging to unnecessary appointments because one or other person thought there was a problem.....

My one year old daughter didn't perform in her hearing test - distracted by workmen banging on the roof of the clinic - we were packed off to a hearing specialist miles away, where she heard every blinkin' thing and I was treated to a patronising look, which meant 'you've wasted my time, and you knew your daughter could hear.'

Children do things in their own time. DG2 didn't babble until 16 months but is fine now and words are coming slowly [21 months.]DG1 is autistic and spoke words at 10 months!!!!So, you just can't generalise about about babble/speech.Or worry about it.[not brothers by the way.]