alot of problems...please advice or help of some kind

Mel - posted on 07/18/2009

you dont need to potty train at 15 months. mine can only say a cuple of words, mum and dad and sort of say nanna, bubba and uh oh. but not very well and shes not even walking or standing by herself yet and shes just fine. dont rush your baby. its good to give them interaction with other kids but not a necessity. can you take her to play group that would be nice for her. mine doesnt see other kids very often but when she does she loves it

Crystal - posted on 07/16/2009

Learn baby sign language with her!!

www.mysmarthands.com - there's a great signing dictionary there too.

Every time you say a certain word (i.e. "milk") you will make the sign as you say it. As she is using her hands already (pointing to "tell" you what she wants) I think this will be great for you! It does not inhibit speech, b/c you say the word along with signing.

As for potty training, I'm not even going to worry about it for another year! :) haha. They will show signs of being ready, such as keeping their diaper dry for over 2 hours, wanting privacy while they're going potty, etc.

Babies and small children eat when they're hungry... and if she's like mine, she's hungry A LOT!!! Just make sure you're not feeding her a bunch of sugary or salty stuff -stick to "foods that know where they came from" (fruit, veggies, yogurt, cheese, meat) and she'll be healthy as a horse. As a side note: You don't want to instill any of your preconceptions of body image into her especially at a young age, b/c you don't want a teen with eating disorders!

As for other children, join a MOPS group where you can hang out with other moms while the kids play! Ours are held 2ce a month. Or just take her to the park every once in a while - my baby LOVES that.

Abbie - posted on 07/16/2009

First off I'd like to say 15 months is too early to be potty training! Their little bodies are NOT ready for potty training so don't expect a lot. Many times they don't realize the need to go at that age. My son is 15 months old and he says some words, but does that point & whine ( or in his case scream) What we have been doing is doing sign lauguage. Honestly it has HELPED a ton!!! We are just doing simple signs ( more, eat, all done, help, thank you) You can go to www.signwithme.com to learn them.





Also as far as her eating- I read from our update from our doctor that a child should eat about 1 tablespoon for each year up until like 4 years old. Your little one needs to eat a lot they are mvoing a lot. why are you thinking she will be fat? ARe you feeding her healthy good food or gut bombs from McDonalds? What % is she for weight? Those are all factors you need to consider.





As far as putting her around other kids what are you hoping to gain from that? I know many kids who are 15+ months and still have a pacifier. don't rush your baby to be an adult to quickly. I am not trying to sound snotty or a know it all. I just know that toddlers need to play, eat, and sleep. Potty training shouldn't be really expected until 2 at the very earliest and could be as late as 4. Good luck!!

Cassi - posted on 07/13/2009

My son is the same age, he does the exact same things with the words. Alot of children their age will do this. Talking development happens alot more in a few months. You should take your daughter to gymboree classes to socialize with other children, it is healthy for her to be with others her age. The crying and pointing is actually healthy because she understands how to point at what she is wanting, it is her way of communicating without words. And the eating is because she is running around burning tons of energy! Dont worry so much!

Kristin - posted on 07/10/2009

My Daughter is almost 15 months and when she eats...she eats like she is a bottomless pit...but she is VERY active...she needs the calories. I agree with a previous post that babies don't overeat...she starts shaking her head no or starts throwing her food off her tray when she is full. She gets fruits and whole grains and milk for bfast, ham or turkey, cheese and something cruchy for lunch with water (water for most of the day), gets a snack bw lunch and dinner then eats what we eat for dinner. I wouldn't stress about the eating part.

I have not started thinking about potty training yet...too young...perhaps at 20 months I might show her the potty chair so she is familiar with it...but no real expectations. I think as long as they are trained by 3 that is good.

The talking thing...she says Mom, Cookie, Kitty, Doggie...used to say dada..but not so much any more...mostly she just babbles...she is definately saying something...I am just not sure what : ) She also understands what she is told at times...I can say go get your blankie/binkie/cup and she will do it. I think your child is normal...try not to stress..I know it is hard...its a MOM thing. Best of Luck!

Diana - posted on 07/10/2009

have you tried baby sign? its a way to get kids to communicate thier needs and makes them feel more secure, its also proven not to interfere with spoken language development. they have books about it either at your local book store or library. its worth checking out. there are also websites devoted to baby sign.



pacifiers can be both a blessing and a curse. uyou could try weening her off of it. you could take it away and try a disctraction, such as a favorite toy, or a sippy cup with water or milk, or reading a book with her. sometimes talking about things around the room, or describing your surroundings can help with distractions.



instead of offering a snack or complete meal when your daughter shows interest in food -outside of durring meal times- perhaps you can offer a sippy cup with milk, juice or water and a cracker or some cheerios, they still have consistency and are crunchy, but less callories then other choices.



i habent even begun to think about potty training my daughter yet. in my oppinion kids have ways of letting you know when they are ready to start. when Mychael was about 18 months old he started being more interested in the toilet, and trying to take his diaper off. he also noticed when his diaper was wet or poopie. i would suggest maybe waiting until she is 18 months old and then purchasing a potty chair and leaving it where she can check it out, and maybe sit on it? i just wouldnt expect her to start wanting to use it for its intended purpose for a while. thats just to have her get comfortable to the idea of it being around.



its never too late to start having your daughter around other children. maybe you could look into your local library to see when they have story hour, or childrens hour in the childrens room. alot of libraries have toddler story time.



i have heard that around 2 is a good age to start bringing a child to the dentist. i wouldnt worry too much about gaps between her teeth for now. its pretty normal for small children to have more spacing between thier teeth. they are apart because they are smaller then permanent teeth, and to keep the space for permanent teeth to come in. one sure fire way to address and allieviate alot of your fears and concerns is to talk to your pediatrician. im sure they have alot of the answers to your questions, and would be more then willing to help. :-)



i hope that you find some of my suggestions helpful. im guessing that your daughter is your first child. i remember how stressful being a 1st time mom can be. i did alot of reading of books and websites. i didnt have alot of help from family and friends. best of luck, and bright blessings!

Brianna - posted on 07/09/2009

My son is 15 months and he does the exact same stuff. He will say some words some days and then I'll never hear them again. Don't worry about it, most toddlers love eating and she shouldn't get fat as long as you aren't letting her eat junk food all the time. Babies know when they are full and don't usually overeat. Her teeth right now aren't permanent so don't worry about the gaps. My son has gaps, so did his father and I, and when our permanent teeth came in they were straight (we've never needed braces) im hoping the same for my son as well. Also I'm assuming she doesn't have all her teeth yet, so the gaps might change and her teeth might shift still. Most dentists won't see them until they are 2 or 3. A lot of kids won't talk until later if they are moving around a lot or started being active early. As for potty training, I personally think 15 months is kind of early and I would wait until it gets closer to their 2nd birthday. Most pediatricians say 18 months-3 years is a good time to start potty training.

Teri - posted on 07/09/2009

Quoting Teri:

Hello Martha. My son didn't talk until almost two. His peditrician had recommended him to a local government program called head start. Someone came to my house and worked with him once a week and he learned really quickly. Like you I did not have him around other children except his sister who did not want to play with him because he was little and didn't talk :) We found out that he knew his words he just didn't feel the need to use them. It did give him someone to play with as they played with him like they were his age. The pacifier, I had my kids give it to another baby and the others dissappeared. it was a rough couple of nights for one of the kids inpaticular but he eventually got rid of it. I just kept telling him "you gave it to another baby because your a big boy" Seemed to work for us. (keep a spare just in case :) ) My kids seem to have months where they will eat all the time then they will just stop. I wouldn't worry about that. She is probably very active and will work it off. I wouldnt worry about the teeth but our dentist sees them at 3 years old and we were told they don't really need to be seen before that. Just keep brushing :)

Hope this helps, If not I'm sorry.

I did forget to mention that my 14 almost 15 month (on the 30th)  is not talking yet either :)

Kimberly - posted on 07/09/2009

Martha,

Don't stress yourself out about all of this.

Babies talk when they want to...when she points and cries for something, talk to her...."What do you want? Do you want......?" Then you know she is getting the language through out the day and she knows she isn't going to get something by just pointing and crying for it. The paci is more difficult. Samantha is almost 15months (on the 11th) she has her paci at nap and bedtime only. By 18 months we will be taking it away completly. I do it simply by not giving it to her, yes she'll cry for it but only for a little while and with my oldest we replaced it with a toy that she slept with every night.

Eating doesn't stop. Babies will not over eat, they will stop when they are full. If she is active she is burning more calories and needs more to eat....as long as you keep her active as she becomes older and serve her healthy foods she will be healthy.

There are a lot of people who want to potty train their babies and to me they are babies. My oldest was potty trained a few months before she turned 3 and that was fine with me. I go on the thought that when they are ready they will go potty with no problems. It took me one day with my oldest and yea, she had accidents now and then. But she was ready and it was done. I will do the same with my youngest.

If you want her socialized with other children her own age then you will have to find a play group or social setting for that, other moms in the neighborhood might be able to help with that too.

I hope that helps.

Amy - posted on 07/09/2009

Mine does the same thing with talking! She'll say a new word and say it everyday for like a week. Then it's like she forgot it and won't say it again. Instead she chooses a new word to try. It's like she only wants to say one word at a time and cry for everything else. However, she seems to understand a LOT, so I'm trying not to worry. I'm planning to ask her ped at her 15 month check-up. My niece didn't really start talking until 19-20 months, and we were worried about her not talking but now she's fine. So wait a little longer and all those words may come flowing back, but ask her doctor for piece of mind. My daughter never like her pacifiers, so I don't know what to say for that. As for her weight, as long as she's not fat yet (check her percentile at the doctor) she is probably fine. My daughter eats sooo much sometimes. She just stuffs food in her mouth and I am always amazed! Haha. But her weight is healthy. I just try to limit things that have empty calories like goldfish or other snacks or things with sugar like juice. I give her lots of fruit to fill her appetite. As for the gaps in her teeth, I'm not sure when to take them to the dentist, but I think it's pretty common. If the gap is pretty wide between the front two teeth, I think the dentist can remove some of the flesh between the teeth to encourage the gap to close. (Ouch!) Maybe call a child's dentist to ask. Hope that helps!

Teri - posted on 07/09/2009

Hello Martha. My son didn't talk until almost two. His peditrician had recommended him to a local government program called head start. Someone came to my house and worked with him once a week and he learned really quickly. Like you I did not have him around other children except his sister who did not want to play with him because he was little and didn't talk :) We found out that he knew his words he just didn't feel the need to use them. It did give him someone to play with as they played with him like they were his age. The pacifier, I had my kids give it to another baby and the others dissappeared. it was a rough couple of nights for one of the kids inpaticular but he eventually got rid of it. I just kept telling him "you gave it to another baby because your a big boy" Seemed to work for us. (keep a spare just in case :) ) My kids seem to have months where they will eat all the time then they will just stop. I wouldn't worry about that. She is probably very active and will work it off. I wouldnt worry about the teeth but our dentist sees them at 3 years old and we were told they don't really need to be seen before that. Just keep brushing :)



Hope this helps, If not I'm sorry.

Jodie - posted on 07/09/2009

my daughter is 15 months old too and she is doing the same things as yours. she used to say a lot now she likes to cry and point. she also eats a lot these are completly normal you wouldnt think that much food could fit into such a little body but they are burning a lot of energy running around and they grow a lot in their first 2 years. i wouldnt stress too much about potty training yet as she probably wont be interested in even trying it till she is a bit older.

Rachael - posted on 07/08/2009

Hi Martha, my son is almost 15 months old too, he has a mouth full of teeth, it was only once all of his molars came through that his gaps closed up, so if your daughter doesnt have molars yet I wouldnt worry. Apparently babies can learn a few words, and then appear as though they have forgotten them especially once they are relly mobile cause they have other things to concentrate on. The words will come back again. Maybe join a local playgroup or put her in an occasional care eg for 3 hrs or so a week if you would like to socialise her with other children her age. I hope this helps :)