Spear turned 15 months old on March 1st. I’m using What to Expect the Toddler Years to compare his milestones and development.
Real talk? I’m nervous to go through this months list of milestones. I know Spear is a bit behind in some areas and it causes me a bit of anxiety and worry to think about it!
Spear is doing one thing that a toddler his age should be doing: He is able to bend over and pick up an object.
He is not yet using at least one word AND he’s not yet walking well (he hasn’t even taken a first step yet).
The book says if my child hasn’t hit these milestones yet then it’s time to discuss with a doctor. That many time children are just late bloomers (especially being a fourth child!) but that it also needs attention and evaluation. We did discuss his speech and development at his 15 month well check which I’ll discuss in a future post!
At 15 months Spear is doing most of the things a child his age will probably be able to do:
- drink from a cup
- point to a desired object
- scribble
He is not yet using 2 words.
He is not yet doing any of the things a child his age may possibly be able to do including:
- point to one body part when asked
- use a spoon/fork
- build a tower of two cubes
He is also not yet doing the one thing a 15 month old may even be able to do and that is “feed” a doll
I know he’s a fourth kid. He’s carried a LOT. He’s also my most efficent crawler so he’s FAST and doesn’t have the desire to slow down to walk. He also gets less one on one time in play as he is that fourth kid! I know I need to not overly worry about it all. He’s a little behind, but he’ll catch up.
I tend to worry the most about him out of all of my kids due to his adoption. I just do. And I bet that’s a “thing” with adoptive mamas. We worry more about the one we didn’t have any control over in the womb. No part in their genetic makeup.
I just want Spear to hit every milestone and be super healthy and on target in every area…and I’ll do whatever needs to be done as a his mama to make sure he’s given every opporunity to do so!
Hoping his next update is more on target 😉
You can compare to his siblings here: Kye, Britt and Tess. Spear is my latest walker and talker at this point BUT he’s not SUPER far behind either!
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As an adoptive Mama, I know this well. There is much we don’t have control over. Know that Gods Grace is sufficient and there are wonderful early interventionists and therapists who will help if needed. Of course it would be wonderful if these milestones are right around the corner, but don’t lose heart if not 💜
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THANK YOU! Whew yes mama it’s TOUGH and your message really means a lot to me and helps me feel less alone. Motherhood in general can be lonely but I don’t have any fellow adoptive mom friends who “get it” so I really appreciate you taking the time to leave this comment 🙂
So many moms today feel pressure of their child isn’t doing what they are “suppose” to be doing by a certain age ! When my chi often were small , 40, 35, 27, yrs ago , I asked the pediatrician why my child wasn’t speaking yet , he said …. “guess he has nothing to say.” I understand early intervention, but also , children are individuals. Your mom intuition will tell you if there is a problem. My daughter started speaking and hasn’t stopped ever since . Trust me ! My children all developed at different ages . Go easy on yourself. Enjoy every minute. Imitation is the best teacher . Get help when or if it’s truly needed . God bless
I can appreciate your concern. I’m not an adoptive mama, but of my two kids, my daughter didn’t walk until 17 months of age. My son walked at 14 months. 17 months felt like for-EV-er. Especially since my daughter was a little chunky monkey. 🙂 I don’t have any real advice but that all kids are different and sometimes we can become anxious over things unnecessarily that work themselves out over time.. Having said that, I think your intuition can also tell you if a matter requires more attention. Praying for wisdom and peace is the only advice I would have. 🙂 God bless you!! (Spear looks like such a happy boy!)
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Thank you so much for this insight! I joke that Spear’s cheeks are just too heavy to lift that far off the ground 😉 Gotta love chunky babies!!! I do think I over-worry with him and hope with time that will lessen. It’s ironic that my FOURTH baby is the one I worry most about as usually people are the most chill with the last one 😉 Thank you for the prayers!
I wanted to share that my youngest (also fourth child) was behind on rolling over. She was around 8 months old at the time and the doctor was very concerned. They mentioned doing a ton of physical therapy and early intervention, etc. I had a friend who was a physical therapist and just showed me a couple things to work on with her and within a couple weeks she started rolling, sitting up on her own and pulling up to standing and ended up being my earliest walker! Sometimes they are just on their own time schedule. But I totally understand the concern! It’s hard not to worry sometimes. My oldest was very chubby and took awhile to walk, I think she was 15 months before she started taking steps on her own and she also talked later too. I remember having to count how many words she could say at age 2 because the dr told me if she didn’t say so many words she’d need speech therapy. She ended up being totally ok and a very talkative toddler! I just wanted to encourage you that sometimes kids just do things at a different pace than the average and end up being totally ok! Hang in there, I know how hard it can be!
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Thank you! It is one of those things where once he’s walking and talking I will look back and feel silly for worrying 😉
There is a lot of added pressure in being an adopting mum – as if there wasn’t enough anyway. My children and grandchild have been very different as to when they reach these milestones. Remember they are averages. That means many children will have reached them earlier and many will not have reached them yet. Look at them again in three months and even then consider if your child really needs help or is just developing at their own pace. There is far too much pressure put on parents to meet targets. If your child is happy and healthy you are doing well