Let's have a "Is This Normal?" thread?!

[Amandala]

Is it normal for a 17 month old...

... to spend MOST of the day, if you would only let him, running up to you with a book, putting it on your lap, climbing on you, then after you read it to him, running off with it to get another book, then repeating?

...to eat with a fork really well?

...to run around gleefully smacking himself in the head (pretty hard sometimes) and laughing?

...to smile and laugh and make a break for it when you tell him to STOP and COME BACK?

...to almost always have two scraped knees and a seemingly endless parade of cuts or bruises on his forehead because he's a huge klutz and goes spectacularly down at least once per hour?

...to totally refuse to even open his mouth for any piece of food that's red, ever?

...to have his foreskin inflate to the size of a golf ball nearly every time he pees, and have trouble getting the pee to come out then, and seem like it makes him very uncomfortable when that happens?

And what about everyone else?

[j_p_i]

I have a 13 month old, and much of that is normal for us! I'm especially interested in what others say about smacking him/herself in the head with something and laughing! Is it normal for my 13 month old to get a big kick out of headbutting (other people, like mama even)??

...to laugh so hard when daddy does something, but when mommy does it give a complete deadpan look?

...be in total cahoots with the dog?

[AFWife]

Originally Posted by Amandala

... to spend MOST of the day, if you would only let him, running up to you with a book, putting it on your lap, climbing on you, then after you read it to him, running off with it to get another book, then repeating?

...to smile and laugh and make a break for it when you tell him to STOP and COME BACK?

...to almost always have two scraped knees and a seemingly endless parade of cuts or bruises on his forehead because he's a huge klutz and goes spectacularly down at least once per hour?

Uhm, I hope these are normal because my 14mo does all of this... :P

[Grace and Granola]

OP...all totally normal!! The peeing thing, I haven't personally experienced but have read about on MDC

[AFWife]

Is it normal...

- to be totally fascinated with spitting but get totally grossed out if it gets on him?

- to be obsessed with smacking and pinching mommy but loving all over daddy? (Isn't that backwards?)

- to refuse to eat unless someone else is eating AND eating the exact same thing? (Daddy added spices to his avocado and DS wouldn't eat another bite until he got spices added too.)

[pbjmama]

The only thing i would keep an eye on is this
...to have his foreskin inflate to the size of a golf ball nearly every time he pees, and have trouble getting the pee to come out then, and seem like it makes him very uncomfortable when that happens?

it isn't necessarily abnormal but if all the urine does not get out or it causes pain then you may need to get it checked out.

[baglady]

We read books ALL DAY LONG, so I hope that's normal.

...to go to story time at the library and run up an down the hall the entire time the story is being read. He wasn't screaming or anything, he just can't sit if there's exploring to be done. None of the kids were listening (too long a book) but most of them were still sitting/staying by mom. Not my kiddo, he took off!

[baglady]

Originally Posted by AFWife

- to be obsessed with smacking and pinching mommy but loving all over daddy? (Isn't that backwards?)

MIL told me that at some point in toddlerhood, each of her boys became obsessed with their dad. They followed him around and weren't interested in her at all. I think it's pretty normal for kids to be more interested in the same sex parent.

DS hits and bites me and giggles.

[ellemenope]

Originally Posted by Amandala

Is it normal for a 17 month old...

... to spend MOST of the day, if you would only let him, running up to you with a book, putting it on your lap, climbing on you, then after you read it to him, running off with it to get another book, then repeating?

...to totally refuse to even open his mouth for any piece of food that's red, ever?

Your DC (and my DD) are in the minority. DD loved to read from about 6 months. She is only now (24 months) acting like the normal ADD toddlers I have seen in regards to reading, but she still has about 10x the attention span of any other toddler I have met.

DD had come to the conclusion that everything red must be spicy. It was hard convincing her otherwise.


Now, is it normal

...to hate pooping when she was doing it in a diaper, freak out about it, and only go once a day if that to the point of constipation, but when she is finally convinced to go on the potty (last week), she must squeeze a piece out every time she has to go pee (~about 8 times a day), to the point of straining, although her poo is very healthy looking?

[Abraisme]

Originally Posted by pbjmama

The only thing i would keep an eye on is this
...to have his foreskin inflate to the size of a golf ball nearly every time he pees, and have trouble getting the pee to come out then, and seem like it makes him very uncomfortable when that happens?

it isn't necessarily abnormal but if all the urine does not get out or it causes pain then you may need to get it checked out.

Everything else sounds totally normal.

[Auraji]

Originally Posted by Amandala

Is it normal for a 17 month old...

... to spend MOST of the day, if you would only let him, running up to you with a book, putting it on your lap, climbing on you, then after you read it to him, running off with it to get another book, then repeating?

...to eat with a fork really well?


...to smile and laugh and make a break for it when you tell him to STOP and COME BACK?

My 14m DD does these, so I hope so!

To swing her head from side to side until she touches her shoulder and smile all day long ? lol

To beat us up?

To toss and turn while she sleeps? Wake up, talk, kic us, smack us and go back to sleep?

That when we go to the swim club she prefers to get out of the baby pool and make a run for the really deep pool?

To be so obsessed with strollers that when she sees one on the street all she wants to do is go get it?

To say pick me up and/or out all day long, even if it's pick me up and out when you're out of the car, meaning put me in the car and once you put her in the car seat, say pick me up/out to get her out?

To spend days where all she does is breastfeed?

[treeoflife3]

Is it normal for a 16 month old to not want dirty hands ever? Even when she pets the kitty, ever few strokes she needs me to wipe the fur off bahaha!

[newtomotherhood]

DD is 15 months and spins until she is dizzy and either falls over, or stands still looking like she just might fall over or tries to walk but ends up looking very drunk! Then she will repeat this usually 2 or 3 times maybe more!

[treeoflife3]

Originally Posted by newtomotherhood

DD is 15 months and spins until she is dizzy and either falls over, or stands still looking like she just might fall over or tries to walk but ends up looking very drunk! Then she will repeat this usually 2 or 3 times maybe more!

hahaha mine does that too! She loves to spin and I have to be honest... its so cute that I sometimes encourage her to spin...

[AFWife]

- 15mo...gags himself...over and over and over? And thinks it's funny

[GreenGranolaMama]

- 14 month old DS does not point (and has never pointed ever)?
- Loves screwing and unscrewing lids on peanut butter jars/ juice bottles etc...
- Maneuver his push toys like a pro (turns around at the end of the walkway and comes back, and can repeat all.day.long ) but has almost no interest in actually walking...
- Won't let me read to him without grabbing the book away from me and turning the pages himself

[Auraji]

Originally Posted by GreenGranolaMama

- Loves screwing and unscrewing lids on peanut butter jars/ juice bottles etc...

Sophia just figured out how to do this on Friday night. DP was drinking some black tea and she was playing with the bottle and then unscrew it and was about to take a drink lol

[CrunchyChristianMama]

Originally Posted by j_p_i

Is it normal for my 13 month old to get a big kick out of headbutting (other people, like mama even)??

Unfotunately, yes. Ugh. We've been working on it with some success, but she still does it occasionally.

Originally Posted by treeoflife3

Is it normal for a 16 month old to not want dirty hands ever? Even when she pets the kitty, ever few strokes she needs me to wipe the fur off bahaha!

My DD is like this too. She has a new-found love of napkins. I bought a huge pack of cheapy ones at Costco just so that she can go through several a day.

Originally Posted by GreenGranolaMama

- 14 month old DS does not point (and has never pointed ever)?
- Loves screwing and unscrewing lids on peanut butter jars/ juice bottles etc...

Both of these are my DD at 21 months. She's never been a pointer. ??? I don't get it. Sometimes she will, or she will just take our hand and walk us to whatever she was wanting to point at.

The unscrewing things has gotten us into all kinds of trouble! Especially when she figured out how to unscrew a bottle of acrylic paint at the craft store and began painting herself before I noticed.

The other thing I think is normal, but figured I would throw it out there is to eat like crazy some days and hardly a bite on others. Also, some days she will be fine with eating three nice sized meals and other days she will do nothing but snack all day long. The eating habits are so strange!

[GreenGranolaMama]

Originally Posted by Evie's Mama

Both of these are my DD at 21 months. She's never been a pointer. ??? I don't get it. Sometimes she will, or she will just take our hand and walk us to whatever she was wanting to point at.

Good to know- a friend told me she had recently read a study that said (among other early indicators) autistic babies do not point... and I obsessed about DS not pointing for... probably longer than I should have I would obviously love him no matter what and he is incredibly social, makes eye contact etc... but MDC is a nice place to unleash my worries sometimes

[blizzard_babe]

Originally Posted by AFWife

- 15mo...gags himself...over and over and over? And thinks it's funny

AAAAH! DS went through this stage around that age. Drove me batty and earned a few "uh... is he doing what I think he's doing?" comments from friends.

Originally Posted by treeoflife3

hahaha mine does that too! She loves to spin and I have to be honest... its so cute that I sometimes encourage her to spin...

DS loves to spin. I figure we all gotta get our kicks somehow.

Originally Posted by ellemenope

*snip* when she is finally convinced to go on the potty (last week), she must squeeze a piece out every time she has to go pee (~about 8 times a day), to the point of straining, although her poo is very healthy looking?

I thought DS was the only one who MUST poop (or try really really really really hard) every time he pees! He has stopped peeing standing up because then he couldn't try to poop. I'm glad he's all regular and all, but jeez, kid. You don't need to squeeze out a tiny turdlet EVERY time you pee. Especially not in gross highway rest stop bathrooms.