*Really* quiet child?

[babymango]

Maybe I should just appreciate how lucky I am and keep my mouth shut, but the situation is starting to bother me a little and I would like opinions...

My 16 month old boy is really quiet.  He's been like this since day one, actually since in utero.  I didn't worry about it when he was a baby, but now as a toddler it's starting to feel weirder.  I can't help but to compare him to my friends' kids who are about the same age and who run all over the place, climb on furniture, have tantrums and require constant attention. 

I have never seen my son climb on anything.  He doesn't really run either.  He would much prefer sit down and look at books or make towers out of blocks.  Today, he asked to go in his playpen (I never put him in there unless I need to leave him alone in a room, just in case...)  He played in there with his blocks and books for 45 minutes!   He's an easy going, really mellow kid.  We've never had a real tantrum (but it might be too early still...)  He gets excited sometimes, mostly when his dad walks in, when we make faces at him, or when he sees himself in a mirror.

As far as I know, he's healthy, he's growing well, he sleeps/eats well.  He doesnt really talk yet, but we are a multilingual family...  He signs about 15 words and he's really interested in learning things.  He wants to know the signs for things, he asks me to name pictures in books.  My MIL is convinced he's autistic, but I don't buy it.  He loves people, he flirts with the waitresses at restaurants, he's cuddly, has good eye contact, etc.

I have to admit that being 36 weeks pregnant, I totally enjoy him being quiet. I don't have the energy to chase around a toddler.  However, this is making me wonder if this behavior is my fault?  Does he sense that Im exhausted and having a hard time REALLY playing with him?  Is he bored with me???  Did he give up on getting my attention??

DH and I are quiet people, that's probably the main explanation...  but am I right to not worry about it?  I wouldnt want to miss something...

[marge234]

The issues you describe could simply be temperament, but I don't think it would hurt to contact your state's Early Intervention program.    It is free, does not require a ped's referral.  I don't have a lot of time so just wanted to quickly reply.  My DS was a very easy baby, not very active and he has motor planning difficulties and sensory issues.  From pretty early on seeing him around other kids his age concerned me.  We are addressing the issues via various therapies.  It's hard to see these things but helpful to catch them while the child is still young (it's supposed to be easier to mitigate certain neurological difficulties while the brain is still growing, a lot of grown between birth and three). 

[mckittre]

I have a mellow 21 month old who loves blocks and books.  He's quite verbal now, and does run sometimes, and climbs on chairs when he wants to help me in the kitchen.  But he is cautious by nature, and will pick his way carefully across a rutted icy trail rather than run and plow into things.  And I don't think he did any running or climbing anywhere close to 16 months (he only walked at 13.5 months).  It seems a bit early to expect every kid to run, if some don't even walk until after your son's age?  My son is still a mellow easy going kid like he was from in utero - only very occasional mild tantrums (starting in the last month or two), listens well, doesn't usually destroy things.  If your gut says something is wrong, go check it out, but I don't think mellow is necessarily a problem. 

[faithrainbow]

I too would suggest checking in with your state/county early intervention program.  It could be that they come and say "nothing to worry about," which would be a great load off of your shoulders.  But if there are things you could be doing to help him start exploring his sensory environment more, that would be good, too.  It's best to catch these things as young as possible, and often things smooth themselves out as kids grow up with the right kind of support.