I need some advice... Yesterday was my little girls 15 mth wellness check- her pediatrician labeled her "as speech delayed with cronic fluid in her ears"... he said he would like her to say 8 words but would be happy with 6... Maggie says 2. She did say more than had an ear infection 3 weeks ago and her speech is now reverted. He referred me to an ENT which we made the appt for April 1. Has anyone else ever gone through this with their child?
The other thing he told me is he wants her off her bottle and binky completey. I have been trying to ween her off the bottle for a while now and have bought every sippy cup ever made (literally, we have tried it all!), but she loves her bottle. I have not tried to take the binky away, I think she is still young enough to use that, what do you all think? Today I put all of bottles away so she can't see them, but is barely drinking from her cup... What should I try now?
Hi Cheryl,
Yes, my daughter had hearing issues and ear infections. And your daughter will, of course, be speech delayed if she can't hear, but it is EASILY remedied. Getting her off the bottle is your decision and if she is drinking in an upright position and is not laying down immediately after, it shouldn't have anything to do with her ears. And her blanket????
An upper cervical chiropractor can alleviate the ear issues. Mine did and I have seen wonderful results from it with several other people. I took my second daughter to the chiropractor as soon as we got home from the hospital. My first daughter was not so fortunate because I relied on the opinions of others and thought that chiropractors were "whacks." Chiropractors look at the body as a whole, not like a machine where every part is separate and doesn't have anything to do with the other parts.
Honestly, your doctor sounds like he wants it his way so it's easier for him. I don't mean to insult him, but you're her Mom and God gave her to you, not him.
Please don't stress. Take one step at a time and she'll be fine!
God bless!
Mimi
Two of my five children have needed speech therapy during their preschool years because of articulation issues. With my son, the doctor suspected his lack of articulation was due to fluid in his ears, although he rarely got ear infections. We spent a summer on prescription decongestants for him to clear up the fluid. (I didn't care for the medicine because it made him hyper, but we did it anyway.)I would definitely go to the ENT. There is so much they can do to help. I would not stress about the speech delay, although I would start looking around for options for speech intervention and work with her yourself at home too. Parent involvement in speech therapy makes such a difference. My son and daughter each had about 1-2 years of speech therapy and were completely "normal" before kindergarten. The standard "rule" is that by age three the child should be able to speak clearly enough that strangers understand 90% of what is said. At 15 months your daughter still has plenty of time to develop her language skills. We did speech therapy at the local elementary school for 30 minutes, two days a week. Gwinnett and DeKalb Counties offer this; I'm not sure about the others. I think they also have therapists that go to preschools and day cares, but we didn't need that. It takes up to 6 months for testing and enrollment, so it wouldn't hurt to start looking now. Some insurance companies will actually pay to have a speech therapist come to your home.
I'm not sure if the bottle and binky are related to her speech, but she is definitely old enough to give up both. I've tried to have mine off by 14 months, but honestly I'm not sure if I'm going to make that with my fifth child (now 10 months); he loves his so much. Since your daughter isn't taking to the cup very well, I'd wean her gradually. If she's taking 4 bottles a day now, for example, go to 3 bottles and one cup for a week and then reduce it further and further. Sometimes this works; sometimes you just have to go cold turkey. Also, limit the amount of time each day she has her pacifier (like only at bedtime, only in the crib, etc.) and work on that gradually as well. I'm not for letting little ones cry it out, so I prefer the gradual method, but the most important thing is for the parent to be consistent. Good luck.
Hi! I have a 2yr old son and an 11 month old daughter. I had no trouble with the transition to a sippy cup with my son. He took to drinking milk out of the cup immediately, but did not really want to drink water out of the cup. I wanted to limit how much milk he was drinking, that is why I was giving him water. Anyway, we decided to put some lemon juice in his water and that seemed to work. He drank out of his cup from then on. I have a goal of getting my daughter bottle free by 12mo. I have just started the process with her, but have not done the lemon water thing yet. Hopefully, it will work the second time around , too. Good luck! You never know what will work...
I've never had to go through the speech problem with my children but as far as the bottle and paci I think she is WAYYY to old for the bottle.I took the bottle from both of mine the day of their first birthdays,threw it in the trash,bought a sippy and they adjusted with no hassle.I know every child is different but the bottle is just gonna mess up her teeth and once they realize that the sippy is the new bottle they get right over it.For the paci, my doctor always told me,even when my son was 3 with it to let him have it until he's ready to throw it away.Your daughter still has plenty of time to have her paci..in fact it HELPS the teeth.So ditch the bottle in the trash and be thankful you don't have to worry about ditching the paci yet.
I had to fight my peds in florida for a referral since my insurance required on to go to an ENT be happy for this that you are going to one. Finally at 18months old my son got ear tubes this is what my ENT told me he was speech delayed it doesn't mean anythig bad they can't hear so they can't talk. My son could only day 2 words also. Ask you ENT for a referral writen on a scrip pad for speech therapy eval. then find out what your insurance covers for speech therapy get and eval by one on your insurance and go from there for that. As far as drinking from a bottle here's the thing when your child gets the tubes you can't have them the day of surgery sucking on a bottle and these doctors seem to think that sucking on a bottle helps leave fluid in the ears I personally think it is an opinion and I don't get worked up over it my son still sucked from bottle until he was about 24 months and was fine. The is now 7 yrs old he had 3 yrs speech therapy he attended a school public at 3 yrs old for pre schoolers special ed it ws the best thing that every happened to him. he was in that until kindergarten then off to a regular class with still speech therapy that yr. after that he needed no more speech therapy he is in first grade he's head of his class he's on honor roll every quarter grading period he can tell you if you are pronouncing a wording incorrectly, he can also read and pronounce words wonderfully. He's doing great yes it was a bit of a long road, no don't hurry them help them, learn NOW right NOW to sign it will help them communicate before they learn words and saying them the correct way. NO it doesn't mean anything negative and she will be able to communicate sooner to you but as you sign you must say the word and yes this is even after tubes and yes they do this in the special classes for developmental delay. She will do just fine..you'll see..and you are her advocate get her everything she needs she's like a flower you want her to grow so she'll need your love, sun, food, speech, stimulation of all 5 sense. My best wishes to you.
Cheryl,
I would say its time to loose the binky. The bottle, you still have a little time on. Just try gradualy introducing to cup to her once a day and build on it after a few days. I would definately take her to see a chiropractor. He/She would be able to determine what is going on with the ears. They really do amazing things and are so good for children! Its a lot less expensive than an ENT too:) My baby had ear problems at 9 months and it was a chiro that fixed it! Best of luck!
I have to agree with Mimi, use your instinct and don't stress.
Although my son didn't have fluid in his ears he still didn't utter a word until he was 18 months and then he started speaking in full sentences. People always commented on how articulate he was for two! We were concerned because every child in his playgroup was already speaking. One thing we realized, for the most part they grow and shift when they're ready. Don't force her, let life take its course. We're so inundated with books and day to day info, if our kid's not at a certain place at a certain time something's terribly wrong. Our son carried his puppy to pre-school up until this year and he's 4 1/2.
Puppy was security for him, in fact when we would go to his pediatrician, he would check puppy out first. Finally in the first few months of Pre-k he started to leave puppy at home even when I was still trying to bring him with us! The sippy cup she'll get to, my son started using one at about two.
15 months, she's still a baby; give her a chance and what ever makes her feel safe. She will grow and shift, introduce the cup to her slowly, I wouldn't hide the bottles as they're obviously a source of comfort and familiarity. I promise you she'll switch to the cup when she's ready.
Eventhough my kids are grown up now. My daughter when she was younger had speech and hearing problems. We thought she was just ignoring us when we spoke to her. we found out that because she had had so many ear infections that she had fluid build up and scaring. We took her to ENT and found out that she needed tubes and after the tubes she was 100 percent better at hearing us and most of her speech. Her half sister had to have her tonsils and adnoids taken out when she was three because she was having difficulty speeking. Now she is 14 and you would have never known she had a problem. I wish you all the best and good luck. Let us know how it went
Hi,
I am a mother of 7, grandmother of 14, great grandmother of 13. Don't get uptight about what the doctor says. That's the first thing, ok.
Now the best thing to do about the bottle and binkie is remove them. Don't let her see them, don't mention them. In her mind, she has to forget them. Let her know they are what babies have. Always have the sip cup on hand, but not to take to bed.
This is a BIG step for her and she can do it, but you have be strong and not give in to her demands. She will want them back, maybe throw a tantrum, whatever.
That is why YOU have to be the strong one. I don't mean sound harsh, but it is up to you how easy this is will be for her. Hope this helps.
Marie
Hi Cheryl.
I am sorry to hear about your daughter and her ears. My daughter had tubes put in her ears at 20 months old. It made a huge difference. It was as if she had been hearing 'under water' and all of a sudden, she could hear clearly. We see Brian Hermann. He did ALlie's tubes at the outpt center at Scottish Rite (Meridien Mark surgery center). THey put her out and hte procedure was done in 5 minutes. Allie woke up, we went home and it was like nothing ever happened. It was the best decision that we made.
good luck!
Kids are tough. If you take the binky and the bottle at the same time she will be fine. She will most likely handle it better than you. It will be awful for the first day. Bad the second, then you are good to go. Once the ENT gets that fluid off she is going to talk your head off.
It's hard being a mother and having your 'motherly instincts' questioned by a doctor. It sounds like your doctor is trying to hold your little girl to what's on the famous developmental charts and such. The thing to remember is that every child is different. They all learn, develop, grow, speak, etc. at their own pace. Sometimes that's a little quicker than the average child their age and sometimes it's a little slower. It doesn't mean anything is necessarily wrong.
My son is also 15 months old and he makes a lot of animal sounds, but really only says a couple words. My pediatrician didn't seem to be worried about that b/c he said he'll start when he's ready.
As for the tubes....my son did have tubes about a month ago due to so many ear infections and a very severe one that lasted from the end of December to the middle of February (4 different rounds of antibiotics didn't ever clear it up!). When we visited the ENT, he told us that our son could hear us talking to him, but he heard it as if he had a finger stuck in each ear or he was under water. It was very jumbled and hard to understand. We've noticed that since he got the tubes, he seems to be understanding us better and is talking ALL the time! Not saying words, but babbling and trying very hard to form the words. You will probably see a big difference in your daughter's speech if she gets tubes.
My son's been off a bottle for a while now and it did take him a while to get used to a sippy cup. He went through a phase where he didn't drink as much but then eventually came around to it and loves it now. As for the binky....he still uses one when he goes to sleep. We allow him to have it a few minutes after he wakes up in the morning or from a nap and then we try to take it away. If we can get it out of his sight, he's absolutely fine without having it. If he sees it, that's another story. So, maybe just try to take it away gradually...during certain times of day, etc. Then she'll know she can be ok without it but you're not taking it away completely. I kind of feel like it's ok until they're around 2. They're still babies. :)
Good luck and please try not to stress. Trust your instincts as a mother and do what you think is right. Let us know how things turn out!
I have not gone through the fluid in the ear problem, but I have gone through the bottle and binky thing. I have been pretty lucky that 3 of my 4 have gone to the sippy cup fairly easily. My 12 yr. old didn't want to give up her bottle because I was going through a divorce. I did what you said about putting all of her bottles away so she couldn't see them. When your little girl gets thirsty enough, she will take the cup, you just have to be patient, although I know that is hard at times. I am going through the binky thing right now with my 22 month old son. I have weaned him down to just when he is going to bed for a nap or for the night. Most of the time he is ok with it. Try telling your daughter that she is a big girl, and that she only needs the binky when she is going "night-night". That is what I have been trying. She will resist at first, but she will get there. And personally, I think a binky is ok until they are about 2, so use your mother's instinct. Your doctor is giving you advice, but you are the mother, trust that you know what is best for your daughter.
Good Luck,
Deeann T.
Hi Cheryl,
I may be just an old grandma but I have to say leave the child's binky alone. 15 months is not a big deal unless she is keeping it in her mouth constantly. I never took a bottle or a binky away from a child and believe it or not they just gave it up on their own. Same with potty training and mine were potty trained with no trauma or tears by 2 (boys take longer than girls for some reason).
My sister was rabid about taking away bottles and binkies and both her children sucked their thumbs, one to the tune of $4000.00 worth of orthedonture work. Binkies are a lot easier to break than thumbs. You could just try taking it from her except at nap and bed time.
As for the sippy cups, she'll drink when she's thirsty, babies aren't dumb. I remember being a young mother and asking my dr (who delivered me) about my first daughter's spell of not eating as often as I thought she should. He told me to leave that baby alone, that baby didn't get hungry just because I was hungry... lol. And he not only delivered and cared for every child on our small island for over 50 years, he had 10 kids of his own.
I also have chronic fluid in my ears, a condition caused by not having my tonsils out before I was 19. I'm sure the ENT will want to put tubes in her ears which isn't a big deal, they've done that to me and 2 of my grandchildren (I have 10 btw). It's painless and helps a lot.
I think trusting your instincts as a mama and using plain old common sense is a lot more dependable than many of the new "theories" and "ideas" that are preached daily. Look at all the "Dr. Spock" stuff that has turned out to just not be true. And huge numbers of women in my generation jumped on that bandwagon. Modern medicine is wonderful and I'm glad we have resources that weren't available back when mine were young... however nothing beats good old common sense.
So hang in there and try not to get too stressed. Babies are pretty resilient. You really need to save most of your angst for when she's a teenager... THAT'S when you're going to REALLY need it! LOL
Blessings,
Kate
Hi Cheryl,
It may be that she is not hearing as well with the fluid in her ears. My daughter had chronic ear infections and could not clear the fluid. After 3 months of continuous antibiotics, we went to an ENT, he recommended tubes for her ears. We were nervous but a few of my friends had children with the tubes and they all said great results quickly. My daughter was talking well but she was not letting go to walk on her own. She was 16 months old when the tubes were put in and literally that same day, she let go and started walking. I do believe the fluid was effecting her balance. The bottle may also contribute to the fluid and I did wean my daughter at about 12 months from the bottle. I would try to get rid of the bottle but let her keep her pacifier, too many things at once to give up :-) My daughter just turned 6 and her ears are doing fine, she did end up getting a second set of tubes about a year after the first set but due to our experience, I feel like they helped her alot. In most cases, they come out on their own. Hang in there, it is most likely that there is no speech delay. Hope this helps. I am a happily married, working mom of a 6 yr old daughter and 3 year old son. Michelle in Marietta.
Cheryl,
I would get a second and third opinion in that situation. I also think it is nuts when these doctors label children and are not realistic about when they "should" do this or that......
Call Dr. Kute. Her web site is www.drkute.com
I strongly suggest speaking to her about this stuff.
Hey there-
My Dr. told us cold turkey the bottle and passy with my son at one year (he just turned 2 in Feb.) I couldn't bare to do it...it seemed a little harsh! Dr. said he would eventually drink from the sippy - NO HE DID NOT! The child would have thirsted to death! Don't know if he's just particularly strong-willed or what. Strange thing is - he gave the bottle up on his own @ 18 months. I was shocked - he LOVED his "ba ba". He lost interest in it - started trying to bite through the nipple and just wouldn't drink from it like he used to. At that point, I tried sippy and it worked! He happily drinks milk, water, and juice from sippy all day long. He does prefer a soft spout sippy for his milk - I know, picky little thing! The Nuby sippy with a soft tip works best for us (they are cheap too - go to WalMart). As far as passy - he still has it, and believe me, I have heard it from everyone! He only has it at night. He is sort of losing some interest in that as well. I think we'll tackle getting rid of it this summer. I haven't dealt with the delayed speech, but have a friend who went through it. She stressed and stressed and now has a perfectly normal, very talkative 5 year old.
My son had major ear infections from 6 weeks on until about 2 years old. He had tubes put in at 13 months and had to have them removed just after he turned 2. They are supposed to fall out on their own, but they never did and bacteria and fluid became lodged behind them. Once they were removed the ear infections were gone. My son is now 4 and he has been fine since, as far as infections go. Because of the infections and the fluid the ENT (I strongly suggest seeing an ENT over the pediatrician for this)the doctor said my son could have minor hearing damage. After the tubes were put in I saw a dramatic change. He was more alert to sounds and noises. He was also behind in his speak from lack of hearing. The ENT should preform a hearing test to determine whether or not the speeach delay is caused by hearing damage. My son is ok and is currently in speech therapy at his daycare twice a week. He loves to talk now, but has some problems with pronunciation ( I always assumed it was baby talk). I believe he says the words as he heard them for so long.. . He will continue with his speech therapy through preschool and everybody feels confident that he will be up to speed by kindergarden. My advise would be to find a good ENT. My pediatrician kept treating the individual ear infections and not the bigger problem. My sons ears! All of the anitibotics my son has become immune to, so I wish I would have insisted on an ENT earlier.
I am going through the same thing with my daughter, she loves her bottle. I cant get her to take a sippy cup, even the ones that are made like bottles almost. The speech thing, I think he went a bit overboard with that one. I have 3 kids and at 15 months they were not speaking clearly either, but when they started talking..........I can't get them to stop. They turned out just fine. The fluid in the ears, and the reason he says no to the bottle comes from laying down drinking. Try propping her on a pillow when she wants to lay down and drink. Her head should never be level with her body while drinking. She could very well have an issue with her ears, tubes will solve this with no problem because he caught it so early. As for the speech don't worry, SHE IS NOT BEHIND. Trust me. Doctors practice medicine, it is all an educated guess. Use your knowledge of your child,doctor's speculations, and a little common sense to determine what is best for her. No one knows her like you mom.