10 Month Old Stares off into Space

I baby-sat a baby like that once.
It was called petit-mal seizures.
Here is a link about it:
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000696.htm
But, her Doc told the parents she'll grow out of it.
I don't know the full details of her diagnosis though.

try not to worry. Its good you are taking her to the Doctor and have the inclination to have it investigated.

TAKE CARE and all the best,
Susan

Hi S.,

My 2 sons have autism. She might be showing signs, my son was 15 months old when he started showing signs. My other son was always delayed, but he was also born 10 weeks premature. I'm not saying that's what it is, since I'm not a doctor. But both of my sons did that a lot. Just make sure you ask your physician about it. If you're not comfortable make sure you get a second opinion! Good luck and enjoy your daughter.

There is a type of epilepsy that causes this sort of symptoms. I do not know if this happens in infancy however. There are other possibilities like deafness. Most of the negative things you fear have the best out come when you treat your child early.
It may not be something serious, and you are on the right track by seeing your doctor. Impress on him that you are worried about this. Seek another opinion if you don’t feel satisfied. Try not to worry and take solace in fact that you are the type of person is proactive. Your child is in good hands.

I would try not to worry, but would definitely get it checked by your physician on Monday. There is a type of seizure disorder that involves a "zone out". Usually the "zone out" time lasts longer than 5-10 seconds, but I would still get it checked. It is called a seizure even though the child does not trash around or have the other s/s of a seizure. If this is the case it is not a usually a big deal, most kids grow out of it, but still something to get checked by the doctor. Try not to stress this weekend, and enjoy your baby girl!

Hi S. -
It may just be that she's overstimulated. Turn off the TV and let her play without being bombarded by media. That might help. Also, she may just be a dreamy, thoughtful kind of person. We have a family of artists, and we stare off into space often too. There's nothing wrong with it, just a personality trait that enhances our creativity.

Good luck, L.

My son used to do that when he was younger - about the same age as your daughter. It passed and when I asked the doctor about it she told me that since he has no signs of autism or other issues to just keep an eye on it. Honestly, my sons dad communicates with his dead grandma and i thought that maybe she was visiting my son as well. Either way, it was nothing and he is perfectly fine now (18 months). Try not to worry until you know if there is actually something to worry about. Stay positive!