Believe it or not, i'm a recent speech pathology grad, and am getting quite anxious over the lack of cooing in my 3.5 month old. She seemed to be geting on track a while bak when we'd talk to her and she'd smile and make gurgly sounds and rasberries here and there; then a few days ago it hit me that most of the ti e she just smiles now without vocalization, and even opens her mouth wide with a big grin lie she's gonna squeal, but there's no sound. She never made big vowelly coos to begin with, and DOES still have some vocal reactions when we talk to her, but a lot less. All other milestones on track. i'm waiting for some folks to tell e that's how their baby was, and now their child is older and a complete chatterbox! I'm pursuing a hearing check, but any input on a similar experience might help relieve my anxiety...(which i tend to develop fairly rapidly;)
Some babies are just quiet, happy babies. My daughter wasn't much of a babbler, but she eventually hit what I call the "baby condor" phase (loud, shrieking) and has plenty to say now. Your education has taught you that every child is different and that development comes in phases, so don't stress yourself out. :-)
Maybe she just has nothing to say, relax mama :)
My son never cooed... he just gruntled and growled... still does.
A.H. Funny you ask. My daughter talks nonstop, clearly, and in full sentences all the time now. I was worried for absolutely nothing. So no need to worry. When i saw a response to my question now, it brought back all those memories of being afraid she would never talk. Well, i am here to tell you, i was sooo wrong! Hang in there and do not worry!
My DD did the same thing. She just decided to be quiet all the time. I got pretty worried, then when she hit 8 months she turned into a babbler, coming out will full words. She is 10 months, and will say mama, dada, doggie, kitty (actually gets the 't' sound right too!) thippy (she can't say 's' yet. lol) and a few other easy words. I figure she was just listening and learning. lol.
Someone once explained to me that babies & kids constantly switch between different areas of development. One week they'll work on some type of physical skill, then they'll stop and work on social interactions, and then on to understanding mental connections. So maybe your daughter is taking a break from speech, and she's concentrating on reaching & grasping. Or she may be learning your facial expressions in reaction to what she does. There's so much to learn! Just keep talking to her, she'll be squeaking back at you before you know it.
Edit: My son didn't talk much until he was 2.5 years old. We had him checked for hearing problems and developmental delays, but there was nothing wrong, he just didn't feel like talking. He was very advanced physically, I even put him in gymnastics because he is very high-energy and needed the challenge. We also taught him sign language to help with communication problems. He could understand really complicated instructions, and had a very sharp memory. But he would only say "mama", "dada", and "please." All of a sudden at 2.5 he just started speaking in full sentences like he'd been doing it all along.
Just keep reminding yourself that every kid is different, but they all catch up eventually.
My son did the same thing. He was almost silent till 9 10 months. He did cry of course when he needed something, but now a days he wont stop. Loving it!! I wouldn't worry about it. Does she respond to noises though? Like when you clap? If she does, I wouldn't worry. If you still are worrying I would talk with your ped.
