Your Baby Week Seventeen

Public awareness has been increasing about the importance of identifying children with developmental delays at an early age.

That's great, but you still have to be aware of what your baby should be doing at each age to know if he is delayed or if you should have a concern to bring up to your pediatrician.

By three months, you should talk to your pediatrician if your baby does not:

• smile
• notice his own hands
• follow moving objects with his eyes
• grasp and hold objects
• hold his head up without support
• respond to some loud noises

Developmental Delays

If you notice that your child has a developmental delay, in addition to your pediatrician, it may be helpful to have an evaluation by your local early childhood intervention program. In addition to an evaluation to see what delays your child has, they often provide occupational therapy, physical therapy, nutritional services, or speech-language therapy to try and help your baby catch up in his development.

A pediatric neurologist and/or a developmental pediatrician can also be good resources for some children with developmental delays, especially if your baby has multiple delays or other medical problems, such as Down syndrome, seizures, poor growth, or if he was born premature.