Son nearly 4 - help

LegacyUser

Hi,

Our son is 4 next month.

However, he seems to be very behind for his age.
He is very small - Clothes for 2-3 only fit not clothes for 4 year olds.
I really noticed it when a woman in my local shop asked me if he was 2.
I said he was nearly 4 and she seemded really shocked.
It has really affected me since.

His speech is also not great, cant really have conversations with him yet.

But in his playschool they say he is really clever in other ways.
He knows all colours and other things that the other kids dont, and I have been able to teach him to spell about 20 or more words.

I know alot of kids go to school when they are 4 but I couldnt imagine sending him this year and will definitley wait until he is 5.

Am I worrying about nothing? Or should i actually bring him somewhere about all this?

Just to say I have brought him to speech therapy but the waiting lists for each session is unreal, over 6 or 7 months.

He is a very happy and very friendly boy and very affectionate. Just seems behind kids his age.

Any help would be great.

KazDub

Why don't you contact your public health nurse or GP? The nurses have charts that give you an idea of the healthy ranges of heights and weight for children depending on age. There can be a big variation within those ranges, so it may well be that you're son, though on the small side, is still within the range of healthy heights for his age. I'd imagine that by now he's already had encounters with a PHN and GP for things like immunisations and developmental checks. If there was anything overtly 'wrong', they would have seen it by now. Unfortunately as parents, we are easily spooked and worried when it comes to our kids. Put your mind at ease. Phone the health nurse, if she thinks that there may be something worth checking out then you can go and see her for free. Otherwise book an appointment with your GP and get your son's height and weight checked.

catchery

my nephew didnt speak untill he was nearly four and a half , my sister was sick of people comparing their children to him , she knew he understood everything that was being said to him , he used sounds when he wanted something , she always had him mixing with other children so it wasn't that he was isolated with just adults ,she also got his hearing checked and brought him to private speach therapy, turned out he just wasn't ready to talk ! he is ten now and is super intelligent and loves talking hasn't stoped since he started!! but i do understand your concern , as to his size ? my 3 year old looks like a 5 year old they are all different ? i know comments eat away at you it's hard not to panic . i truly believe though we are much harder on our parenting skills than our folks , i agree with kazdub , ring your district nurse and go see her and she will ease any worries , hardest job in the world being a mam!

boarder83

I agree. Go see your PHN, or if you're still worried a paediatrician would be a good person to see. For private speech therapy see www.iasltpp.com. Catchery - children can certainly be late talkers, however, it's really best to check it out and ease your mind rather than let it go when it can have an impact on future literacy skills.

Tim Robbins

I was late learning to speak because I had some problems with hearing. Like everyone else says get it checked out and if you are not happy get a second or third opinion.

amiable

+1 on the Public Health Nurse OP.
Anything you are worried about even if it seems silly(not that you are here) just ask your local public health nurse.
Don't be afraid to ask for help or an opinion.

catchery

i didnt mean not to get it checked out , sorry if you took it up that way boarder83 , just explaining how checking all possible causes are important just to rule out anything ! as i said right at the end , go to your district nurse and speak of all your concerns ! you took it up that i thought my sister was being over the top ! never the case with your child!