3 month old developmental issues/concerns

my boys are 3 months old and i am starting to have concerns with their development...

alexander (born second) is far more advanced. he can hold his neck up, make sounds, look all around, focus on things and can almost sit up.

river (born first) cannot support the weight of his head, does not make as many sounds, and constantly turns his head to the left...i mean he never turns it to the right and looking straight forward isn't the norm for him, he can do it but it's rare. he does have full range of motion in his neck as we are able to gently move his head from side to side but as soon as we stop he immediately turns back to the left. we've tried changing his sleeping positions so that he lays on his right side but he still turns his head to the left and cries because it's uncomfortable in that position. i'm getting worried about this. a lot of people have told me they outgrow this by 6 months? anyone else have any experience with this?

both boys DO smile a lot but neither have laughed out loud yet.

i'm just concerned with the differences in their development even though i know that each baby develops differently, it still concerns me.

what were your twins doing at 3 months (2 months adjusted)?

 

If you are concerned I would put a call in to your pedi and ask the nurse about it.

:hug:

All I can remember of my girls at 3 months old was pooping, crying, eating and sleeping.

 

Ditto with Amy! They didn't sit up until 7 months! and HATED tummy time until they could roll over (back to front). Smiling is good and an occasion coo is good too If your concerned call the Ped! As for the head turning...JT was the same way always looking to the right. It was the way he was pressed against my pelvic bone for so very long! We just kept "stretching" his head the other direction and eventually when toys were beginning to look exciting he gave it up!

 

i plan on calling tomorrow i just wanted to get some other's experiences and knowledge on everything. this is all so new to me. i'm not sure what milestones to look for and at what age they start to do them.

my boys don't sleep that much. i mean, they are SSTN and get up between 5-8am and take a morning nap after that first feed but are up from noon to 10pm pretty much most of the time. they want to be held, explore things, be talked to, immitate, etc. somedays i wish they would just eat, poop, and sleep but alas they have decided that being awake is far more exciting.

 

I would be concerned about the head tilt/looking left and I think that warrants a call to the pedi for advice. But the laughing, mine do it but it is SOOOO infrequent that I don't realize what they are doing until well afterward. Also, they usually only laugh at my older son and not for mommy and daddy. The smiling will lead to laughing but I think they just need a little more time before they do it.

 

A friend of mine had a similar sounding issue with the neck movement. It was something called torticollis, and I think it occurred in her case because of the way her baby was lying in utero. He needed some physical therapy and eventually outgrew it.

As far as all out laughing, I don't think mine did it until they were almost 5 months old.

The other things you described, as far as one being more alert and "talkative", I wouldn't worry about at all. All babies are different, have different personalities and will meet different milestones at different times. One will constantly pass the other, then the other will catch up and pass the other one on something else. It's so hard not to compare when you have two the same age. I did it all the time.

 

Both of my twins liked to turn to the left. We took them to the chiropractor and physio therapist and found out that one had torticollis and one did not. We had to position them to the right side and this was hard to do and sometimes they had to be propped. Along with some massage and chiro it took a few months but eventually got better. As for the milstones hang in there, I had such a hard time not comparing my boys all the time as DS2 was always way behind DS1. Eventually they do catch up or at least get closer together in what they are doing. I definately agree though if you are concerned talk with your pedi and see what they say. Best wishes

 

It sounds like everything is fine in terms of milestones, but I'd be proactive on the head turning thing. My boys had torticollis, even though they passed that same "full range of motion" test at 2 months. If you can, see a physical therapist to get some specific stretches and movements. My boys developed positional plagiocephaly, which basically means a flat area of their head from laying in one direction all the time. Lots of tummy time if you can!

 

About milestones, check out this section of the First Year Handbook

 

I agree with talking to your doctor about the head position issues. Physical therapy could be helpful if it is torticollis. As for the other things, sitting at 3 months would be super early so I wouldn't be concerned about that. Smiling is great, the laughing will come. They are still quite young when you consider their adjusted age. I hope the doctor is able to reassure you that all is well! :hug:

 

We brought our babies to the Chiropractor for their neck/head issues. As for 3 months of age, my little one is currently supporting her head, holding weight on her legs when we hold her under her armpits, she laughs out loud at us, coos, she responds to her name, is working on rolling from her back to her belly by arching her back when on the ground, watches the mobile go around, bats at her jungle gym and is starting to grab stuff.

Babies are all so different!