Not smiling or interacting. Is this ok?

[Tinks]

My nephew is 11 weeks and doesn't smile or interract with people. In fact all he pretty much does is cry unless he's in the car or they're out shopping. He does smile occasionally, I think he has smiled at me a couple of times and I see him almost every day. In fact I hadn't even seen him smile until last Tuesday. He smiles at my sister sometimes, it's not a regular thing though. (if that makes sense)

I remember my kids and my other nephew were all smiling and cooing at that age. We'd make funny noises and they'd smile etc. But he doesn't respond to those kind of things. My sister even says he doesn't respond as much as her older DS used to.

Do you thik this is something we should be worried about?

[~clover~]

I think give it a little bit more time. But not too long.
I remember at 8 weeks DD1 was smiling & laughing & carrying on, then a little boy came over. She was all happy & laughing at him, & he, at 11 weeks just stared.
Obviously, 30 minutes out of someones life doesn't count for much, but to see the difference between the 2 was obvious. He had no facial expression at all, but he did look at her.
Maybe they should ask at their next MCN check up.

[Glamourcide]

I can only think of one bub who didn't look at, interact with or smile at other people/babies, and he's just been diagnosed as autistic... but, 11 weeks is still early days so I probably wouldn't be too worried Maybe if in a few weeks he still isn't bothering much with those around him, gently suggest to his mama that it's something she might want to ask a doctor about? That being said though, there's not a lot doctors can do until a baby becomes a toddler/child, so it may not be worth the stress of trying to work out if there is something amiss, as nobody can say for sure for a good 18 months more, kwim? All kids are different, maybe he just has a very different personality to his big brother and is a bit more serious? I know my DD1 was very smiley and happy from the first couple of weeks, whereas DD2 is a little more reserved and prefers to share her smiles and giggles with me and her big sister - my mum is always getting upset when DD2 cries for her, then turns off the tears, grins and starts 'bah bah bah'-ing at me the second I take her out of mum's arms hahaha

[Lulu]

A bit too soon to tell I think. He might be a serious little fella - or maybe thinks you are all a bunch of dorks and should stop pulling faces at him

[supablondie]

I think its too early to judge. To me it sounds like he is very serious baby. My dd isn't amused easily whereas my friends dd is so friendly and easy going. U never know until later and u think yep, u were like that from day 1.

[Tinks]

A bit too soon to tell I think. He might be a serious little fella - or maybe thinks you are all a bunch of dorks and should stop pulling faces at him

Lulu that's exactly what my sister says. She calls him a 'serious little dude'.

[Visitor8]

hehe @ dorks :P

I don't think it's something to worry about yet. My neice is 7 months and while she smiles a lot it's hard hard HARD to get her to laugh! Yet Ash was laughing and smiling at 2 months. Every baby is different

[Trillian]

My nephew (DH's brothers youngest son) was just like your nephew - never interacted with anyone, even SIL could hardly raise a smile and I had never heard him laugh at all and boy did he cry a lot! To the point where I honestly thought he was autistic because it was like he was in his own little world all the time and paying no attention to what was going on around him. but when he was about 10 months old, it was like a switch got turned on inside him and now he's quite an engaging little boy, will smile at you if you talk to him and is generally more involved in life now. I don't know what changed all of a sudden to make that difference, but maybe he just needs a bit more time? Other than that maybe Mum should take him to a GP to rule out hearing issues or he could just be a serious little boy and not one for smiling much

[MummyNaomi]

If he is crying a lot - could he have reflux or wind pains? Perhaps its something medical and he just feels a bit rotten?

[Tinks]

Today I got the biggest smiles and giggles from him in the layby line at Target. I reckon all the people around me thought I was a nut case because I was sooooo excited about it!!

[MummyNaomi]

Yaaaaaah, thats awesome

[maz]

A bit too soon to tell I think. He might be a serious little fella - or maybe thinks you are all a bunch of dorks and should stop pulling faces at him

or who farted

For the record hon...W was a smiley kid who sceamed most of the time until he was 6 months old...then he just stopped at 7 months old and gave me that hit by a brick wall look.

I think its lovely that your worried about him

[Artechim]

My DD was very hard to get a smile out of until she hit 12 weeks. Now at 15 weeks she is quite smiley but she has only giggled/laughed a couple of times. On the other hand, DS was Mr Smile - you only needed to look in his general direction and he would be grinning away.

[renis]

Babies all develop at diff times...at 8 weeks my baby was occassionally smiling and rarely looking at me (not cooing or interacting much at all not like the other babies)....i was worried and thinking the worst...being totally paranoid googling conditions then a 3 weeks later she completely changed, cant stop staring at me, smiling constantly and cooing constantly. This made me realise i need to relax and let her develop as it comes...i think we worry ourselves silly...but watching her change like that in one day made me realise that i need to relax and just enjoy her