Worst Plunket visit ever!!!

Michaela had her 22-24 month Plunket visit today, our first one since we moved into the area, and DH took her. She was a demon!!

Firstly she downright refused to get on the scales and kicked and screamed and did the dead weight thing. Then she didn’t want to be measured. She spent the entire visit having a tantrum – DH said he was so embarrassed. Then she wouldn’t get into her pram when it was time to go and started screaming and arching her back until she spotted the park next to the plunket rooms. DH let her have a play but the tantrums started again when he wouldn’t let her climb a massive suspended rope ball thingee (not sure how else to describe it) and when he put her back in her pram again for the walk home she started screaming again and spent most of the 20 min walk home howling! DH, who didn’t sleep well last night and is overtired anyway, was at the end of his tether when he called me, luckily it’s her nap time now (hopefully she goes down for a few hours).

They did manage to weigh and measure her. She’s 13.25kgs and 84cms, which is good.

We were told that we have to get rid of her after lunch bottle, which isn’t going to go down well with either DD or DH when the time comes (he’s always let her fall asleep with her bottle so although she self settles without it at night or if I put her down during the day she refuses to when DH is putting her down).

Also the nurse is concerned about her lack of verbalization (especially since my 6yo nephew was recently diagnosed deaf) and if she isn’t saying 60 words within the next 3 months we have to go back to have her hearing tested and for a referral to a speech therapist

We’re not too worried about her hearing because she understands what we say and follows instructions (when she wants to) so I’m pretty sure she can hear and she did actually start talking really early (she said ‘mum’ at about 5mo) and was picking up new words all the time and beginning to use short sentences until 19 mo. When we moved to our new house 4 months ago she just stopped talking and “forgot” most words she could say prior and now she only uses 6-8 words and if we ask her to say anything including words she used to use she’ll just grin at us and shake her head (little minx). Apparently as a small child I was the same, I stopped using words completely at 16mo (I would make animal noises and ‘chatter’ quietly or ‘sing’ to my dolls but never use words) and then suddenly one day when I was about 27mo I suddenly started talking again using full sentences and could hold conversations with my family. Also Einstein didn’t start talking until he was 4yo so maybe my baby’s just a genius.


Edited by The_Stuarts

IMO (and its only mine) I wouldn't worry about getting rid of the bottle. Unless its doing harm! Its like the dummy thing, its kind of her settling thing so where is the harm in that?

I have plunket in a couple of weeks and I ain't going to tell them about the bottles or dummy we have because I know they will frown upon it. Char still wakes at about 4-6am each morning and asks for a bottle and I know that they will try to make us get rid of it but its the only thing that will get her back to sleep and she needs the sleep!

Aww Jack has done the tantrum thing at plunket a few times, its so not fun.

With the talking Jack wasn't saying much before 2 either and then one day he just woke up talking lol and now picks up new words daily. Doesn't sound like you worried but I just thought I'd say anyway. Jack is also quite ahead with his physical skills.

With the bottle it might be because shes having too much milk so maybe water it down a bit? Plunket told me to cut Jacks dummys out cold turkey at 10 months. I let him wean himself around 2 so don't worry about it too much.

Lol at DH, I can understand that. Even a small sleep is needed I think - my friend has a 4 year old and he still has a LOOOONNGGG nap mid day (like for 2 hours) so your DH might be ok for a while yet!