Livi has some funny quirks. Most of them make me smile, some of them can get a little tiring over time. And others make me wonder and worry a little. But every time I bring them up with our pediatrician, she tells me that they are normal for a toddler who is figuring out the world around her. I just don’t know.
Shoes:
Livi loves shoes. Which is ironic because when she was a baby, we could not put any shoes on her, she would just rip them off a second later. But now, she loves all of her shoes dearly and gets excited every time she catches a glimpse of them. She even wants to wear her slippers to bed and fights tooth and nail every evening when we take them off.
Unfortunately, she seems to love our shoes just as much. During the summer, my husband and I like to take off our slippers at home and walk around barefoot. But not this year. This year, we had a toddler constantly demanding that we put them on, no matter how hot it got.
Holding (My) Hair:
Whenever Livi gets tired or seeks comfort, she wants to “hold” my hair. Now, my hair is not very long; most of the time, it’s just about chin-length. So “holding” it is not really that easy or comfortable for either one of us and it usually involves me bending my neck in unnatural ways. I try to avoid it as much as possible but some meltdowns still require hair holding. According to my husband, Livi has requested to hold is hair in very dire situations as well, apparently with mixed results.
Touching A Nose:
Livi loves to touch her nose. Or mine. Or my husband’s. For some inexplicable reason, she gets a kick out of touching our noses. No matter where we are or what we are doing.
Lately, she’s added pinching to her repertory, so my husband and I haven’t been that accommodating anymore.
Bracelets:
This mostly involves wearing various objects on her arms as if they were bracelets. This can be anything from teething rings to letter links to small picture frames. Often, it is actually quite imaginative and it does keep her busy for a while.
Tags:
Since she was a baby, Livi has loved playing with all kinds of tags. Give her a toy in the store and her eyes light up as soon as she discovers the price tag or washing instructions.
Once we realized what got her so excited, we even got her a Taggies Ball. I thought I was so smart and that I had found the perfect toy for her. And it was a hit for a while but not as long as I had hoped. Eventually, we told everyone to please leave all the tags on presents because this way she would actually play with them.
Light Switches:
Livi’s latest “obsession” are light switches. As soon as she sees one she wants to “on” and “off” it. If it were up to her, she would do it all day long. However, holding her so she can do it is something I am not prepared to do all day long. I never thought I would wish for light switches at floor level.
I wonder what other quirks she’ll develop. I hope they are more of the cute and funny kind than the ones that make me want to run and hide.
Do your kids have any funny or adorable quirks? Or ones that make you go hmmm or keep you up at night?
The High Need Baby Blog 
Awww, I love all of these – o.k the hair thing, not so much, but everything else is so sweet. Mine has had so many that I could write about it in a novel! My son has always been obsessed with the dog, to the point where the dog has been evicted out of her crate, or little bed, or finds herself under the bed waiting for him to go to bed. The latest though, was finding the furry one in bed with the little man, snug as a bug.
How cute. Goes to show you how quick things can change. I really need to embrace those little quirks more than I do. Before I know it, they will be gone.
love this post! 🙂 at 10 months, benji already shows some strong likes and dislikes.
for example, he is currently obsessed with soda cans, and anything and everything in boxes (or with a lid!!)!! he loves to come up to us for a cuddle and has learned to kiss our cheeks (sometimes missing them and plants kisses randomly anywhere on our faces. lol.)
he also loves the remote control and vaseline/petroleum jelly jars.
like you i’m looking forward to more quirky likes but hope they’ll be safe choices.
he hates to wear bibs, hats, socks, and shoes. — something i’m going to bring up to our pediatrician later as i wonder if it’s a sensory integration difficulty?
Yeah, definitely talk to your pediatrician. But I can tell you that Livi used to hate all of these things and she now looooves hats, socks, and shoes. She still doesn’t like bibs, though. But I can’t really blame her there. 😉
This stuff is so cute (although I could do without the hair pulling).
My child does the same thing every time I put her in her high chair – she surveys her food, had a bite or 2, and then moves herself sideways by pulling up one leg (and often shifting to the other side). And then she pulls of her sock. She does this at every meal. I strip her down to just her diaper to eat as she is so messy, but I leave those socks on because I get a kick out of her little routine.
I can’t think of any more off the top of my head, but she has some quirks about her. They all do. The trick is to find them funny! 😉
Oh! And I wanted to make a sleep suggestion for you! Does Livi have a lovey? Something she takes into her crib with her? My child also likes tags, so I got her the taggie triangle. It’s small and the tags are sewn on securely enough that I’ve been leaving one in her crib for months and months now. I have 2 to ensure we always have one, and she immediately reaches for it when I put her in her crib. She likes to hook her finger into one of the tags, and on the odd occasion I have to go in and wake her up, I often find her holding it in her hands (which are cosily tucked under her tummy as she’s a tummy sleeper). Anyway, it was just a thought. Livi may find it comforting and it may help keep her calm in her crib???
I remember you mentioning that triangle and I tried it with Livi. Sadly, it didn’t work. Just like everything else we tried or put in her crib. She just ignores it or throws it out of her crib when she wakes up at night. I’ll keep trying but I am slowly losing hope that I’ll find something that could actually help her feel more comfortable.
I can see how frustrating that must be. I remember reading an article in a magazine when Bubby was only a few months old about the crazy things people do to get their kids to sleep. One family reported that they mounted a big TV in their child’s room, and they play DVDs for their kid to get him to sleep. If he wakes up in the night, they just hit play and he’s happy. I wonder if Livi would like something like this? Is she a TV person? My child isn’t really, but I just bought a LeapPad and I’ve loaded some movies for her and I’m trying them out to see if she’ll get used to it. I figure it could be a good distraction for long drives, flights, etc. Maybe something to consider????
Hang in there, it will get better. It just has to. I know it feels like it never will, but it does.
xo
We don’t let her watch TV yet and don’t plan on much time in front of the TV in the future. And I think if we were to put a TV in her room, she’d just watch it all night long instead of sleeping. Now a movie for long drives or flights is a different story. That’s actually not a bad idea.
Thanks for the concern, I agree, it just has to get better eventually. 🙂
Have you tried a blanket teddy. My son was given one at 2 weeks old It still goes to bed with him every time at 3 . It is his comfort toy. Most other things he is bored with within a few minutes
Great idea. We’ve tried blanket animals, plush toys, blankets, cloth diapers, pretty much anything you could think of but so far everything just comes flying back at us or ends up in a corner.
My almost 4 year old is still pretty intense. Our biggest issue has always revolved around sleep. We made lots of compromises in that department with him. Since the day he was born, he hated to go to sleep. We spent many nights with him screaming and fighting sleep. He has gotten a lot better about it.
He has a very hard time settling down and often will just keep escalating his behavior. As long as he isn’t hurting anyone or himself, I have to just let it run it’s course.
He loves switches, buttons, knobs. He has to know how things work.
He is very determined and knows what he wants. Some days it is so frustrating, but I know that drive will benefit him in the future. 🙂
I also think that a strong will and determination will be beneficial to Livi in the long run. It just can be so frustrating for us as parents, especially now that she is a toddler. Her tantrums are no joke.
Livi also hates it to sleep and she fights it every single time. It is still a work in progress. Things were just getting a little better with her falling asleep by herself in our bed but it seems that the 18 months sleep regression may have put a stop to that for now. Right now it is pretty awful again. I am glad to hear that your son is sleeping better now. It also gives me hope. 🙂
Adorable. Mostly (wink, wink)!!
Oh, so many to choose from. But one of my all-time faves is my nephew and his belly button. When he was a little toot he used to stick his finger in his belly button and make a noise or gesture with his mouth like someone sucking their thumb!! Quirky, right?!? We could hardly stay in the same room when he did this – it was hilarious and odd all rolled into one!
That is too cute. It’s funny what they come up with, isn’t it. Thanks for sharing. 🙂
She’s so cute! Seriously those quirks are adorable. My kiddo went through a light switch phase too in certain people’s houses (he couldn’t reach ours at the time). I kept apologizing to the host for my kid who wouldn’t stop turning it off and on. They didn’t seem to mind, so long as it wasn’t where everyone was at (the dining table with everyone eating, for instance).
He was also into opening and closing doors, and like you, found a toy that seemed to suit that quirk. And he loved it, go figure.
Yeah, I was surprised the ball I mentioned didnt turn into her favorite toy or lovey or whatever. You never know, I guess. But I’m glad you found something that worked for your son. 🙂
I wanted to comment on what a cute post this was the day it hit my in-box. . .time seems to get away from me. Mac likes all the same stuff Livi does. Isn’t it funny how they are all so different, yet all so much alike in their development? It amazes me when I think about it.
I really hope everything is going well. I know Livi keeps you busy! 🙂 I hope you are having a really great time enjoying fall with her in the past few days.
I’m looking forward to more posts and tweets soon. XOXO
It is amazing, I agree.
Livi is indeed keeping me very busy these days. As soon as things get settled again, I’ll be back posting. 🙂
My son has many quirks 😉
He hates germs so he washes his hands a lot. He also hates public bathrooms so he would prefer to pee by the side of the road!
Sensory issues are probably the root of many of our quirks 🙂
Yeah, I bet in your case there are many quirks and a lot of them can be quite challenging. I hope there are also some fun quirks that make you smile and that make him special. 🙂
Really fun to read about Livi’s small quirks. She must be so cute.
Thank you, she really is.
Oh my goodness. I found your blog today; just wanted to let you know it was encouraging. I have a high-needs six-month-old daughter. I’m so excited to start noticing my baby’s quirks. I’ve been feeling frustrated a bit today… In order to get her to fall asleep at all, and stay asleep at all, I have to stay in bed next to her for the entire duration of the nap. (As I am at this very moment…ha!) It is nice to read your experiences with Livi, even if you haven’t posted in a while. Hope you are doing well.
I am glad you found my posts encouraging, that is so nice to hear.
I completely understand how you feel about having to stay in bed with her for the entire nap. I still have to do it and Livi is almost 2 now, she just has such a hard time sleeping. But it beats having her sleep on top of me for 2 hours.
I would love to keep posting, I have so much more to share but it’s just impossible right now. Livi is running around all day long and talking non-stop, I just cannot keep up. As it was, I wrote all my posts on my phone while holding her, etc. and could never find the time to use a computer. But Livi is much more aware now and wants to “use” the phone herself and I don’t want her to see me staring at the phone all the time. So something had to give.
Good luck to you and try to cherish as many moments as you can.
Thanks so much for your blog. Your stories very much remind me of my son, who is very much a high needs baby. I too discovered Dr. Sears’ website and was encouraged by what I found. I also purchased ‘The High Needs Baby Book’. It’s a wonderful resource, although I haven’t gotten to read much of it because of my son being high needs.
In regards to your post about your daughter loving tags, I can completely relate. My best friend found my son a stuffed toy in the shape of a vw beetle that has tags ALL over it. The brand is ‘taggies’. I’m not sure where he found it, but he mostly shops online so I’m guessing he found it thru Amazon. I don’t know if your daughter still enjoys tags or if that information would be helpful, but I wanted to share with you just in case. I’m always appreciative of new things to entertain my son because he doesn’t play by himself very often.
Thanks again for your blog. It gives me hope in knowing I’m not alone in my struggles.
I am so glad I could give you some hope. It helps so much to know that others understand what you are going through, doesn’t it.
And yes, we also have Taggies toys. I believe a ball and maybe something else and she did play with it a little. Unfortunately, though, not as much as I had hoped.
By the way, there are also good books out there by Mary Sheedy Kurcinka that may prove helpful to you. And yes, like you, it takes me forever to read even part of a book since my daughter was born. When she turned into a toddler, I could not even keep up with this blog anymore.
Hi there! Thank you for your blog. I was wondering if you had on updates on Livi? I am very curious to know how she’s doing now. How old is she? She sounds very similar to our 16 month old. She doesn’t have any diagnoses yet (pediatrician brushes off all concerns), but I think she has SPD vs ASD. Did you ever have concerns about this with Livi? Thanks so much!
Hi, Yes we worried about a lot of those things as well but never got a diagnosis and were always reassured that there are no red flags. But of course, you never know. Older kids can still be diagnosed with it, even adults.
Livi is doing great though. She’s outgrown most of her quirks, developed others along the way, which later also disappeared again. She’s 3.5 years old now and an amazing, bright, and funny little girl, who keeps me busy and on my toes every minute of every day. Aside from shyness and a stubborn refusal to use the potty, she is doing just fine.
Thank you so much for the update! That is great to hear!
My son Pablo seems a lot like your daughter. Always on the run, very curious and easily bored. Funny and exhausting at the same time. Adhd has crossed our minds, but pediatrician says it is too early to tell. I am inclined to think he is high needs. Any updates on Livi? How is she doing at school?
Hi Silvia, thanks for stopping by. Livi is doing fine. However, she is not in school yet for several reasons. One, potty training is still ongoing for number 2 and preschools here don’t take kids who are not fully potty trained. And two, she is scared of other children so I cannot simply send her to school. She is getting “therapy” right now in a Brain Balance Achievement Center. Their theory is that all kinds of developmental issues like ADHD, ADD, Autism, Aspergers, etc., basically the whole spectrum, are all caused by an imbalance in the brain. They tested Livi and found that her right brain was not as far developed as her left. Most likely she was already born with this imbalance, which explains the difficult birth and her behavior since she was born. Reading the description of babies they give, it sounds exactly like high need babies, so in the end they are probably all talking about the same and just give it different names. In any case, it is nothing dramatic with Livi. The “therapy” consists of doing physical exercises that stimulate the right brain, such as balancing beam, monkey bars, trampoline, etc. and also playtime that strengthens the right brain, such as puzzles. Over time, the right brain should catch up to the left brain and everything is back in order. They start the program at 4 years old, we started a little earlier. Anyway, if you are interested, the creator is Robert Melillo. He has written several books and from what I gather, he has also worked with smaller children, toddlers, etc. You can contact him directly and ask.
I hope this helps. All the best to you and Pablo.
My 6 month old is obsessed with tags, warning labels, and plastic bottled water. Little weirdo! 🙂 she can be playing and then spot that you have a water bottle and will scream and cry and try to crawl over to you. In the car seat she spend 1/2 the time with her head cocked to the side inspecting the warning label. In comparison to other babies her age that we know, she is so much more cognitively aware and developmentally advanced. Must be all the learning that takes place when she’s not sleeping – she never sleeps! I mean, how many 6 month olds sit up and turn book pages at the right times as you read them 4-5 stories every night?
Wow, that sounds really impressive. Livi did not sleep either but she didn’t do anything like that. It actually took her longer than most babies until she could sit up.