u/Designer-Wheel9317

Hi everyone,
My 12-year-old daughter has extremely dense 3B curls, and we’re considering a keratin or smoothing treatment.

She doesn’t want straight hair or to lose her curls—she loves being curly. The challenge is that her hair is so incredibly thick and dense that it’s becoming difficult for her to manage on her own.
Our hope is that a treatment would keep her curls while making her hair easier to brush and detangle, reducing the bulk, puffiness and overall volume, cutting down on frizz, and making it much easier for her to style independently. Ideally, she’d be able to wash it, let it air dry naturally, and still have beautiful curls—just softer, less bulky and easier to manage.

I’d love to hear from anyone with similar dense 3B or 3C curls who has had a keratin or smoothing treatment. Did it keep your curls? How much did it reduce the bulk and volume? Did it make wash days and styling significantly easier? Could you still wear it naturally curly every day? Which treatment did you have?

If you have any before-and-after photos of your hair air dried naturally, I’d be so grateful if you’d be willing to share them.

We’re not looking to straighten her hair—just to make her beautiful curls easier for her to manage herself. Any honest experiences, recommendations or photos would be hugely appreciated. Thank you! ❤️

My son has just turned two and is completely not verbal but has learnt the sign for ‘wee’ and we’re working on sign for ‘poo’…

Is this enough to start potty training?

Does anyone have any tips?

I just don’t want his lack of speech to hold his independence back. Or at least I want to do everything I can to ensure he’s not held back because of it.

If anyone’s successfully potty training their non verbal , very young toddler and would like to share experiences.. I’d be hugely grateful. 🥹 🙏

Bit of a random one, but has anyone found any supplements that genuinely helped their child’s speech delay or motor planning/oral motor difficulties?

My little boy is 2 and we’re still trying to work out exactly what’s going on. He’s delayed with speech and has some oral motor issues, so I’m interested to hear what other parents have tried.

I’m not expecting a magic fix, but there’s so much information online and it’s hard to know what’s worth looking into and what’s just hype.

Did anything make a noticeable difference for your child? Things like omega 3, magnesium, vitamins, probiotics etc?

Would love to hear real experiences, whether positive or negative.

Bit of a random one, but has anyone found any supplements that genuinely helped their child’s speech delay or motor planning/oral motor difficulties?

My little boy is nearly 2 and we’re still trying to work out exactly what’s going on. He’s delayed with speech and has some oral motor issues, so I’m interested to hear what other parents have tried.

I’m not expecting a magic fix, but there’s so much information online and it’s hard to know what’s worth looking into and what’s just hype.

Did anything make a noticeable difference for your child? Things like omega 3, magnesium, vitamins, probiotics etc?

Would love to hear real experiences, whether positive or negative.

Bit of a random one, but has anyone found any supplements that genuinely helped their child’s speech delay or motor planning/oral motor difficulties?

My little boy is nearly 2 and we’re still trying to work out exactly what’s going on. He’s delayed with speech and has some oral motor issues, so I’m interested to hear what other parents have tried.

I’m not expecting a magic fix, but there’s so much information online and it’s hard to know what’s worth looking into and what’s just hype.

Did anything make a noticeable difference for your child? Things like omega 3, magnesium, vitamins, probiotics etc?

Would love to hear real experiences, whether positive or negative.

Just wondering if anyone has had a child with a similar profile at nearly 2?

My little boy has no words yet. He points, uses signs, understands lots of what we say, loves pretend play, is really affectionate and has a great sense of humour. He enjoys building things and seems to learn new skills all the time.

He also has some oral-motor issues, dribbles a lot, has an open-mouth posture and a high palate.
One thing that’s been worrying me is that his babbling has been quite inconsistent. He’s had periods where it seemed to reduce or disappear, then come back again. At the moment he’s babbling quite a lot.

We’re currently waiting to see specialists and neurology has been mentioned. There has also been some discussion around whether genetic testing might be needed, which has completely sent my anxiety into overdrive if I’m honest.
Some days I think it’s “just” a speech delay, and other days I end up convincing myself it’s something much more serious.

I’d really love to hear from anyone whose child had no words at 2 but had good understanding, pointed, signed, played imaginatively and was socially engaged.

Did speech eventually come?
Did your child end up having a diagnosis?
Was neurology/genetics ever involved and, if so, what was the outcome?

Just looking for experiences while we wait, as the uncertainty is really hard.

Any peice of kit / device / toy / book that you feel has been pivotal in mentoring your toddler to speech and imitate?

Any peice of kit / device / toy / book that you feel has been pivotal in mentoring your toddler to speech and imitate?

Anyone kids with severe speech delays age 3 who didn’t show signs of autism - still go on to talk?

If so did / were they….

Completely non verbal at age 2?

Babble and make lots of sounds before the actually started on words?

Did they say the odd ‘popout’ word or sound and then never again?

We’re the gesturing and communicating in all other ways? Inc sign

Were the focussed and engaged and otherwise seemed like they wanted to talk ?

Did they get very frustrated and just make one constant ‘eh’ or ‘aaaaaaaaah’ shouting / strained sound?

Any other significant things did or didn’t do before they started talking or did you ever realise why?

I’m concerned my son has Childhood Apraxia of speech as his presentation even at 2 is already matching this. I’m holding out hope and this is why I’ve written this post. We will still obviously get him the support he needs but it breaks my heart to think he could have this condition.

I really just want to enjoy these early years; he’s such a delightful boy but it breaks my heart to think he could be trapped in a body that can’t speak and even if he does manage to learn, it’ll be years if not a decade of intense therapy which we don’t have the money for..we will find it somehow though..

Also, autism has pretty much been ruled out at this stage as he has absolutely no traits apart from being non verbal

Anyone’s kids with diagnosed apraxia not say anything at all age 2 apart from very rarely a word or animal noise and then never again?

Or did they try to say stuff just not very well and get it sounds mixed up?

Hi everyone, I’m looking for some advice/reassurance from parents with similar experiences.

My little boy is 23 months old and currently non verbal. He’s very social, affectionate, engaging, understands lots, uses eye contact well and communicates through signs/gestures. His other development seems on track.

What concerns me is that he has no consistent words, struggles to imitate sounds, and will occasionally make a sound once and then never do it again. He mostly says “uh” for everything. He also drools and often has an open mouth posture.

We’ve had hearing checked, seen an SLT, and are using AAC/signs and all the usual speech strategies consistently.

I keep being told to “wait and see,” but I’m starting to wonder about childhood apraxia of speech/verbal dyspraxia because of the inconsistency and lack of progress.

Did anyone else’s child present similarly at this age? What was the eventual outcome?

My son has suspected CAS and I am panicking about his future prospects.

Will he be able to socialize, enjoy and have a fulfilling childhood and eventually settle down to be able to be independent and successful and whatever he puts his mind to?

How serious is this condition?

We’re obviously willing to throw everything we can into supporting him. He’s almost 2 and is a bright; engaging and charming little boy with an exuberance for life and people. It breaks my heart to think he’ll be starting nursery soon and the other kids may think he’s a baby and not want to play with him cause he can’t talk…

Any future hope - please share. Very worried mum xxx

My little boy is almost 2. He’s really social, lovely, affectionate and engaging. He initiates interaction, loves people, understands lots, and all his other development seems on track.

But he still doesn’t say any words at all — not even consistent animal noises or play sounds. He’s had his hearing checked and that was all fine.

We’ve seen speech therapy and AAC was suggested, but there’s no regular therapy at the moment. We’ve also been consistently using all the strategies the speech therapist suggested for over 6 months now.

Since he was born we’ve constantly read to him, sung to him, talked to him, engaged with him, played with him, and taken him to groups/classes, so I don’t feel like it’s a lack of interaction or stimulation.

He’s also been using signs since around 9–10 months old. Very occasionally he’ll do an animal noise or sound once, and then not do it again for months. Sometimes it honestly feels more like regression than progress, which is what worries me.

Everyone keeps telling me to “wait and see” but I just have this feeling that it’s more than just being a late talker.

I think what confuses me is that he’s so connected socially and seems bright in every other way.

Would really appreciate hearing from parents whose children were similar around this age. Did speech come later? Was there eventually a diagnosis or was it just a speech delay? Did anything help?

My little boy is almost 2. He’s really social, lovely, affectionate and engaging. He initiates interaction, loves people, understands lots, and all his other development seems on track.

But he still doesn’t say any words at all — not even consistent animal noises or play sounds. He’s had his hearing checked and that was all fine.

We’ve seen speech therapy and AAC was suggested, but there’s no regular therapy at the moment. We’ve also been consistently using all the strategies the speech therapist suggested for over 6 months now.

Since he was born we’ve constantly read to him, sung to him, talked to him, engaged with him, played with him, and taken him to groups/classes, so I don’t feel like it’s a lack of interaction or stimulation.

He’s also been using signs since around 9–10 months old. Very occasionally he’ll do an animal noise or sound once, and then not do it again for months. Sometimes it honestly feels more like regression than progress, which is what worries me.

Everyone keeps telling me to “wait and see” but I just have this feeling that it’s more than just being a late talker.

I think what confuses me is that he’s so connected socially and seems bright in every other way.

Would really appreciate hearing from parents whose children were similar around this age. Did speech come later? Was there eventually a diagnosis or was it just a speech delay? Did anything help?

My little boy is almost 2. He’s really social, lovely, affectionate and engaging. He initiates interaction, loves people, understands lots, and all his other development seems on track.

But he still doesn’t say any words at all — not even consistent animal noises or play sounds. He’s had his hearing checked and that was all fine.

We’ve seen speech therapy and AAC was suggested, but there’s no regular therapy at the moment. We’ve also been consistently using all the strategies the speech therapist suggested for over 6 months now.

Since he was born we’ve constantly read to him, sung to him, talked to him, engaged with him, played with him, and taken him to groups/classes, so I don’t feel like it’s a lack of interaction or stimulation.

He’s also been using signs since around 9–10 months old. Very occasionally he’ll do an animal noise or sound once, and then not do it again for months. Sometimes it honestly feels more like regression than progress, which is what worries me.

Everyone keeps telling me to “wait and see” but I just have this feeling that it’s more than just being a late talker.

I think what confuses me is that he’s so connected socially and seems bright in every other way.

Would really appreciate hearing from parents whose children were similar around this age. Did speech come later? Was there eventually a diagnosis or was it just a speech delay? Did anything help?

My daughter is coming to the end of Year 7 and has really struggled this year with anxiety, overstimulation, overwhelm and becoming very self-conscious socially. She’s bright and kind but seems mentally exhausted a lot of the time and secondary school has felt like a huge adjustment for her.

She worries about friendships, fitting in, being judged, noise/crowds, homework, everything really. At home she often seems completely drained after school and sometimes quite emotionally overwhelmed.

I’m trying to work out what’s “normal” Year 7 transition/puberty stuff that settles with maturity and familiarity in Year 8, versus signs that she may need more support.

Did anyone else’s child struggle like this in Year 7 and then settle during Year 8? Or did you find it pointed towards anxiety/ADHD/something else? Any advice or reassurance appreciated.

Are you kids conventionally attractive.?

My children are conventionally unattractive

I know this probably makes me sound horribly shallow, but I need to get it off my chest somewhere anonymous.

I’ve always been considered attractive – not supermodel-level, but the type of person who is often told they have nice features. My DH is wonderful: kind, intelligent, successful, and a genuinely good man. He’s not conventionally attractive in terms of looks, but that has never mattered to me because he has so many other qualities.

Here’s the thing: our now almost teenage DC don’t seem to have inherited the “best of both worlds.” At the moment, they look much more like DH, and while they are beautiful to me as their mum, I can objectively see they aren’t conventionally good-looking children. I know children change as they grow, and features shift, so there’s every chance they will grow into their looks.

I’m aware how shallow and ridiculous this sounds – I don’t want to pass these thoughts onto my DC or make them feel any less loved or confident. But occasionally, when I see other people’s children who are striking or “pretty,” I feel that pang of comparison and guilt for even noticing.

I suppose I just needed to say it somewhere: that conflict between loving your children unconditionally but also being aware of how society views attractiveness. I hate that it even crosses my mind, but it does.

Has anyone else ever felt like this? Did your DC grow into their looks as they became adult ?