A mommy can drive herself crazy getting caught up in the developmental milestones a baby is suppose to reach and when they are suppose to reach them. I am guilty and I am so mad at myself.
After yesterday’s post on Lucas’ seventh month accomplishments, I made the mistake of digging around on the Internet (Baby Center, What To Expect, WebMD, Parents Magazine, etc.) and found several lists of these so-called benchmarks. I’m a sucker for lists, but as I consulted each one, not only were they different from the last, but they included items that Lucas hasn’t mastered yet, or in some cases even attempted. And that’s when the guilt and head spinning set in… am I doing something wrong, is there something wrong with my baby, will he ever scoot, get up on all fours, crawl, eat solid foods, etc. etc. I must be a terrible parent if he’s not doing what the “lists” say he should, right? What exactly is the difference between gross motor skills and fine motor skills anyway?!?
Whoa! Time for a deep, deep breath….
Luckily, I’m smart enough to know that each baby is unique and that these charts are only meant to serve as a guideline, not an end all be all of child rearing or infant development. The most important thing to me is that you are happy and I have no doubt about that! The rest, the milestones so to speak, will all come in due time.
The best is yet to be.
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I am glad this post ended the way it did, otherwise, I would have had to come over there and knock some sense into you! Geez! Yes, every child is different and not all of them develop at the same speed. From everything that I have read myself, Lucas is right where he should be. So, stop worrying and enjoy exactly where he is.
It's important to keep in mind that is why there are "ranges"…every child develops differently. You'll know if he's not where he's suppose to be for his age, but from what I've seen, he's right on track! 🙂
oh honey, don't compare your sweet baby…he will scoot, he will eat (trust me on this one) and do all of those things when he is ready, and remember boys are slower then girls…they just can't multitask like we can! ha!…I used to read those lists too and then one I said to heck with those lists and my baby was happy and healthy (a big one for me)…it all comes in time, just remember it goes soooo fast to hold on to each and every moment! Happy weekend Tonya!