Although we have a very extensive collection of articles already in the baby blog regarding infant development from newborns to 24 months, I still find that parents need reassurance regarding their child’s development. So what should you do when your child misses a milestone marker?
Trust Your Instincts
I have said it before, and I’ll keep saying it over and over and over again. Moms–we are born with good maternal instincts. Use them. If something seems off to you, go get it checked out.
True, it’s probably nothing. If junior isn’t talking, he probably has a quite personality or if he isn’t walking–perhaps he just doesn’t feel like it. However, identifying a problem early is one of the key components of successful intervention.
Missing Several Milestones
Frequently, identifying problems in a child’s development is not about missing one milestone. If junior simply isn’t walking by 14 months, chances are good you have nothing to worry about. Remember–junior has not read the textbook on when he is supposed to walk.
However, when several milestones are skipped or missing there is good reason to be concerned. Only your pediatrician can determine if there’s really a problem. This is why it is so important for your pediatrician to see your children regularly. Problems are more easily identified when the pediatrician can see your child more frequently. Patterns become apparent and an issue can be spotted earlier.
Their Own Timetable
Remember, that your child has his own time table. Thinking that junior is walking later than his sister is NOT cause for concern. It is normal for infants to walk as early as 8 months and it is also normal for infants to walk as late as 14 months. Likewise, girls tend to talk much earlier and much more proficiently than boys do. For each developmental marker, there is a curve and falling anywhere within the curve is perfectly normal.
Related Articles:
Your Child’s Developmental Milestones
Is My Baby Gifted? How to Tell
Why It’s Not Bad to Fail First Grade
Is My Child Developing Properly?
What Is Failure to Thrive Syndrome?