Wonder week - for and against?

[Cee3008]

Just discovered it - my DS is 8 weeks and wondered how people felt about WW?

Anyone swear by it or feel that little ones don't conform to the line or anywhere inbetween?

hmm not sure. DS often went through fussy phases when predicted but rarely displayed the leaps predicted afterwards. he seemed a lot "slower" than the examples given.

I only ordered it today online, please don't tell me another rash baby purchase....wouldn't mind but I'm too tired to read it anyway.

I downloaded the app and some of what it says DS shouldnt be able to do yet - he can and there seemed to be a lot of 'stormy' weeks on the schedule... It just made me wonder about other peoples experiences?

I'm highly sceptical of anything that gives parents an expectation of some sort of 'timetable'. As long as you're mentally prepared for a lot of ups and downs (from the adult point of view. From the baby's point of view it's just doing what babies do.) then I don't think something that rigid is going to be anything other than disappointing. If babies were that predictable then the NHS would dish out copies of WW. Just another marketing con IMO.

Having just read the introductory page on the website, it does say that after the leap the child will start to learn the new skills. Also that you wouldn't expect him/her to learn all the skills mentioned.
Dd is nearly 6 and I heard this theory when she was little. I think if you take it as a guide anything like this can be a useful tool.

I found it useful and realistic as far as the fussy periods are concerned, so you know fussiness can be due to mental, unseen factors, not only teething, colds, etc. As a first time parent, I liked knowing, roughly, when they are due a growth spurt.

But the babies given as examples are, indeed, very advanced, and also a lot of the book is repetitive IMO (such as examples of fussy behaviour, how it makes you feel as a mum, etc). I also wondered, many times, if the mums referred to in the book are real, they always seem to talk about putting baby to bed when they've had enough of the fussy behaviour. As if...

Brilliant book, though you can get most of the basic info on when the fussy periods are from the website www.thewonderweeks.com.

IME the fussy periods are very predictable (though the timings get slightly more varied as they get older e.g. past 12 months). Apparently there is strong research evidence to suggest that all NT children's brains do develop in predictable ways at a predictable time, although whether or not it translates into behaviour for any given child is another matter. DS followed them pretty reliably.

Of course, children have all kinds of other developmental leaps (and associated fussy periods) which are child-specific, so it isn't as straightforward as a list of the Wonder Weeks would suggest.

I didn't see such strong evidence of the leaps either (again, my DS seemed a lot slower than the examples), but I never took much notice of that - I just wanted to know about the fussy phases really.

I never noticed any particular increase or decrease in either DD's or DS's 'clinginess, crankiness and crying' at specific periods.

I liked it myself. It really helped when I was at the point of wondering why DD had gone off a particular toy or activity she usually liked - generally it coincided with a Wonder Week hiatus, and one of the ones they suggested for the 'next stage' worked wonders.
It saved me thinking too much, which is always nice.

I found it a lot more practical and forgiving than some of the more 'prescriptive' approaches, which seemed to say 'if they're being fussy it's YOUR fault! YOU aren't following my instructions to the letter! If you are, it must be that you need more of my branded merchandise that will make me RICH! bwah hah hah'.
Wonder Weeks seemed to be more along the lines of 'if they're fussy and you're not sure why, it might be because they're getting their heads round something - don't worry too much'.

yes, i liked it for a similar reason. knowing that babies just change all the time and it's not something that needs 'fixed' like other books suggest.

i didn't have it for DS1, but have been reading it since DS2 was born. he does seem to tie in roughly with the grumpy/calm periods.

like all books etc, i think it's more of a problem if you think it must be followed exactly to be right.

it does indeed say that the babies might be able to do the listed things at around this time, not all of them.

i also find the example quotes a bit odd, but just kind of ignore them. :)

Yes, though i used it only as a rough guide to put things in perspective when DS was going through a difficult phase. He always, always leapt developmentally following each 'stormy' week (and in fact still does at almost 2 yo, though the phases last a bit longer and the leaps are more pronounced!)

As i said, he didn't follow it to the letter but more often than not his stormy phases were followed by a significant accomplishment and a period of sanity!

Oh, and because i knew what to do to help him through the stormy times, they seemed to pass in only a few days rather than a week or two. I was able to know he just needed a bit more love, care and attention for a while to help him master new skills. It really helped me stay calm and patient with him and meant he got less frustrated because i was able to gauge what he needed to be doing.