Developmental milestones - a question

[aamia]

So I've been looking at these, comparing what my baby can do and what he 'should' be doing. Some of those things he seems to be doing early - but is that because they need to be doing those things regularly to count? Surely they develop a little faster than those charts as they have to build up the skills slowly?

So for example he first smiled at 3 weeks, held his head steady for a few seconds from a week old and now for 3-5mins at a time at 5 weeks old, he's been lifting his head up off the ground on his arms since 3-4 weeks, likewise bearing weight on his legs if you stand him up. He can roll over from his front to his back (this week's new trick at 5 weeks old and very cute!) and has been trying to learn to crawl when you put him on his front since the beginning pretty much. Not with much success of course but I can't believe it'll take him another 5 months to figure it out!

So - what do I count as 'achieving' a milestone. When I see a behaviour a lot? When he does it for a certain period of time? For example with the rolling, would being able to roll over mean that he could roll front to back AND back to front, and that he was using it to get around? I can well believe that'll take quite a while yet, and would then fit in with the charts....

Just being curious - first baby so not sure how all this works!

I think you shouldn't worry about it as long as HV is satisfied with his progress & you can see steady development for yourself.

Rolling is both ways IIRC . However my dd2 did neither!! Some milestones are easy so first word will be easy to tell. Crawling will be when he's actually begun to move on all fours whether that's one metre or 100m it doesn't matter I don't think. Waving that ones easy, playing peek a boo that's easy. So as long as they do it in a meaningful way more than once I'd say. But try not to worry too much about them

I think it varies hugely and the published milestones are averages. If baby misses them by a few weeks, no one bats an eyelid. A few months is a red flag to a health professional and they would ask more questions.

The ones you describe are important, such as a smile... Your baby has smiled very much earlier than average. But I bet you sit and watch and smile at your baby MORE than the average! So he is learning from you.

The bigger more physical things like rolling are within a small timeframe( 4-8 months eg) , crawling averaged fit into a bigger normal time frame (6-13 months eg) and walking a bigger timeframe still (8-18 months eg). I'm not certain of the actual months.

Just wait until its talking, jumping and hopping! Oh and READING!

...and clamouring for their own phone and fretting because a bit of their hair sticks out awkwardly behind the ears. Or they get their first detention. Oh... the joys.

He will only wave when he physically can and when he has been taught to do it by copying you.
Clapping too! It's so much fun teaching them.

lljkk

I'm not sure the "trying to crawl" is reallly trying to crawl - from what I recall, there is a creeping refkex when they are newborn, which is different from crawling. Someone more medical might know more!
My advice would be not to think too much about it, unless you have an obvious reason to worry. I worried myself sick with my "late" walker (18 months) - she's 2 in a month, and like a dynamo! You wouldn't be able to spot any difference between her and her friend who walked at 10/11 months.

I'd say when he's doing something to the extent where you aren't thinking "Does that count?" is probably what the charts are aiming for. So, doing something once when it might have been a total fluke doesn't count. But you can tick the box long before "Does that all the time and I've hardly been noticing any more as it isn't new"

The charts really aren't meant to need agonising over - so long as he is dong these things to some extent, and doing more of them as the weeks/months pass, then everything is probably fine.

Thanks everyone!

Looked up infant creeping and found it very interesting :). He tries to scoot himself forwards by bringing alternate knees forwards, digging his toes into the ground and pushing. At first he did this with his head flat on the ground (bed in this case), and now he has his head and shoulders raised.

I love watching each new thing develop as he learns about the world!

treasure every moment hun it goes way too fast xx

It only really matters when they are delayed. Ds has global developmental delay and we fill out a development journal for his therapists. There are 3 columns, 'first seen', 'doing ocassionally/when prompted' 'doing regularly' - they do this because when children have a lot of delays it often takes them a lot longer and a lot more input for each new skill. The milestones for assessment purposes are windows, so sitting between 6-9 months, walking 12-18 months etc.

Your baby has smiled very much earlier than average. But I bet you sit and watch and smile at your baby MORE than the average! So he is learning from you.
I'm sure you do smile at your lo a lot, and they do learn off their parents,siblings etc, but if a child smiles early I don't know if the above is necessarily true (same for talking etc) and if they are late it is probably not because their parent isn't smiling, talking to them enough!!