Is this madness?

[Jobelly]

I get weekly emails from babycentre and was reading the one tonight as DD2 is now 8 months. It said that now my baby is 8months she's likely to be crawling and calling me and my partner mama and dada! DD2 is no where near doing that and as my 3rd baby I think she is completely normal as my other two didn't do these things at 8 months (and DS was walking at 9months) and I don't think any of the other babies in all the baby groups I've been to have. If she had been my first I think I would have been really worried that she was developmentally behind.
It really makes it out to be the norm rather than as I would think the exception, or am I wrong am most babies doing this at 8months?

Think you are completely write. Could you contact them as ask for the links to the research that backs up their "advice"?

Its nonsense. I don't know any babies that crawled at that age.

Crawling yes, definitely - lots do by then (including all mine). But speech much more likely to be random babbling. My baby is ten + months now and although hes been saying ma ma ma ma ma and da da da da da for weeks, I am only just Starting some wishful thinking that it may happen at appropriate enough times to be deliberately for me or his daddy!

I'm pleased it's not just me, I was reading it thinking it was complete tosh. Some babies do crawl by then but I certainly don't think it's likely my baby will be, and as for the talking.
It really could freak some new mums out though, and there is enough to worry about.

Ha! Wait till you get the email from them at 15 months with tips on how to start potty training as "some babies are ready to start now" (or very similar words if I recall correctly). Luckily my 17 month old DD is my second so I was able to chuckle and not take it seriously but I agree with you that first time parents might worry (I was sucked in to loads of this kind of stuff with my first). I know a lot of kids and I don't know any who potty trained this early!

Mine was crawling by then but certainly not calling us stuff - that wasn't for a good while. No doubt some babies start to by then, but not many. Daft to send stuff out saying this - will only make people worry!

Jobelly - I agree this sort of advice is extremely unhelpful. Among my NCT group the babies crawled and spoke at all different ages. (Some spoke early but crawled late, and vice versa). I think 8 months is pretty early to be expecting either!

My son crawled at 8.5 and my daughter at 7. He said mami and papi by 8m but my daughter was just babbling at that age and a while after. I can't really remember their friends. Our friends' daughter didn't crawl until 10 months. All babies are different.

As long as your child is happy and healthy don't worry.

This kind of thing is really irresponsible as there are quite wide normal age ranges for a lot of milestones and all this does is freak out mothers whose children aren't bang on the average.

DS was crawling at 8 months (and walking at 10, so he's just early with that sort of thing) but not calling us Mama and Dada until about 17 months. His speech has been slow to get going but is picking up now and is well within the 'normal' range.

If you want information about milestones there are more helpful websites, such as the NHS, that give age ranges rather than a specific week or month.

Don't let it worry you.