Remind me to disregard those damned "your baby should be" things

[yawningmonster]

I had been gloriously enjoying dd just for the sake of enjoying her and had not gone anywhere near a book. DS was late with everything but he had an excuse and is now an active, healthy 5 year old. I got one of those emails out of the blue telling me all the things my 6 month is doing but she isn't doing any of it!!!! DD hates being on her tummy so she is therefore unable to raise herself very far up when in said position. She is not rolling or sitting. She does not weight bear. She is not showing readiness for solids signs (other than randomly grabbing two bits of food accidentally and sucking on them. She is not sleeping through the night and she has not decreased her feeds to every 3/4 hours (she is every 1 and a half to 2 hours) But she is fine right, and lovely and I should go right back to gloriously enjoying her shouldn't I??? (She is 6months)

Ok I know it is boring but I have just made myself even more unsettled by doing a search on here and reading about babies sitting up, eating finger foods, rolling and doing all sorts at this age. DD laughs, smiles, drinks, poohs, and occasionally sleeps...thats about it. Arrgggh

Have you tried using a V pillow to support her chest and tummy so she can look around when in that position?

I think most of these emails come with a disclaimer at the bottom, "all babies are different etc." but by the time you've got that far you're worried anyway. You should definitely go back to gloriously enjoying her (lovely phrase )

My dd didn't roll until she could crawl. I was a bit miffed as I'd been terrified of her rolling off the changing table since she was about 4 months. Whole lot of wasted energy

Sounds like my DS - he absolutely hated being on his tummy. Then he learned to crawl (pretty late) and suddenly he's on it all the time, always rolls onto it in his sleep. He's been late with everything but gets there in the end, so I'm just enjoying him!

Yes to pillow, she just turns head to side and snuggles into pillow then rather quickly demands to be rescued and put back on her back where she is quite happy. There was a disclaimer but it was one of those awful ones broken up into Your baby is doing....(99.9 percent of babies do this sort of stuff) Your baby is probably doing...Your baby might be doing....etc.
Any rate she is absolutely scrummy, snuggled up murmuring in her sleep with boob in her mouth and wee hand gripped on my neckline...bliss. I will go with your advise ellipsis and go back to my glorious enjoyment and delete nasty horid email.

I don't read the books anymore. DS sat up early and gave us hope that he'd be a super hero baby. However, he hasn't bothered with anything else. He's almost 10 months and can't roll on his front - he did once in bed then screamed till I put him back on his side, he has a strange alien language that doesn't involve any consonants so no ma, ba da for us so far and as for crawling, he got on all fours and instead of going forward, he puts one leg and arm out to the side like he's about to break dance. He is pulling him self up to his knees and has once made it all the way so perhaps he'll just get up and walk. I'm focusing on the positives.

The milestones are handy to spot any problems, but I think they can be a bit set in stone. I also think there is a huge amount of pressure from other people. I get an almost daily text from my father asking if DS is crawling yet.

I wound myself up something chronic over what my 6m DS should/shouldn't be doing. He absolutely hates being on his tummy, and has rolled a couple of times, and then screamed.

My HV (very lovely one) listened patiently whilst I babbled on about milestones etc..then she said 'Look at him, there is nothing wrong with his development, he's fine'. She did say, however, to persevere with the tummy time as it strengthens core back and neck muscles. I tend to put him on for a minute (he usually screams), then pick him up, wait 20 mins or so, then put him back on his tummy for another minute etc...

Oh, just ignore it all! Those emails are the work of the devil- as if mums haven't got enought to worry about.

My DS hated being on his tummy for more than a few seconds, so I never put him on it much and he's fine, he was walking at 11 months. He never crawled though, he went from sitting to bottom-shuffling -though I was a bottom-shuffler myself (my brother and sister never crawled either) so I think it's maybe more to do with that than not being on his tummy much.

Just go back to enjoying your lovely, happy contented and NORMAL baby

Sounds exactly like my DD at 6 months and I haven't heard of any babies who actually enjoy 'tummy time'. How the hell can they look around at all the interesting things when their view is confined to the few square inches of playmat in front of their face.

I know babies who walked earlyish and lateish and ate everything and others who ate virtually nothing and talkers and totally silent ones, and all are gorgeous and normal - the one thing they have in common is anxious mothers.

You can't stop being anxious - just be anxious about the really important things.

Thank you all for the reassurance, it is mad isn't it that we can't just relax and enjoy our children...do you think it was always like this or like Fizzpops says maybe in days of old they just worried about children surviving into adulthood and it mattered not a dolt when they sat up.