Do you believe in leaps?

[Megan1995]

Hi

I was just wondering. I’m in a group chat with other Mums, my baby is 2 months old. All the other Mums have recommended the ‘wonder weeks’ app. And they are constantly ‘oh my baby is in a leap’ ‘can tell when my baby is in a leap’

I downloaded it and TBH I couldn’t tell if my baby was in a leap or not. Surely every baby is just different and can learn skills at different times...

In my opinion it’s just another way to make Mums compare their baby to other babies, and get upset that their baby hasn’t done what the ‘milestones’ say yet.

So, do you believe in leaps? I don’t

I downloaded the app and my baby did follow the pattern they gave, up until around 6 months. Though not sure if she stopped or I just stopped checking it.

In terms of believing in it, absolutely no idea. I haven't read the research, I can't say if it's true or not. But it was helpful to answer the question, "Why is DD being a nightmare this week?" And I think it helped when the app said it would only last so many more days.

So whether it's right or not, I think it can be positive to stop mums thinking the baby is being really difficult, and can focus on thinking it's because he/she is learning something new and exciting.

I think it's a load of rubbish and just makes new mums more paranoid. In my opinion all babies are different although their development may follow a pattern. So semi interesting to read if you're interested in child development, but absolutely not if you believe that DC will be a horror on Thursday because an app says so.

I believe it's a lot of rubbish.
Yes babies develop certain things at certain ages. But I think sometimes it says that are 'stormy' days etc people are expecting their child to be moody and upset and vice versa when they are sunshine days and they're thinking... they aren't in a good mood etc.

Every time a kid used to whinge at a baby group... people used to say.... ah are they going through a leap??
Nope my child is grumpy as everyone can get grumpy! Xx

I think babies make massive leaps in their development in a short space of time - one day they can't do something, the next day they can. But I think the idea that there are set leaps at set times for babies is a load of bollocks.

Yes I believe it. Spells where DS has stopped sleeping or got really clingy or been miserable for days on end have coincided exactly with the leap timing on the app. Doesn't always last as long but yes a fully signed up believer here.

I don't believe it. DS was a calm baby all the time. There were no weeks where that changed. Yes he developed and grew but it didnt effect mood,sleep or appetite.

We're at 5 months and they've been pretty spot on both with changes in behaviour and skills. Early ones I didn't notice so much but the last 2 have had a big impact on what he can do so yes.

They were spot on for my DS. I think he still has ‘leaps’ now even though he’s almost 2. They say that they do continue into the toddler years and beyond.

I think it's bollocks

I do believe in leaps but I don't think they can be pinpointed to 1 year, 2 weeks and 4 days or however exact the Wonder Weeks is. Generally I see both my DS going through something every 6-8 weeks and it follows a pattern of not eating, poor behaviour, extremely tired, to eating loads and being hyper and needing lots of engagement to a more settled period where behaviour is better and they're generally sunnier in disposition. This wee cycle tends to repeat itself over and I can definitely see growth spurts associated with the cycle. They're 5 & 3.

Nope. They never coincided with when my child did things/was grumpy. I'm sure babies do progress at a similar rate and it's fairly predictable, but not to the day.

No it’s bullshit. I want to scream every time I hear it mentioned. Some parents want to think their baby comes with a manual. I think the guy came up with the idea based on an observational study of about 8 babies didn’t he?

Oh, I’ve just googled and it seems like most of their research was based on chimpanzees. Even more bullshit than I thought.

Didn’t he get sacked from the university he worked at or something?

I think babies learn at their own pace and an app like Wonder Weeks can’t determine what dates your baby is going to be in a good or bad mood.

I have a 10 week old and the app said today is a ‘lightening bolt’ aka a bad mood, he’s been smiling and happy all day

Like someone said, bollocks

But everyone’s allowed an opinion x

The wonder week thing was written by a fella who got sacked from a university. Just chill a mama sleep coach has posted about this many times, she thinks it's a load of crap too. Babies develop differently. I get sick of seeing things on here of mums worrying about having a bad couple of days with their baby and they get replies of "oh no it's the 6 month sleep regression it lasts for weeks" and so on. When I used to obsess over it my own mother told me to stop reading into bollocks and enjoy my baby. Best advice.

The other thing it creates is dread. So many mums I know worry in the build up to a ‘sleep regression’.NhHow bad will it be? How will they get through it? I don’t understand as lots are intelligent women who would never entertain the idea of things that aren’t backed up with decent research in any other area of their lives. It baffles me that they get het up about this.

I'm always surprised at the number of people who seem to disregard the fact that a baby is a person - like they are. Some days people are grumpy, some days they're tired, some days they don't sleep well, some days they're more hungry than others. We all accept this as totally normal for ourselves but seem to need to find a reason for it when it comes to a baby.

I have the book, not the app, and found it as a theory quite interesting. The idea that mental development can affect sleep / mood etc isn't a new thing but was to me for babies as I only really know teenagers (teacher).

The 'expected behaviour' in the book were mostly the same for each leap - sleeping more or less, being a bit clingy, crying more etc. My dd didn't display the behaviours consistently but the book does say all babies react differently. Interesting but not revolutionary.

Its just a gimmick to make mums feel better when their baby wont sleep etc

no!

I dont believe there are set times for leaps.
Each child is different my 3 all rolled over by 12-14 weeks but my nephew was 18 months. By contrast nephew walked at 9 months none of mine walked before a year.
I think it could be worrying for parents if their baby doesn't reach milestones by the dates specified. Better to follow a scientific model where by 'if they haven't reached specific milestones by a certain age seek medical advice' and ignore all the others whos child slept through, walked, talked, sat earlier than yours.

Spot on for my son, I enjoyed the app I found it helpful. Especially when he was having sleep changes and being "fussy" with feeding, I'd go on the app and it explained why and what was going on. It actually made me feel good because it gave reasons to why he was "going through a stormy period" instead of me thinking I was doing something wrong.

Spot on with all three of mine. It's not usually my sort of thing to pay attention to, I'm quite laid back so try to go with the flow. But it's never been wrong for mine

Mine have always had disturbed sleep and clingy behaviour just before a big jump in development, but the book has been debunked. I don't think it's that specific. And mainly it is just a tool to help you remember that their difficult phases are temporary and not likely to be linked to anything you've done.

Spot on for both of mine too. I don’t see how it puts pressure or dread on new mums, quite the opposite. Helps you understand what your baby is dealing with and how they see the world.