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 think if you read it as 'around 8ish weeks your baby will probably be interested in things like a,b,c and will learn to do 1,2,3' then it's really interesting and useful. If you're looking for 'at 8.07 on the thursday of week 8, your baby will do x' then its total crap.

It's common sense really, isn't it? I don't need an app to tell me that occasionally a baby will have growth spurts or be developing in such a way that they might be cranky, sleepy, off their food or clingy. I also don't think it can be pinpointed accurately in the way that's claimed.

I agree that it does create a dread though- DD is one of the younger babies in our postnatal group and when other posters say they're having a tough time due to the latest "leap" I always start feeling a bit apprehensive. But i can't remember the last time she's been so out of sorts my apprehension was deserved. Maybe reading these things are a bit of a self-fulfilling prophecy, and the babies pick up on your anxiety about it or something. Who knows?

Wonder Weeks is probably bs but my three have all gone through stages of poor sleep, behavioural weirdness etc followed by suddenly being able to do something.

My DS never had any sunny periods for a very long time so I used to just say to other mums banging on about it that he’s in a permanent leap 🤣 that changed at 6 months when he became a happy little boy.
He definitely can all of a sudden do new things when he’s just come out of the other side of a supposed leap, but my presumption is it’s coincidence.

I very vaguely its correct.

However you cant be as prescriptive as the app says you can. You cant predict that your baby will be a nightmare when 5 weeks old, but a dream at 6 weeks. That said, its been right for me (very roughly).

I think baby can go through leaps in their mental development but the Wonder Weeks app where it says that one day is a thunderstorm then one day is sunshine is BS.

I found the descriptors on the app were woolly enough that you could always find something that matched what your baby was doing at the time. A bit like horoscopes.

It probably is nonsense but my first always coincided exactly with the leaps on the app. He'd start sleeping even more terribly than usual, I'd log onto it and sure enough he'd begun another leap! Have to say though, ds2 is totally different and doesn't match up at all with what the app says.