I know that all babies develop differently and I know that Timmy is just fine. But I keep finding that I compare him to every baby of a similar age that we meet now. And invariably, Timmy lags behind them developmentally. He is nowhere near crawling. He doesn't pull himself up to standing. He doesn't say mama. He still rarely rolls over. At 8 months old, it's not necessarily worrisome, but I still can't help but feel that Timmy is somehow falling behind where he should be. The more I worry that he is behind, the more I compare him to other babies.
I hate that I ever look at him as anything other than a completely perfect human being. He is so much more than a statistic or achievement of a milestone, so why do I even pay attention to those?
On the bright side, my very laid-back, observant and mellow baby boy is very easy to watch and very easy on the eyes too!
3 comments:
I skipped crawling and just started walking - right before I turned 1 year. He might seem "behind" right now - but he could easily catch up (and surpass!) at any moment. And yes - he is VERY easy on the eyes. :)
I had the same worries about my daughter (now 11.5 months). I've stopped reading what they should be doing developmentally. She didn't roll until ~7 months, didn't crawl until 10.5 months and in the same week and a half period learned to crawl, get to a sitting position on her own and pull to standing. Just last week she started crusing and attempting to climb. She also didn't babble at all until a day shy of 8 months and didn't say "mamama" until 9.5 months. She doesn't say any words yet but just recently if we ask her "where's the book" or "where's daddy" she'll look in the right direction.
I know that it's hard not to compare, especially when you're used to being above average, but the babies really do develop at their own pace and so long as your pediatrician is not worried, try not to be too worried. I have two friends who had babies within a week of my daughter and both of their babies were crawling by 7 months and babbling around 6 months, so I certainly know how hard it can be to not worry and compare.
Maybe what you're seeing is the expression of his personality. He's laid back and mellow -- he's just in no hurry. He'll crawl when he has somewhere to be, he'll talk when he has something to say. Some kids are constantly on the move, some kids talk incessantly (ugh, that's my kid), and some kids are just laid back and take it all in before they feel the need to join the crowd.
Early milestones aren't necessarily a good thing. Just feel sorry for the people whose kids are crawling at 7 months old, because those are probably the kids hanging upside-down from the chandelier by age 2. And feel sorry for those of us whose kids started talking and have never ever stopped. Ever. Not even in her sleep. Seriously.
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