Developmental Milestones and When You Should Worry

by Valorie Delp | More from this Blogger

13 Feb 2008 05:37 AM

Although we have a very extensive collection of articles already in the baby blog regarding infant development from newborns to 24 months, I still find that parents need reassurance regarding their child's development. So what should you do when your child misses a milestone marker?

Trust Your Instincts

I have said it before, and I'll keep saying it over and over and over again. Moms--we are born with good maternal instincts. Use them. If something seems off to you, go get it checked out.

True, it's probably nothing. If junior isn't talking, he probably has a quite personality or if he isn't walking--perhaps he just doesn't feel like it. However, identifying a problem early is one of the key components of successful intervention.

Missing Several Milestones

Frequently, identifying problems in a child's development is not about missing one milestone. If junior simply isn't walking by 14 months, chances are good you have nothing to worry about. Remember--junior has not read the textbook on when he is supposed to walk.

However, when several milestones are skipped or missing there is good reason to be concerned. Only your pediatrician can determine if there's really a problem. This is why it is so important for your pediatrician to see your children regularly. Problems are more easily identified when the pediatrician can see your child more frequently. Patterns become apparent and an issue can be spotted earlier.

Their Own Timetable

Remember, that your child has his own time table. Thinking that junior is walking later than his sister is NOT cause for concern. It is normal for infants to walk as early as 8 months and it is also normal for infants to walk as late as 14 months. Likewise, girls tend to talk much earlier and much more proficiently than boys do. For each developmental marker, there is a curve and falling anywhere within the curve is perfectly normal.

Related Articles:

Your Child's Developmental Milestones

Is My Baby Gifted? How to Tell

Why It's Not Bad to Fail First Grade

Is My Child Developing Properly?

What Is Failure to Thrive Syndrome?

Learn more about Valorie Delp

Hello everybody! My name is Valorie and I am one busy lady! When I'm not writing or editing for families, I am busy trying to get my brood of 5 in line.

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stchu (5) 15 Dec 2008 10:23 PM

The only issue I take with this article is the assertion that girls on average learn to speak earlier and more proficiently than boys. I've heard this over and over again with no scientific proof. From my personal experience, many of the boy toddlers I know excelled here. And those that did not actually have some learning disabilities. But, their parents delayed getting help because everyone always pointed out this "fact" about girls being talkers. Parents who were extra involved and emphasized reading in most cases had boys who had excellent language mastery.

Valorie Delp (49340) 16 Dec 2008 04:58 AM

Thanks for your comment but I have to say that after over a decade of working with kids. . .I've certainly observed this. I will look to see if I can find some links to some good research. But there is quite a bit of research indicated that in many areas boys develop more slowly.