Category: Development
Posted by Kate Storey on Sat, Aug 22, 2009 at 6:22 AMMom finds it hard not to compare milestones
I recently dropped off my daughter at the home of a friend from church for playtime with their two young children while Mom was working and Dad attended to some errands. We were greeted by their little daughter, just a month older than mine, running into the living room to meet us.
My daughter started doing the "Army crawl" a couple of months ago and just started crawling on her hands and knees in the last couple of weeks. She's also now quite proficient at pulling herself to a stand on anything and everything and we think walking may not be too far off. But I couldn't help but wonder if my daughter is a little behind in the process.
I know that babies develop skills at their own pace and at her one-year checkup our doctor seemed perfectly fine that she was just beginning to crawl. At that point, we had begun to wonder if she'd skip crawling altogether and just go straight to walking, as my husband apparently did as a child. She walks along quite well with a few walking/pushing toys or with someone holding her fingers, and her cruising skills are top-notch. I should note that we're not pushing to make her more mobile; it's difficult enough trying to keep after our lightning-fast wiggle worm as she slides from room to room!
Plus, my daughter's little friend has a 2-year-old brother to chase after and learn from, so I'm sure that plays a big part of it as well. Even though I've tried to avoid it up to this point, it's hard not to compare notes and wonder if she really is behind in learning to walk, because this other little one has been walking for quite some time now, or if this is still part of a normal process.
How have you coped with comparing your child's milestones to others? Any tips?
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Mom finds it hard not to compare milestones
Thanks, Christina! I know, it's tough not to compare, isn't it? It's not a competitive thing; I really don't care if my daughter is ahead or behind - I just want to make sure it's not something I'm doing (or not doing)! Thank you for the reassurance. Have fun with your son - I'm finding that this is such a cute age, and I hope you're enjoying it as much as I am!
Mom finds it hard not to compare milestones
Kate,
Thanks so much for your post! My son just turned 13 months and is not walking yet. In fact, he mostly does the commando crawl and has only just started doing the "traditional" crawl. He has just started to pull himself up and cruises a little bit. He has been on the later spectrum of all the motor skills, and I think it is very hard not to compare. As my friend said to me, it is just our nature. You tell yourself not to compare, but it is hard.
Know that you're not alone! :)
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