How do you not get hung up on what other babies are able to do?

[nimrodthemightyhunter]

@asalia207 Take a deep breathe mate. This sort of intensity gives kids anxiety. Trust me - I saw it first hand when I was a teacher.

Every kid runs their own race.

My son was running at 10 months. He was behind the ball on talking- and only at nearly 2.5 is he really getting it and progressing noticeably daily.

Our friends kid didn’t walk till 1.5 years. Shewas giving god damn dissertations at 2 years old.

Daughter is disinterested in walking at a year but seems to be speaking way ahead of the pack.

Point is that every kid is different. Run the race with them and encourage them but don’t compare their race to another kids. Everyone loses then.

If you’re ever seriously concerned about progress you need to talk to your kids doctor. They will be able to give you an objective assessment.

 

[leonwall]

@asalia207 You're doing great. You and your wife are making sure he gets all the care he's needed for each medical issue that's cropped up.

How do I not get hung up on the differences? I remind myself that I'd go crazy if I put my energy into keeping track of this.

Your son is not behind, he is right where he needs to be. You've got this dad!

 

[jenihughes]

@asalia207 A great example are my kids. My daughter (eldest) has a physical disability which makes her a paraplegic. She sat, moved, bum shuffled, got in and out of her wheelchair before they expected. Expect The wheelchair party was so before she was 18 months old and the bum shuffling was around her first bday.

My son, the blob, I'm pretty sure refused to crawl or stand until about 14 months. But he crawled, sat up and started little walking steps unassisted in a 48 hour period.

They're all different, at such an early stage they'll all catch up to each other pretty quick.

 

[boenairgeez]

@asalia207 The speed at which babies develop says next to nothing about how they will perform later in life. There is not an adult that hasnt learned to sit, walk or talk (okay not literally). They will do it at their own pace.

 

[starlight541]

@asalia207 It sounds like your son is doing AMAZING! My daughter was pulling herself up by 6 months, and by 9 months I was SO SURE she was going to skip crawling altogether and start walking any day. All she ever wanted to do was hold onto my hands and walk up and down the hallway, my back has never been so sore. But instead, she spontaneously discovered crawling at 9.5 months, and suddenly all walking was put on hold. She started walking at 12 months.

What I'm trying to say here is that every baby is on their own schedule. Motor skills in particular are not very influenced by what the parents do. If the baby is showing interest in a skill and the parents take time with them so they can practice it can help a little, but generally every baby will develop those skills when they develop them. Some babies also focus a lot of verbal skills and neglect their motor skills. My daughter was the opposite - even before she was crawling she was climbing on EVERYTHING, she's always been super dexterous with her hands, and now at two she's a little athlete. She also didn't say her first word until she was like 14 months old, and I was so worried! But now she's talking up a storm, she speaks in sentences and pretty much every day she says another word I didn't know she knew.

It's a parent's curse to always be worried about their child's development, but I promise it will all be okay. Your son is doing GREAT, and you and your wife are doing an amazing job. I know it seems impossible, but try to enjoy the month or two you might have left with a non-mobile baby, because everything changes when they figure out how to locomote!