Development milestones

I’ve not really been one to worry about N hitting milestones, as on the whole he’s Mr Average with the occasional Mr Early thrown in for good measure.  It astounds me though how different guidelines can be in different sources.

I was reading yesterday in one of the baby magazines about developmental stages.  Apart from his early sitting, I don’t think he’s been particularly ahead in anything he’s done (similar timelines to the earlier babies in his NCT group, average in line with his numerous online friends), but according to what I was reading yesterday, I’ve got a genius on my hands!

I don’t know whether they’ve just assumed the final deadline when you should start to worry is average or whether because I’ve always given N opportunities to play with what I would regard as normal baby toys from early on, he’s managed to hit what they’re classing as toddler toys early.

• 14 months, emptying containers of their contents and feeding themselves with their fingers…I say, tipping’s been going on a while longer than that, and he’s been feeding with his spoon well since a year old.  Fork use is going well too, although I think his use of cutlery has been helped by doing baby led weaning from the start.
• 16 months, enjoying turning book pages and may be able to stack bricks…He’s been turning pages since earlier than a year old.  Now he doesn’t chew books (hardly ever anyway), and only scrumples flaps on purpose.  But he’ll sit quite happily for ages looking at books.  In terms of building towers with blocks, again that’s been something he’s been doing since before 12 months.  Now he’s into making 2 versions of the same with his mega blocks.
• 15 months, pointing to body parts when asked.  At this stage (and probably a little earlier) could do feet and shoes, with tummy and legs at 16 months.  Now at 17 months, he’s all of a sudden got head, mouth, nose, hair, toes, and I think knees.
• 16 months, attachment to a soft toy and may respond to directions like ‘sit down’.  He does like his ‘Peter Rabbit’ and his taggy blanket, and just recently has wanted to carry the latter around a lot.  But I think some of that’s to do with not being fully well.  Following instructions he’s been quite good at for a couple of months.  He’ll decide whether he wants to obey at sitting or lying on his changing mat, he’ll close the stair gate, and he’ll sit down to put on his shoes.  Wonder how long this general obedience will last?!
• 18 months+ sitting on a ride on toy and push himself along. He’s had ride on toys since around a year old, and has gradually progressed from going backwards, to be better at going forwards.  He still struggles going forwards with his cosy coupe though.
• 21 months – your child will probably be able to climb stairs, and by 24 months go down stairs.  I’m presuming by this they must mean properly walking.  Virtually all the equivalent age children we know have been ‘climbing’ stairs for almost as long as they could crawl/pull themselves up.  N now works on the ‘crab’ method – cross between walking and pulling himself up sideways.  And he’s pretty good at walking down stairs holding my hand and the banisters.

It just goes to show that children will meet their developmental milestones when they fancy doing it.  And also pick and choose which order they’ll do them in.