As parents, it is important to us to see developments as our children grow. It is our joy to witness their improvements as time passes by. However, if we notice some delays, these milestones that we are longing for can make us worry. But we shouldn’t obsess with their milestones because we may spoil our children.

There will be times when we cannot help but compare our children’s progress to others. However, every child has their own pace of development. So. we must not worry a lot if our child’s milestones are a bit late.

What are Developmental Milestones?

Developmental milestones are the progress our children achieve at a certain age. These are the skills they manifest as they grow. Some of these milestones that we can usually see first are smiling, crawling, speaking for the first time, and so on. The first year is always the most crucial in terms of development. Any illnesses or latent disorders that might be dormant might become apparent in the first year. Birth injury attorneys often note that it is during this period that cases of children with mental or physical disorders such as HIE or spinal injuries are brought to them. Developmental milestones are very important to a child’s growth, and any tampering with them, known or unknown, causes a lot of trauma to families.

On a lighter note, every day our children can achieve milestones as they learn continuously, and these milestones can be learned through a variety of things including toys, where you can shop the selection of tower blocks, sandpits, coloring books, and so many more things that can lead to these important developmental milestones. Although it is important to remember that all kids have different development paces.

Child milestones and how Important They Are

  • Movement of the eye – this child milestone is relevant to distinguish their visual capacity. We can determine it by the way they respond to light or colorful objects. Through this, we will be able to see how their body responds to what they see. For example, when they see a milk bottle, they may try to reach it using their hands. This milestone is really important because vision plays a role in kid development.

We should keep a good eye on this to know if there are any abnormalities with their eyes. It can help us and our child by acting on this as soon as possible. Anything concerning our child that seems out of the ordinary should always be checked out by a professional pediatrician, similar to these hawaii pediatrics to get to the root of the problem immediately. This way, you know they will be getting the best care and attention, which is important when they are in this particular age group.

  • Hand movement – this milestone includes grasping and the ability of our kids to hold things. It is essential as it is a step for our child to learn how to write, draw, eat and move properly. Their ability to feel and touch things is essential in their sensory growth. It can also help them learn fast as they experience things firsthand.
  • Flipping – the ability to turn from their back to tummy shows their muscle strength. It is an essential milestone because, in this stage, they develop upper body and leg strength. It can depict the next milestone, which is sitting.
  • Sitting – our child can achieve this milestone when they already mastered controlling their upper body – head, neck, and back. This milestone will also show their bone and muscle development.
  • Crawling – When our kids start to develop their muscle strength, they will begin to move much more. From a sitting position, our kids will be able to be in a crawling position. At first, we might see them while on their hand and knees rocking back and forth. Then, they have the power to support their body enough to crawl they will start to move forward.

This child milestone is necessary for the development of their arms and legs muscle. Hence, once they are strong enough, they will be able to stand.

  • Standing – Seeing our kids learn to stand is one of our, parents’ joys. It is a step closer for our children to be able to walk. With their arms and legs strengthened, they will begin to pull themselves up using furniture or the fence of their cribs. After a while, they will be able to squat, bend and move their knees accordingly. This pace is very relevant for our children to learn how to walk.
  • Walking – on our child’s physical development, it is a fulfillment when we see them learn to walk on their own. As they learn how to balance and coordinate their body movement, our kids will be able to take their steps. From here on, their developments, learnings, and milestones will continue as they grow older.
  • Communication – one of the milestones that we parents are excited about is when we hear them produce their first word or sound. Most of the time, the “mama and dada” sounds are what they can utter first. Their ability to utter sounds and words plays an important role in their growth.

Through this, they will be able to learn to read, communicate and express their feelings.

Communication milestone also includes body language such as pointing, nodding, and shaking the head. All the mentioned milestones are called motor skills that a child obtains with age. These skills ensure a child’s proper growth and can be tracked by a pediatrician during a regular checkup. However, a child may be slow in learning motor skills, and for that, you can consult a child therapist from a facility similar to Kinspire to support your kid in learning. The therapist can make your child do speed and precision-oriented tasks to help them develop the necessary agility.

These milestones are the ones that we shouldn’t forget. These will determine their next progress as our kids grow. We shouldn’t obsess over it, but we should be observant. If our kids’ development delays are too long, we can consult our kid’s pediatrician instead.