Do you, without question,
believe everything you hear
about baby milestones and how to
give your baby the best?
And then rush off to buy the
latest recommendation?
If you're focusing on
developing your baby's full
potential, you will regularly
hear the same myths.
Definitely 3 of the "most
frequent" myths you'll hear are:
#1: Skipping any of the major
baby milestones is a clear cut
sign of superior development.
#2: My baby is very
intelligent. So, she doesn't
have to master the milestones.
#3: I don't need to know what
the baby milestones are... all
babies automatically and
spontaneously master all of
them.
The truth is, believing these
myths will hinder your baby's
future, rather than give any
kind of headstart.
So, let's solve these once
and for all.
Myth #1: Missing out and not
mastering any baby milestone may
be a sign that there's an
inability to master such a
skill.
And, if it's a vital skill,
your child will in all
probability need this ability in
years to come.
Lack of ability may also be
the result of inherited causes.
It may even be due to a
disease or muscle and nervous
system problems that prevent or
hinder development.
A baby who does not crawl
misses out on getting tactile
stimulation through the hands.
In later years this child may
have problems holding a pen or
pencil. And most likely, have
difficulty to write.
Myth #2: Normal baby
development is universal and
follows the same natural
patterns and steps throughout
the world.
That means a baby developing
"normally" should master every
development milestone within a
very specific age range,
regardless of where in the world
she lives... or how intelligent
she is.
Babies develop certain skills
in a very specific order. That's
why milestones also have a very
specific sequence in which they
should me mastered.
So, even gifted babies follow
this same development pattern by
mastering the different
milestones.
And despite what you may
believe, your baby does not have
her own unique set of
development rules where certain
skills are not needed.
You often hear of boys who
don't like or even refuse to
build puzzles. They prefer to
play outside. That's not
uncommon.
But most of these boys will
invariably struggle with certain
skills at school. Many of them
struggle to organize themselves
when given a page with lots of
information.
Words or even sentences are
left out when they read. And
many struggle to copy
information from a board to a
book.
Playing and building puzzles
would have developed some of
these basic skills, thus
preventing the problem.
Myth #3: If things are
perfect, you don't need to know
what the milestones are. Or when
your baby should master them...
or in what sequence.
But real world experience
shows that things are not always
perfect.
And infants don't always
automatically develop all the
skills at the right age. Many of
them struggle at school a few
years later.
Most of these problems can
easily be prevented by
immediately spotting a problem.
And then taking corrective
action.
The sooner a problem is
spotted, the easier it can be
overcome.
So, the easiest way you can
give your baby the best is to
ignore these myths, to know what
the major baby milestones are
and when they must be mastered.
The only thing that remains
is then to closely watch and
track your child's progress.