If you’re anything like me, you like information short, sweet and to the point. When I had my son, I had no clue what I was doing (just like every first time mama) and I wanted to know how my child should be developing each month (something I felt like I should’ve known since I am an Occupational Therapist (OT)— but in my defense it has been a decade since my pediatric/childhood development training and I currently work with the elderly). Anyway, I wanted it all together, plain and simple, in one place —in a nice little chartperhaps. Well as it turns out there’s quite a bit of growth and developmental milestones that happen in one year. And subsequently, there are so many different charts. So. much. information. It was overwhelming. I needed something concrete but it didn’t really exist. The information was out there but not in a simple visual aid.
I compiled information about typical childhood development and included the most pertinent and prominent milestones for each month. The ones that kids should definitely achieve by the time they turn 1 year. And I wanted to share it with you!
As an OT, I have worked with kids who haven’t reached some of these milestones and I know how important it is to catch these things early on— the sooner they get therapeutic services, the better. And as a mom, I know how nerve wracking it can be hoping your child achieves each milestone and wanting to make sure you’re tracking it all.
This Baby’s First Year Milestones chart I created is simple. It isn’t fully comprehensive but it does have the major milestones. It isn’t meant to be a strict checklist but a guideline. Some babies develop faster or slower than others so don’t be worried if your BFF’s little girl is walking at 9 months and your baby boy didn’t take his first few steps till after he turned one. It happens. These milestones are ones that typically happen within the first year. If not, don’t freak out. Just talk with your pediatrician.
Some OT Mama Advice
A very important side note from an OT mama: if your child isn’t meeting a certain milestone, for example—sitting up unassisted — don’t jump the gun and try to get them to crawl or stand. Work on what comes before— in the case of sitting up unassisted, that means pushing up onto their forearms when they’re laying on their tummy and rolling over. Believe it or not, the muscles they develop doing those activities prepare them to sit up. Sometimes babies skip steps. Sometimes in rare cases they surprise us and start walking before they crawl, but most often, they won’t achieve a milestone unless they’ve mastered the one that comes before it developmentally. So in my opinion, keep working on the steps that come before until they’ve mastered them! <<End side note rant>>
Enjoy the milestone chart! Let me know what you think in the comments!
Ever struggle with feeling like you're not enough? You're not alone mama. Apparently it's an epidemic among moms. We want to help you build an EXTRAORDINARY mindset, and this journal has just what you need to start!
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