Alongside every important milestone and achievement, there are plenty of emotions that go alongside raising children, both good and scary. It’s common to be worried about whether or not your child is developing quickly enough, or to be worried about not even knowing what an appropriate development rate is in the first place.
It’s important to remember, too, that every baby develops at their own unique pace. It’s perfectly normal for some babies to hit some milestones more quickly or more slowly than others. We all live in different contexts with different resources, and so do our babies. so, how to track your baby’s development?
Here are a few ways to keep track of your baby’s development and make sure you’re on the right track.
Development Charts
Like we said, every baby’s development is unique and it’s perfectly natural for your baby to not match up perfectly to any development checkmark chart. That being said, these charts can be a good way to get the gist of checkmarks that your baby should be hitting at different weeks and months.
This chart on Parents is a great resource to guide yourself through your baby’s milestones. Remember, once again, that sticking exactly to this list isn’t 100% necessary, or even expected. If big deviations from the chart worry you, make sure to ask your pediatrician.
Development Tracker Apps
Even with a written-out list of things to check, our lives are awfully busy with both baby-related things and other things as well. With the jaw-dropping technology we carry in our purses and pockets at all times, surely there’s an app to help us keep track of our children’s processes.
In fact, there are many! Depending on what specifically you want to track, there’s probably an app for that. The Wonder Weeks helps track mental development, Baby Tracker – newborn log helps track nap, potty, and feeding patterns. Growth: baby and child charts help track growth up to 20 months, with a special tracker for premature babies.
Pediatrician Knows Best
All of these tips and tricks are great ways to get an idea for what to look out for during your baby’s development process, but remember, they are just general guidelines. There’s no way for these charts and apps to know exactly what you should expect with your baby.
Somebody that does have a better idea about what to expect with your baby and their development process is their pediatrician. Talk to your pediatrician about apps or lists that you might want to use, or ask them for some that they recommend, to see what the best option is for you and your baby.
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