The pressures of hitting milestones

Every child learns at their own pace is a phrase I hear an awful lot, in fact I was taught it when I was studying childcare at college back in 2007/08. So why is it when you have a child of your own that there is so much pressure on us parents for our children to meet their developmental milestones?

Isn't it time to start ending our obsession of our children meeting their milestones and actually let them do things at their own pace? Since the age of one when we had a one year review with the health visitor we were told Blake was a bit behind in most areas. 

This has meant constant reviews and filling in questionnaires every 6 months or so and referrals to different professionals. I was quite relaxed about Blake's development until others started to question why he wasn't walking (he did eventually at 19 months) and the questionnaires that the health visitor gave me didn't help with my worry about why he wasn't doing certain things. 

He was referred for a medical assessment which he passed and he was then discharged from. Then the health visitor become concerned about his lack of speech and so he was referred to see a speech therapist who we are seeing at the moment every 8 weeks or so. 

He has also had a hearing test which he passed and I had to undertake a chatter tots course last year for a few weeks to learn ways on which to help with his speech. 

I don't disagree with the need of having a developmental timeline to catch severe developmental delays and I can see how it can help many families. I just feel that there really is too much pressure and competitiveness for children being able to do the same thing as their peers. 

Blake was 19 months when he learnt to walk properly, some of his friends learnt at one year ,others around the 15 month mark. I feel as long as Blake is still learning even if he is a little behind his friends than that's OK.

I think it's time for us while they are little to enjoy kids being kids as at the end of the day. Once they start going to school that's when they will have to start thinking more about achieving things ready to be successful in life. 

Blake 18 months

I can't believe that Blake is now 18 months old the last 6 months have just whizzed by and he is changing everyday and growing up way too fast.  This is going to be a rather long post so you may want to get your self a mug of coffee and a biscuit and get comfy. 

Blake is now in size 18-24 months clothing and has been for a few months now. He also still has his baby chunkiness. At the beginning of March we got him his first Clarke's shoes in a size 4G although he has gone up to a 4 1/2 now. 

He has about 12 teeth and more coming through so he has been very dribbly recently. 
Lucky it's not interfered that much with his sleep and he still sleeping very well at night and having approx 11 to 12 hours a sleep at night. 

Nap wise it really depends on him sometimes he will have a 2 hour nap and then be awake the rest of the day, other times he will have 2 naps at an hour each. So over all in a 24 hour period he's getting approx 14 hours of sleep. 

He has become a really fussy eater since Christmas and has gone from eating loads of different foods to hardly touching his food. He has stopped eating vegetables and has also gone off banana's which he used to love but now loves eating grapes instead but also doesn't mind apple, melon and sometimes raisins. Its so hard to know what to give him for dinner these days as he also wont eat meat unless its turkey dinosaurs or chicken nuggets. He still loves fish pie and will also eat fish fingers or fish cake. He loves yogurt but not keen on chocolate which i suppose is a good thing.  He also is still drinking milk from his bottle and water from a cup.

Blake still loves going to swimming lessons on a Saturday afternoon and loves splashing in the pool. We also started going back to baby beeps but after the summer holidays I'm thinking of taking him to the sessions for up 4 years. We've also started to go to a local church as they hold a little toddler group which is fun and only £1 a session. He also loves to go the park which we do quite a lot, we have a park with a sand pit and splash park which I am going to try out quite close to us. Blake also loves going to soft play and we have taken him to the farm local to us which he loves. We are planning to take him to the Zoo some point this summer and have got some other fab family day out ideas of things to get up to.

Blake loves reading, playing with his trains and has been trying to slot the play coins in his laugh and learn piggy bank. We have also been practicing building blocks and I've been trying to teach him new words. At the moment he isn't too keen on crafts but loves messy play activities. We recently got a scuttle bug for Blake to use when we take him to the park which he just loves. 

He currently still isn't walking fully. He is able to walk from one side of the room to the other but he is pretty lazy with it and much prefers to crawl. He loves playing ball games and is really good at throwing and catching. 

Talking wise he can say a few words and I'm trying to encourage him more.
He can say : Mum-Mum, DaDa, Nan-Na, Hiya, No, Yay, three.

Everything Your Kids Will Need to Nurture Their Hobbies

In a child's developmental years they are going to need to develop hobbies and interests. These are vital for shaping the people they’re going to become. Social interaction is important for children, It gives them contact with others, and helps them to enjoy interests with their peers. Everybody needs to have some kind of interest in order to nurture their skills, and get the most out of whatever it is they do. When kids are young, their interests will be changing rapidly.

However, they will start to develop some definite interests from a young age. A lot of the time this will be an interest in sports or activities. It’s vital that children nurture their hobbies so that these grow into serious interests. They might even have enough ability that these hobbies could develop into career paths somewhere down the line. This is a list of what your kids will need in order to nurture their hobbies.

Options

The best way for kids to nurture their hobbies and interests is for them to have lots of options. It’s so much easier to select or identify something you’re good at when you have a lot to choose from. When you’re left with just a few choices, it can be more difficult to develop skills at something you’re really interested in. So, you should see to it that the kids have a lot of options for hobbies and interests they might take up. That means you need to check out local clubs and societies in the area. It also means you should find out what their interests are and see to it that they can enjoy and experience these things.

Encouragement

Children thrive on encouragement, and everyone knows this. So you need to ensure that you encourage and motivate your kids. The happier they feel about something, the more likely they are to stick with it. You see, kids are going to experience defeat and upset when they take up hobbies. But they need to realise that this is okay, and it’s part of the gig. They need to be motivated into sticking with what they are doing. And this is where encouragement comes in. This is one of the most important roles you can play as a parent.

Reward

It’s a proven fact that children respond well to rewards and incentives. If they have something tangible to aim for they are likely to become more invested in what they’re doing. This is an excellent way of helping to nurture their hobbies. For instance, their club might provide end of season trophies from the trophy store. Or, you might decide you’d like to promise them a reward if they accomplish something. Use this system to get the kids more excited in their hobbies and interests, and make sure they stick at them.

It’s very important for children to have and develop hobbies from a young age. This is key for them to adapt to the world around them and to discover interests. As a parent, there is plenty you can do to help your children nurture their hobbies. A lot of it is down to the approach you take with them, and how much you encourage and inspire.

Blake One Year

Our little boy is now ONE! 

He is more like a little boy now than a baby and that saddens me. 

He's growing up way too fast and I do miss the newborn days

of him being teeny tiny. But he''ll always be my little boy

no matter what age he is. 

Blake is now able to stand whilst holding onto furniture and with support he can take a few steps which is crazy. 

I know soon he'll be zooming away everywhere. 

We need to put up a safety gate now as a definite as I caught him in the kitchen trying to open a

cupboard the other day. 

I've managed to get some great photos of him on his special day which was tricky as he doesn't like to keep still. My favorite has to be of him in his ball pit which me and Stuart got him.

He got so many wonderful presents from everyone not just from family members but from some of his friends too.  

He loves books and will sit on our laps and listen to us read  them and also 

attempt turning the pages. 

His favorite nursery rhyme is twinkle twinkle twinkle little star which he tries to  do the actions to. 

He now has eight teeth and I think he has got some more coming through near the back as

he is dribbling loads. 

Since his last update we have been doing some great festive /non festive things. 

- We have made Christmas baubles

- Met Santa

- Worn reindeer antlers and sang Christmas songs at baby beeps 

- Read Christmas books 

- Listened to Christmas Music

- Been to soft play for your birthday 

- Had your first birthday party on the 13th

- Been to two Christmas parties with the Children's center and the NCT. 

So overall we have had a fab month.

I'll be back with Blake's next update in June when he will be 18 months. 

I'm sure I'll  have lots to tell you about. 

Blake 11 months

Today Blake turned 11 months old. 

One more month and then Blake will be ONE! 

This means less frequent updates as I plan on once Blake turns one on doing updates every six months instead of every month. 

It also means Blake's next update will be on or around his birthday and then not again until June. 

Clothing

Blake is now in is 12-18 month clothing the majority fit perfectly and then we have a few bits that 

are still quite big on him. 

Teething

Blake has now got five teeth, four at the bottom and one coming through at the top. 

I don't think it will be long until another comes through am sure he will have more.

Development/Milestones

- Blake now weighs 19lb 2oz as of last Tuesday

- He is a lot more active and likes to be on the floor crawling. 

Luckily for us he still loves playing in his jumperoo but don't think it will be too long until he 

outgrows it.

- Can say Mama but prefers to say Dada a lot more

- He seems to be getting a small amount of hair but it looks quite light so its hard to 

tell what color he is going to have. 

Other

- He is still loving swimming and gets so excited and very eager to get into the pool. 

- He loves playing with his friends and we went to our first monthly mummy meet up at a friends on Friday which he loved. 

- He loves holding hands and dancing whilst in the jumperoo 

- He has started to do a few steps with support and also still only stands up with 

support either us holding him or he will hold onto the sofa.

Blake 10 months

Another month has gone by and Blake is now 10 months old. 

We are starting to come up with more ideas of what to do for Blake's first birthday and so far

have purchased his outfit to wear on the day and also decided on what cake to do for him. 

Clothing

Blake is still in some of his 9-12 month clothing but the outfit he is wearing today is 12-18 months and fits much better.  I think it's time to change is wardrobe around and put all his 12-18 months bits in and take out his 9-12 months clothing. 

Teething

He was a bit grumpy the other week and we didn't realise at the time it 

was because another tooth was coming through. Blake now has 3 teeth all at the bottom.

He also had bad nappy rash so now we know why, I guess we just didn't put two and two together. 

 Sleep

Blake is still sleeping well but his routine has changed yet again! 

He now goes down for a morning nap between 10 and 10:30 am and will sleep for one or two hours so will be up in time for lunch. In the afternoon he sometimes has a nap for an hour or so other times he won't and ends up going to bed earlier.

 On an average day Blake will go to bed between 8 and 8:30pm and then sleeps through the night

and will wake anytime between 6:30 and 7:30am. 

Feeding

He is still on three bottles a day but is cutting down the amount per feed now since he is eating a lot more food. 

He eats three meals a day and eats the same as us the majority of the time. 

He is now finally decided that he doesn't mind drinking cool boiled water (persistence is key) 

and loves to hold his cup and drink by himself. 

Development/Milestones

- He can crawl yay he finally did it! 

He is a very active baby and wont keep still and loves crawling every where which makes nappy changes a lot more harder. 

-  He has been clapping a lot this month and banging toys together

- He has started to also wave a lot more and likes to hi five with mummy and daddy. 

Other

- He is getting a lot more confident in the swimming pool and loves it! 

He has started kicking his feet in the water and is getting more use to having his face splashed and really has lots of fun. 

- He keeps changing the music on his cot mobile or turning it on first thing in the morning

-  He loves going to the park and have been a few more times although still not been with Daddy yet.  

Blake 9 Months

Blake is 9 months old today, it's strange to know that in 3 months time our little boy will be 1! 

The last 9 months of him being here with us have gone by so much faster than the pregnancy. 

I still feel like it was yesterday that I found out I was pregnant and doing 3 tests and still not feeling like it was all real.   

Clothing

Blake is still fitting well in 9-12 months clothing. 

He has a few tops which are a little tight, however I've worked out that Peacocks clothing tends to not 

last as long as on him as other brands he wears and tend to come up smaller. 

Teething

He has his 2 bottom teeth but that's all so far, he has started to 

dribble more again so don't think it will be that long til more start to come through. 

At the moment I've not had to give him any teething gel or calpol (touch wood).

Sleep

He is still sleeping well except when he has a cold. 

He has had another cold this month which made him not sleep well for 4 nights

in a row but he slept more in the day. 

Feeding

He is on three bottles a day of 240ml although not always finishing them every day.

He is eating 3 meals near enough every day now.

I have been struggling to get him to drink some cool boiled water but my health visitor has told me that 

it's not anything I really need to worry about at the moment. 

Development/Milestones

Having Blake's 9 month review today has meant that I have realized more of what Blake can do which makes me so proud. 

He has most likely been doing these things for awhile now I've just not took notice in them as

much as the  big milestones. 

- He is able to sit up unsupported now when he chooses to but is rare as he doesn't like to and much prefers to stand or practice trying to crawl.

-  Blake is able to stand up with support but also able to stand up holding onto the sofa without support. 

- He is able to pick up small toys with the tips of his thumb and fingers

-  He can pass a toy from one hand to the other

- he can pick up one small toy in each hand.

- He can bang one toy against another on a table 

- He is able to find small toys under a cloth after watching us hide it. 

- He can drink from a cup (when he wants to) 

- He is able to feed himself

- when dressing him he is able to push his arm through the sleeve once his arm is started in the hole. 

- He is able to say Da Da and other babbling 

Other

- Blake has started clapping his hands and tends to do this when being dressed or when watching 

Cbeebies. 

- He loves In The Night Garden especially Iggle Piggle and sequels with excitements and does little jumps.

This evening I looked over to see him waving at the TV when Iggle Piggle was the screen. 

- We have joined a new baby group called baby beeps which is a song session but very sensory 

with feather, lights, parachutes etc. 

- We have also started taking Blake to swimming lessons on a Saturday afternoon. 

Blake 8 Months

On Sunday Blake turned 8 months old he has been suffering from a cold since last Thursday.

We have had a few disturbed nights due to this and he has also been very clingy. 

Clothing

Blake is now into his 9-12 months clothing which is pretty scary he is getting so big. 

I have found that the sleepsuits we have for him are getting tight already! 

I think we will stop buying sleepsuits now and purchase pjs instead. 

Teething

He has two little teeth that are trying to push there way through at the bottom of his month. 

He has had a few moments of needing teething gel, teething toys and the very occasional dose of calpol so far. 

Sleep

Blake is still sleeping well and getting approx 12 hours of sleep as usual. 

Although over the last few days he hasn't been due to the dreaded cold that he

has.

Feeding

We have been trying to cut his milk down so that he has three feeds a day. 

This isn't happening every day at the moment, but he is now eating three meals a day.

This is sometimes with one or two snacks as well. 

He is enjoying proper meals now such as chilli con carne, roast dinner and tuna pasta bake. 

Although we have noticed he doesn't seem to like pasta that much. 

Development/Milestones

- Blake is able to sit up with support but still not ready to sit up on his own atm. 

- He is able to stand up unsupported for a little while holding onto the sofa. 

- He is also getting more mobile as he can now crawl backwards. 

Other

- He is such a wiggle bum and changing his nappy and getting him dressed is now starting to become a challenge. 

- He loves to wave at Mummy and Daddy 

- He has outgrown the bouncer so now just plays in his walker or rolls around playing with his other toys. 

We are getting a Jumparoo soon which I'll be blogging about. 

- He started to try and clap although Stuart keeps missing it. 

- He will cry if you eat in front of him so we have to eat at the same time or when he is napping.

Blake 7 Months

 Blake has turned 7 months old today,I feel he is progressing in leaps and bounds this month with the little things he is doing.

Clothing

Blake's 6-9 months clothing is starting to get tight so we are starting to sort out his 9-12 months clothing. 

Where has my tiny little bubba gone? 

Teething

Over the past month teething hasn't been so bad.

He is still chewing and having his hands in his mouth a lot. However he 

has only been really upset about it on a few occasions. 

There have been a few rough days when he would cry non stop but anbesol seems to do the trick.

I have only had to give him calpol once. 

Sleep

His sleep is pretty much the same as it has been over the last  few months or so. 

We had one night when it took him til gone 11 to fall asleep.

I think it was because he ended up having a rather late nap that day so wasn't tired when

it came to his bedtime. 

Feeding

He is still on 240ml of milk but moved him onto the stage 2 milk now. 

He is having 4 feeds a day and the weaning is going fantastic. 

He is currently getting use to having two meals a day and my health visitor has told me that 

he should be having 3 meals a day by the time he is  9 months old. 

I am so glad that we made the decision to change from purees to baby led weaning.

Blake is excelling when it comes to trying out new foods. 

A few of his favorites so far are: 

 Wheatabix 

Porridge fingers

Banana

Watermelon

Green beans

Broccoli 

Carrots

and 

Baby corn 

Development/Milestones

- Blake is still trying to sit up I have been encouraging him but

I think its going to be a little longer yet. 

- When he roles over onto his front he starts trying to move his legs like

crawling but at the moment he is just getting frustrated as he can't do it. 

- His hand eye co ordination is improving since doing baby led weaning

and he is able to feed himself with a spoon and also able to hold a cup and drink from it.

Other

- He is now moved onto size 4 nappies in disposables (when we use them) 

-  He is ticklish and will giggle no end when we tickle him

- He loves going to the Ragdolly Anna's group we go to and loves the bubbles

and he is able to now tap the sticks together that they have for one of the songs they do. 

- He also loves being in his walker that his Granny and Grampa got him as an early christening present. 

- He has got a thing about phones he has his own toy mobile which he loves and is always grabbing my mobile

along with the tv remote.