Little Baby Milestones

So there's all these books, doctors, magazines, etc. that say what your baby should be doing by a certain age. I freaked out when Michelle had not mastered rolling tummy to back by 4 months, but could roll back to tummy. I was sad that she was getting tummy time (very important!!!), but not holding her head up for a long time. I looked at other babies her age that could do more than her and I was worried. You know what...I feel like she won't slow down now! When she decides to reach another milestone, it's not like an Oops..how did I do that? It's a...YES! I figured it out and I am going to do it all the time. She never built up to rolling tummy to back...she finally did it one day and was like...Look at me mom! I am an expert at this. Now tummy time is so difficult! I can't keep the monkey on her tummy.

Of course they need help from you to reach these milestones! She sits up all by herself thanks to her Bumbo seat (I highly recommend!) and sitting her on the floor for some trial and error. She didn't mind falling thank goodness. We did tummy time a lot, but she was not very tolerable of it. One thing that hepled immensely with learning to roll tummy to back and lifting her head was Mark and I's decision to have her sleep on her tummy. The American Academy of Pediatrics started a Back To Sleep campaign in the 90's due to an increased incidence of SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome). It encourages all parents to place their babies on their backs to sleep. We did this for 4 months and when we decided to place Michelle on her tummy, we had our reasons and we were confident in our decision. We did a lot of research on SIDS and there are many other reasons involved that can lead to SIDS (smoking around the baby, blankets in cribs, etc). We started with just naps on her tummy so we could keep a close eye on her and then transitioned into nighttime on her tummy. Now she loves to sleep on her tummy!

So, when it comes to your baby's milestones just remember to not freak out about what other babies his or her age are doing or what the books say. As long as your baby is healthy, he or she will reach their own milestones when they are ready!

Michelle sitting up all on her own (thanks to her Bumbo seat)!