Now that I’m a mom I find myself thinking (& perhaps) wondering about baby milestones. Yesterday I needed a break & I popped in the movie The Proposal, sat Monkey down on the floor with tons of toys, & we played together while I caught glimpses of the movie.
I had him on his back & it’s nothing new that he loves to be on his side, either one. But what was new was that he rolled over from his back to his left side to his belly. I had the biggest smile on my face, no joke. This is huge stuff, people!
I yelled down for Tarzan to come upstairs to see his son rolling from his back to his belly & sure enough, Monkey rolled over again. He didn’t like it too much, or it started him because soon after being on his belly he would cry.
We would both super proud parents. Since I couldn’t contain my excitement, I sent out a tweet so others could join in my happiness. Well maybe people were thrilled about Monkey & were reminded of when their son/daughter rolled for the first time.
Ahh, such great memories!
Monkey: ”Mom, when was the first time I rolled over?”
Me: ”Well, you see, I was tired one afternoon & took a lazy day. I played with you on the floor while I also watched a movie. You rolled then.”
But then there was that one tweet. You know the kind of tweet I’m talking about. The person who says, “Congrats. My son rolled over at 2 months.”
Oh sh!t. Two months & Monkey is just about four months old? Is Monkey behind on this baby milestone? When should a baby roll over? What age do you start to worry about baby milestones? What order (if any) do baby milestones follow? Is Monkey behind on this baby milestone?
Yep, panic consumed me.
Of course I googled & found out what I already knew: Babies hit their milestones at different times because all babies are different. You shouldn’t compare your baby to other babies. & you shouldn’t start to worry about baby milestones until your baby is six months old. That’s the “official” time that your baby should have hit the milestones for age 0-6 months.
Of course. There is nothing wrong with Monkey. Maybe he rolled halfway over a little later than another baby. That doesn’t mean anything… Or does it?
I think it’s all part of parenting to kind of worry about this stuff. Is it normal? Is my baby normal? When should my baby sit up? When should my baby roll over? When should my baby start crawling? When should my baby do a “mini-pushup”? How much tummy time is really needed?
So many questions to ponder over.
I guess the only “true” test is when we go to the pediatrician’s office in about a week. I’ll ask him about some baby milestones & then I’ll decide to not worry about this anymore. I’m pretty sure that my little boy is thriving & learning so much during the day.
But, come clean with me here so I know I’m not alone… Have/Do you ever wonder about your baby hitting the proper baby milestones too?
You might also want to read:
- Therapist appointment, torticollis, and some postpartum depression talk too
- Breastfeeding: Let’s talk painful nipples, shall we?
- Learning about our baby: How he learns, develops, and what we can do to be better parents
- Monkey’s 4 month doctor appointment & first attempt at rice cereal
- A note to Baby Tarzan regarding your movement in my belly
= a post from Mommy Jane 
= a post from Daddy Tarzan
{ 26 comments… read them below or add one }
I worried a lot when my DS hadn’t started rolling over at 5 months. He was a very chubby baby weighing 10′4 at birth and packing on the pounds after that. Finally at 6 months he rolled over both ways. The doctor said it was normal because he was so chunky. He also did not start crawling till 11 months, but had taken his first steps at 10 months and was walking great by 11 1/2 months. The ones he hit early were he was holding his head up in the hospital, he could stand up holding on to stuff at 3 1/2 months, and was sitting up by himself by 5 months.
So all babies are different and there is absolutely nothing to worry about. I can say that now that he is almost 21 months, but I did worry a lot when all the other babies were rolling and crawling all over the place and he wasn’t. Dustyn hated tummy time so I think that had a lot to do with it taking him so long to roll over and crawl. He preferred to stand up.
Your little Monkey seems to be right on target. I think they say 4 months is the average time for them to roll over.
Hey there! I am loving your blog and I just gave you a bit of a shout out on my blog. I’d love for you to check it out!
As for milestones congratulations!! It is amazing how each small step a baby makes is so HUGE! And turning over is a big one!
Monkey is doing great! I don’t have a baby of my own, so I’m not going to say, “Mine did this when he/she was only this many months”… all babies do things at different times, and they all turn out just fine. Don’t worry
stop worrying all kids are different. Its true. My first born did everything soopa early. sat at 5 months was cruising the furniture by 7 months and walked a 10 months to the day. My second little monster only started sitting on her own at 6 and a half months, only started cruising the furniture at 12 months and only took her first steps at 14 months. They are both so different and its hard not to compare but don’t do it. Your little monkey will not go to school wearing nappies and he won’t walk before he sits, he wont’ sit before he rolls and ALL kids hate tummy time.
i do think about it and found this great chart:
http://www.babycenter.com/0_milestone-chart-1-to-6-months_1496585.bc
Yes I have always worried about my children hitting the milestones and I hate to tell you but it only gets worse when they get older and get into school. We are currently concerned about our 6 year old 1st grader being up to grade level with his reading. It has taken a lot longer for reading to click with him than it did with his 8 year old sister who is a whiz at reading. We feel like we’re in school ourselves. I think when you decide to make the parenting journey it’s one long road of worry and concern. But it’s so worth it as I can tell you have already found out!
Why are you worrying if you already know every baby is different? Good lord, the kid is only 4 months and you are already comparing and rating him against other kids. I feel for him when he gets older.
Jane,
How are you enjoying being a stay-at-home mom? I’d love to hear about that specifically…:)
I totally worried about milestones too! I think everyone does. There seems to be this friendly banter that comes from other moms that always feels a bit more like bragging and comparing. I’m worry now because my son is nearly 12 months old and only has 2 teeth. What matters most is that he is healthy and happy, and he will hit the milestones when he is good and ready. Let the docs worry about that stuff. You get to enjoy the baby, its their job to do the assessing and worrying.
Congrats on the roll! It’s true. Every baby IS different. My baby is 3 weeks and rolls over, but probably won’t do other things until way after he’s “supposed” to. It’s silly to create rules about babies because they just aren’t made that way!
It’s normal to worry…that’s the one thing I’ve learned about motherhood these last 4 months – if there’s nothing to worry about, you’ll FIND something to worry about. It’s just nature – you want your child to be healthy and happy. That being said…Julian was born the same day as Monkey and hasn’t rolled over yet. He’s only just now started rolling to his side with any amount of consistancy. I worried it was because I didn’t push tummy time enough (something he hates), but I had to remind myself that he’ll do things in his own time! I see him figuring things out more and more every day..and that’s all that matters.
Jane I do the same thing as a first time mommy as well….no worries…and NMN wow sweet lord it must truly hurt your face to smile….
Congrats on the roll over. I missed my son’s first rollover from back to tummy. I was there, but I didn’t see it. I was at my PPD support group and he was lying on the floor on his back next thing I know he is on his tummy. He was 4 months old and didn’t roll over again until he was 5 months. I guess his thinking was “hey I can do it. Why bother to again?”
NMN please go and get a life…
You never seem to have anything nice to say about or to Jane and the people who regularly visit this site really don’t want to hear your negativity I am personally over your comments. I hate that I am even writing this as Tarzan and Jane do not want this site to be one where people are having arguments in there comments but seriously you need to get a life
Its natural to worry about your babies development even if you know all babies are different. Jane don’t worry Monkey is doing great we wouldn’t be good mommies if we did take note of these things
While I don’t have any experience with a child of my own I can relate some stories my mom has told me. I didn’t crawl until I was almost 15 months old, but learned to walk at 9 months. I hated tummy time and would much rather hold onto my dads hands as he walked me. I taught myself to read when I was 3 years old, and talked really early too. For the most part I either hit milestones super early or very late. I had no interest in stacking blocks or clapping and didn’t do these until much later. My mom always said I was a very practical baby, if it was pointless or there was something better I skipped it. Here is something funny for you though, my first sentance was “stupid cat.”
Why is NMN still here? seriously…
Jane i concern myself too. My little guy just made 9 weeks. When we went for his 2 month wellvisit and shots this week, all of hte questions they asked me (is he smiling? following you with his eyes?, etc) he is doing and it made me feel better. I do know that every child is different.
In one of my latest reads in pregnancy and newborn, there was an article about competitive parents. Mommies compare tummies when they’re pregnant, and then the comparisons continue with the child.
It sounds as if Monkey is growing wonderfully, is healthy, is developing a-ok so i KNOW you have nothing to concern yourself with! Keep doing a great job!!!
I don’t worry about the milestones, at least not yet. As long as he is growing well and getting plenty of love, interaction, care, and exploration, I know I’m doing my part. He’ll do stuff when he does stuff. I don’t want to rush him because I feel it all slipping by SO quickly. He needs this time to just be a baby. Not only that, but kids mature so quickly these days because their parents push them to wean early, walk early, learn to read early. If he does those things because he wants to, great! But I’m taking a laid-back approach. BTW, my guy is 10 weeks old, smiles a ton, is starting to get ticklish, likes contrasting colors and patterns, hates tummy time, holds his head up well, and doesn’t roll over. I guess you could say I keep track of what he does but I’ll only worry about it if the pediatrician says, “Does he _____ yet?” and the answer is no.
Hi! Congrats to Jane and everyone else on their baby milestones. I think it’s natural for every parent to wonder/worry how their child is doing in relation to others’ their age. If we didn’t worry about them, it would mean we didn’t care.
My little Natalie is 3 mo. 15 weeks tomorrow and she has just started to roll from side to side, but she can not completely turn over to her tummy. She can lift her head 90 degrees, supporting herself with her hands/arms when placed on her tummy. She likes to sit up with assistance and can keep her head up with good control. She has also started to put her hands in her mouth!
Jane, kinda off topic but you mentioned how much Monkey loves his swing. I’m looking for one for Natty as I think she would much rather prefer to sit-up and chill out rather than always spending time on the carpet (lying down). What kind do you have?
Judy – We have the Fisher Price My Little Lamb Swing. It’s AWESOME & I highly recommend it. It was recently in some baby magazine as the “splurge” of swings, but it’s so worth it in my opinion. I’ve also met a lot of other people that love it as well. You can get it at BRU or Amazon for sure. Let me know if you have any other questions!
To everyone else (with the exception of NMN), thanks for y’alls comments. I’m not stressing out over the milestone thing, just merely had a moment of curiosity that got the better part of me. Thanks for all the great words of advice!
Awww, what a jerk the person who said that is! Well, look at it this way – once the babies become more mobile, you have a lot less downtime and are constantly having to watch them so they don’t get hurt. So that mom had a lot more work than you! Also, our pediatrician said 4 months is when babies roll over. So, nothing to worry about! I have read though that you should make sure you let the baby have a lot of time on the floor exploring and playing each day so that he starts building up muscles to crawl and walk. I am not sure why the grammar is so terrible, but the content makes sense. Here’s the site: http://www.babydevelopmentnews.com/whendobabystartcrawling.html
I hate comparing my son to other babies! He is “ahead” in a lot of accomplishments (holding head up, tracking with his eyes, rolling over etc)but “behind” in some other accomplishments. Some of the accomplishments he is “behind” in are the ones I yearn for the most! I wish my son would laugh and coo. Right now, he has just started smiling. Its not htat he is unhappy – he just can’t smile yet. I would LOVE the affirmation that he loves me back, even though I’m sure he does I just want a sign.
SO… you see, milestones can drive a mom crazy!
I was shocked yesturday when I handed my 4 1/2 month old a sippy cup and he grabbed it out of my hands and started drinking. The Dr. said it was okay to give him some diluted juice once in awhile (I gave him a little water instead).He loved it. He’s eating some solid foods although I only give him a small amount mixed with some cereal and not every day. He’s had mashed banana, sweet potato and applesauce.
He loves his rainforest jumperoo, I have tried to give him more tummy time but he wants to stand up. I am going to try and find him a walker and see how he does with that. He squeeled like a little piggy at the grocery store last weekend, he was so cute it was hard to shop, all I wanted to do was watch him smile and laugh. One lady told me that he made her day… I try everything in moderation, if he doesn’t like it I don’t push and try again another time.
My baby was born 3 days after yours and he hasn’t rolled over yet. He can occasionally flip from his tummy to his back, but not the other way. He’s ahead on some stuff, behind on others. He started smiling, laughing & cooing early, but seems to be later on his physical milestones (although I’m sure he’s fine). The internet is filled with so many braggart moms, but most moms whose kids do stuff at a normal post don’t write about it!
My baby is so advanced, he was rolling in the womb (but not on land)!
I’m with you Jane: despite knowing full well each child advances/excels in their own thing & at their own pace, it’s really hard not to compare and worry.
Okay, um, THAT tweet is my nightmare. Literally. Nightmare.
I have yet to find myself particularly concerned with my daughter’s development. The way I see it, you know, pretty much everybody I know turned out okay regardless of whether they rolled over at four days or at four years. So I just don’t worry about it and I’m not much for comparing. (Too much energy. I’m exhausted these days.) Also, my daughter rolled over very early – she was four or five weeks old, I can’t remember – but to make up for every area she’s “ahead,” she is equally behind in others. Like her thumb. Why, for the love of all that is holy, did she take three months longer than everybody else’s kid to find her thumb?
I just assume it’ll all work out in the end.
My son never crawled. He never EVER crawled once in his entire life time! He would boot scoot around the house to get where he wanted to. Then he would pull up and cruise around the furniture. But because he was not crawling people made it their mission to make me feel bad and scared and like I was a horrid parent. My doctor said not to worry. Some kids just don’t crawl. But of course it was all the other BEEPS that stuck in my head and had me up late at night worrying if he was OK. Then at exactly 11 months old my son butt scooted across the room, pulled up on the couch, turned around and walked across the room. And he never stopped walking! Don’t listen to the “mothers” that insist on making it a competition. I don’t know who they think they are or who they are trying to impress. As long as your baby is healthy and happy and your doctor agrees he is doing well then you have nothing to worry about. And just tell the rest to shut it! LOL