Every parent gets worried if their child is a late bloomer i.e if their child has delayed milestones.
But, do you have to be so concerned and worried about it?
Yes, of course, you need to be alert and aware of the developmental milestones of your child, but you should not panic if there is a small delay.
As you are aware that every child is blessed with a unique set of capabilities and skills, the developmental milestones are different for each child.
“Expectations could be the biggest enemy of your child’s development.”
So, how can a milestone development for your child be compared to some other child?
However, a lot of times, late bloomers might suffer from a genetic disorder or family history of some sort which hinders their development.
Late Bloomers – My Child has Delayed Milestones
It is absolutely okay for kids to take their time in achieving developmental milestones. There are numerous factors that lead to this. In this post, you will come across some ways of checking and knowing if your late bloomer is on the right track or not.
Environmental factors
The spectrum and time frames that are given in milestones are based on the general understanding of babies and their development. But, what parents forget is that each child comes with his own genetics and is brought up in a different environment. As far as the environmental factors are concerned, some families are nuclear whereas others may have too many members to take care of the child. In each of this setup, the exposure and treatment given to a child vary significantly.
The sort of interactions that the child is having with the family members will play a huge role in their development. Is the child engaged the right way?
Also, parents who are having their first baby and who do not have any other child for their baby to look around or learn from should expect slightly delayed milestones compared to parents with a second or third baby, who can expect faster developmental milestones due to the right exposure provided by their first child. This is just the general thought and can vary slightly from child to child.
The child is taking her time
Some of the fastest runners and athletes started walking very late.
And, if it had been attributed to any developmental problem, then they would not have become what they are. It is very common for babies to have different timelines for their milestones. Let the child take her own sweet time in understanding the environment and reacting towards it.
Proper Exposure needed
Most of the time babies delay talking as they are not spoken to. The only way a baby will learn to speak is by trying to imitate your sounds.
A lot of times, a baby may have slow motor skills development because he is not given the right exposure.
For example, a baby should always be taken to places like parks where he gets to see and interact with other kids which would help him grasp things faster. A baby who is played with regularly tends to learn to run around and walk faster than the others.
Diet and regular massage
Diet forms one of the major factors in your child’s development.
Babies who eat appropriately will have the tendency of showing better and faster development in various milestones and vice versa.
Moreover, a regular massage will help strengthen your child’s muscles, which will help your baby to start walking earlier.
Muscles, if not toned properly, will not provide good support to your baby who is just learning to walk.
Regular massaging helps in overall motor skills development.
For example, crawling, walking and running are the milestones related to proper muscle development.
Genetics
Lastly, you could check for some genetic causes like poor brain development or some genetically related medical condition which has been present in the family. But, this is very rare unless the family has a history of some medical condition.
Being a parent, it is natural that you will get worried about the late blooming of your child.
But, after reading this post, I am sure that you now know tips that will help you.
