At 21 months old Harriet has hit pretty all of those ‘Baby Milestones’ that new mothers love to keep track of.
I attempted to keep track of those all-important moments with both of my babies, admittedly I was better at documenting them the first time around.
I wrote monthly blog posts documenting Taylor as he grew. I took photos, in their thousands. With Harriet, it all had to fit in around nursery runs, swimming lessons and helping a toddler build lego whilst breastfeeding a baby.
So as you can imagine, she didn’t get the blog posts, and her photos aren’t in their thousands. But I still captured these moments, not for social media, but for myself. And for her.
It’s easy to get caught up in the day to day life, especially the second, or third, time around.
I might not know which date each tooth came in, but I know when she rolled, walked, talked and giggled. I didn’t write a blog post about it, I was rife with anxiety after having a small sickly baby. I didn’t have it in me to share it all. But I knew I wanted these moments to look back on with her as she grows.
I didn’t do anything special with Harriet, I simply made a note, on my phone with the date and the milestone. I took some photos with her milestone cards and that was that. Now I can say I put in the effort and when she’s older we can look at them together.
One day I’ll take the time to transfer the info into her baby book. Hopefully, before she’s 20!
Harriet hit all of her milestones pretty much on time for her age. She’s now walking, talking and causing mischief!
Our final milestone is sleep, and I think we’ve cracked it. She’s always been a good sleeper, but this week we’ve finally managed to leave her to go to sleep by herself.
Which is great and makes the evenings easier… I should be happy, right?
But I can’t deny I miss sitting and having those extra long cuddles as she drifts off in my arms. Or watching her little chest rise and fall as she sleeps.
The one thing I never did is compare my babies to others. I loved getting my monthly emails and reading Emmas Diary to see what I could expect from my baby that month, but each baby develops at their own pace.
So make sure you take the time to capture each moment, write a note and document the day. Even if it’s just on your phone. Because we know it’s not always easy to find time for baby books…
Emma’s Diary website has lots of information about your baby’s milestones – as well as creating this great infographic below:
All babies are unique and grow at different rates. Don’t worry if your little one doesn’t match this pattern exactly. They might be a few weeks ahead on some things and slightly behind on others. It usually evens out over time. However, if you’re concerned that your child has missed one or more important milestones, speak to your health visitor or GP
#AD – This post is written in collaboration with Emma’s Diary. All views and opinions expressed in this post are my own.
