Developmental Delays in Babies
Developmental delays in babies can be a source of anxiety and worry. Addressing the problem and overcoming it is essential to facilitate adequate stimulation, if your baby requires it.
Developmental delays in babies
Couples often wonder how their unborn baby will be, sometimes even idealizing their image. Thus, any abnormal circumstance that arises may frustrate them.
Thus, knowing some development stages and aspects in advance may give parents peace of mind. However, it’s important not to consider them an absolute truth.
Respect developmental stages in babies
Respecting personal developmental stages avoids stigmatizing babies and unnecessarily worrying about them. However, this doesn’t mean avoiding or not paying the necessary attention to the problem. In fact, usually, the baby’s parents or family members are the ones who detect a potential problem.
Early consultation
Early consultation with a health professional, either a pediatrician or family doctor, allows early detection and intervention of all kinds of problems.
When Professor Robert Haggerty from the United States of America, visited Buenos Aires, Argentina for scientific purposes, he mentioned that early interventions are better. However, it’s never too late.
The first achievements
Holding up their head, displaying a social smile, and attentively looking at different objects are some of the first achievements that, as milestones, allow parents to believe that everything is going well with their baby.
When the aforementioned indicators don’t occur, far from meaning that your baby has a problem, they lead you to talk to the pediatrician about your questions and concerns during a checkup.
Defining normality
Defining “normality” isn’t a simple task and, therefore, it’s a good idea to disregard this concept, at least regarding maturational delay in babies and children. Thus, respecting individual development stages will allow you to be more flexible with your children and the rest of humanity. In this sense, the Spanish Pediatric Association’s Practical Guide for Parents is a very useful resource.
In short
- Firstly, knowing important aspects of baby growth and development can help you detect early signs of developmental delays.
- Also, respecting personal times reduces anxiety, gives your baby and child confidence, and improves family quality of life.
- Finally, regularly taking your baby to checkups with the same pediatrician allows a longitudinal follow-up, with the benefits this entails.
