4 Milestone Mindsets for Expectant Parents
Yesterday, I met with a small group of expectant parents. It got me thinking about a few things I wish expectant parents knew about motor development before their babies arrive… and it’s not that they need to be doing 30 minutes of tummy time every day.
Consider these four simple milestone mindsets...
1. Babies move so that they can learn.
Movement isn’t just for the sake of movement. We don’t walk for the sake of walking. We walk so that we can explore and learn about the world around us.
2. Babies learn to move through interactions with their environment.
Your baby’s gross motor development starts with small spontaneous movements when you put them down to play on the floor. Every little movement of your baby’s body brings in a rich flow of information, creating a dynamic web of connections in their brain. This leads to the development of purposeful, intentional, and meaningful motor skills.
3. Milestone age ranges are a reference tool, not a task list.
Expected age ranges provide a reference for how babies typically acquire gross motor skills. The quality of movement patterns and progress toward new skills generally takes precedence over learning a skill “on time.” When you have a roadmap for what to expect, play can be about spending time with your baby, rather than obsessing over whether they are meeting their milestones. Having a frame of reference for the expected timeline helps you be able to communicate confidently with your pediatrician about your baby’s development.
4. You don’t need to do this alone!
I help parents discover ways to play with their babies and how to create spaces that provide natural opportunities for movement. You don’t need to navigate this alone. There are baby-movement-experts out there, and we want you to ask us questions!
