Ages and Stages – Don’t Compare

Have you ever sat in a group of parents and children and noticed major differences between children where milestones like crawling, walking or talking are concerned?

While it is true that most children pass through predictable stages of development, there is no specific age that they will occur.

Although much is written about typical behavior at certain ages or stages (myself included), a span of three to five months around the target age is entirely typical.

For this reason, it’s important not to compare children or their abilities to other children.

Communication, gross motor (large muscle groups), fine motor (hands and fingers), personal-social, and problem-solving are five major areas of child development. In my years of working with children, I’ve come to recognize that each child has their own individual areas of strength or interest. Early talkers may not be early walkers and vice versa, but they will eventually conquer each domain on their own time table.

As a home visitor/parent educator, parents and I used the Ages and Stages Questionnaire provided by our agency to periodically assess children’s development. Not only did the parents get reassured that their child was progressing on target for his or her age, but the questions themselves provided clues as to what types of activities they could or should be doing.

The University of Oregon’s Early Intervention Program is currently studying the development of infants and young children between the ages of 3 months and 5 years. As part of this study, they are allowing any parent to fill-out (anonymously) an Ages and Stages Questionnaire online for their child. They do ask for basic demographics information for their study, but no names or locations.

The questionnaire itself takes only a few minutes and once completed, you will receive the confidential results immediately through your e-mail address. You can also print out the completed questionnaire and additional activities for your child’s stage. There is no cost for this service.

Take the Ages & Stages Questionnaire at:

http://asq.uoregon.edu/


Nanny's Note: As always, please discuss your concerns with your pediatrician.



Photo Credit: Anissa Thompson; Carson, CA
http://www.anissat.com/photos.php

Mid-Week Mom Tip - Trimming Toddlers' Toenails

Regina over at Claire's Toddler Tales had this great idea for trimming toddlers' toenails!

Click on the link to read the full story, and stop by and say hi!

My Turn, Your Turn

No need for lengthy explanations on the virtues of sharing. These few simple words will help your baby understand the concept of taking turns.

When I ran weekly parent-child playgroups, the single Little Tikes slide was a huge draw. A throng of impatient toddlers would push and claw their way to the little plastic stairs. All it took to calm the crowd was a basic repetitive announcement:


Sara’s turn

Charlie’s turn

Mia’s turn


If one little trailblazer still tried to push his way to the front of the line, all it took was a pair of adult hands on his shoulders providing gentle resistance and a repeat of the turn taker's name. Soon all the toddlers got into the excitement of waiting for their turn and would gleefully chant whose turn it was.

This technique can be used with your baby during everyday tasks. Grabbing for the toothbrush or wanting to do things by themselves can be tempered by announcing turns and keeping them brief. It’s amazing how quickly children learn the concept, and how little they fuss as they wait because they understand that after her turn, it will be “my” turn.

Once children begin to come together at playgroups and playgrounds and they ultimately struggle for control of a toy, parents can be caught off guard and feel a little unprepared for toddler aggression.

Armed with this simple phrase (my turn, your turn), you can be the parent who steps in to save the day!

Photo Credit: Janis Gonser