“My baby isn’t crawling yet,” said a worried mom about her 9-month-old daughter. “Is there something wrong?” I reassured her that crawling can occur at different times for babies, and that pediatricians rarely rely on it as a milestone. We then discussed the milestones that are important at 9 months, such as standing and holding on, imitating sounds, feeding oneself, and picking up small objects. Her daughter was doing all of these and more. She said, “I’m so relieved to hear that she’s not behind!”
Routine well visits to your child’s doctor are important to monitor your child’s growth and development -- so you’ll need to keep tabs on basic milestones to report back to your doctor. If there is a significant delay, your child’s doctor may recommend specific therapies or do more testing.
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