It's good to know the milestones, especially if you're a first-time parent, but don't sweat the details. So parents need to watch their child and their own gut instincts, too. They should also prepare you for your child's emotional and social growth, language development and thinking skills. Kids grow in spurts, so as your baby boy becomes fixated on learning to pull himself up to a standing position, for instance, he may not be paying much attention to honing his verbal skills. One in a Million Pediatric guru Dr. William Sears agrees.
Babies vary greatly in personalities and developmental milestones.
And you can pretty much ignore the daunting array of products designed to jumpstart your tiny tot's development engine, experts advise. Baby, Let's Play. But the best thing you can do in these early months is simply get to know your baby and her unique temperament, and give her all the love, closeness and attention you can. Research shows kids will be more self-assured and smarter for it later on. But even looking out the window, going for a walk, or nighttime rituals, like a little bath and reading stories, are good.