A child may spurt well ahead in some areas and lag behind in others. This is normal, unless a lag persists for a long time. Unfortunately, some parents tend to compare their children with others and get discouraged if their child does not seem to be keeping up in a particular area. Like adults, children learn something best when they are truly interested in it. Attempts to force infants to learn something before they show an independent interest in it may result in a shaky foundation for that skill.
Normal babies learn and develop at their own pace.
Still, loving interaction is essential to a baby's development. Many studies of children who have spent their first years in uncaring situations such as institutions have demonstrated the effects of its absence. While no two children are alike in development, the process does follow several general patterns. Development proceeds from generalized activity of the whole body to specific individual responses. Large-muscle control proceeds from head to toe.