Temperament & Infant Development

What type of temperament does your child have? Whether calm or a real go-getter, her personality will play a role in her development.

All sorts of milestones are reached in the first eighteen months of a child's life. The first smile, first words, and first steps name but a few. And while there are guidelines that help us predict approximately when our infants may reach these milestones, these estimates are not written in stone. In fact, Infant Development Consultant, Karen Pealo, feels parents are doing themselves and their children a favor by not taking these developmental guidelines too seriously. "It's very difficult not to measure your kids, but you do need to step back and allow your kid to be himself and to relax around those issues. Try not to compare children, and try to look at your child as a whole."

Pealo adds that "temperament defines how a child approaches the world and where their particular interests lie. But it's not going to define his intelligence level at all. If you have a child that is quieter and more observant," explains Pealo, "then he may actually have greater skills in language or some of the fine motor and play skills."

Developmental Delays

When your child isn't meeting the common milestones, particularly after the first year of life, you might begin to suspect a developmental delay. Often a child who is developmentally delayed will have something in his history that might predispose him to a delay. "To be developmentally delayed means that you have something in your birth history or a condition which will result in your development being slightly slower than typical", says Pealo. "An example would be that perhaps you're slower to achieve motor milestones such as rolling over, or sitting, or becoming mobile."

If you are worried about your child's development, it is important to have these concerns addressed by an expert and the best place to begin is with your child's doctor.