athomeparentingwithJoFrost2017 - 80
BABY'S FIRST YEAR N ine to 12 months Somewhere in this period, your baby may start to crawl, in various ways including bottom shuffling - but some will miss out this stage altogether. 'Some will go from being able to sit to wanting to stand up. Some will crawl backwards, some forwards. There's a lot of variability,' says Elaine. Around this stage, your baby will also begin to pull themselves up on to furniture. 'We wouldn't worry if they're not doing this, but we look at whether they can weight bear,' she adds. It is also around now that your baby will be offered another review. Between 10 and 18 months, your baby will typically start to walk. 'That's a milestone with a really wide range of normal,' says Lara. 'Some might not until they're two.' However, if your baby is not crawling by a year - and they're not a bottom shuffler - she recommends seeking advice; similarly, if they still haven't started to walk at 18 months. Su Laurent, consultant paediatrician and author of Your Baby Month By Month, understands parents STEP, DOWN can be anxious, but suggests: As your baby learns to 'The most important thing walk, he's likely to be is for parents to trust people if they're telling very unsteady on his feet. them everything is fine.' Watch him and be ready There are many reasons to pick him up with a kiss for delayed development. and a cuddle when he Sometimes, it can stem from topples over. how your baby was positioned in pregnancy, or perhaps there were issues around the birth. Or it could be a lack of opportunity, so the health visitor might suggest strategies which can help such as simple exercises to try to strengthen their limbs. Karin Bishop, assistant director of professional practice at the Royal College of Occupational Therapists, adds: 'A baby who is late in reaching milestones in one area of their development might reach others early. It isn't really about what age a child reaches a milestone, as long as they are achieved.' 0 80 | JUNE 2 017