Moms Say These Are the Top 9 Milestones in a Child’s Life
Ask any mom to describe her favorite milestone in a child’s life, and you’ll get as many different answers as there are moms. Some may say it’s when their child says, “I love you” for the first time. For others, it might be when their baby can sit up on their own but can’t crawl (that sure comes in handy). And for some moms, the milestone that makes them light up the most is when their child calls and says, “Mom, are you sitting down? I just got engaged.” Let’s look at ten of the most common favorite milestones.
#1: The Umbilical Cord Comes Out
Waiting for the umbilical cord to fall off is a big deal. Typically, this will happen anywhere between five days and two weeks. In the meantime, you have to keep your baby’s diapers folded down, keep the cord dry, and wait as patiently as possible. Once the cord falls off, you worry a little bit about infected belly buttons, but it’s one of the first big milestones and worthy of celebration.
#2: The First Tooth
Your baby’s first tooth usually comes along somewhere between six months and a year. Although it often comes with teething difficulties, such as lots of drooling, irritability, not sleeping very well, and crying, it’s still a great milestone. It feels like an affirmation that your child is a healthy, developing, growing young human.
#3: Baby’s First Steps
Of all the milestones, this one is bittersweet because it’s one of the first steps along the way towards independence. It’s also nerve-wracking because it means they’ll soon be getting into everything that isn’t locked down and even some things that are. Before your baby starts walking, she’ll crawl. Then, she’ll get onto her feet and hold on to furniture as she teeters. This is the first milestone that your baby is really proud of, too. She’ll look so pleased that she figured out how to walk.
#4: The First Word
Aren’t we fortunate that a baby’s first word is often “ma-ma” (well, as often as not, it’s “da-da”)? It’s cute to watch your baby work to form words because you can tell that they know exactly what they’re saying. This is another milestone that reaffirms that your baby is on the right track for development.
#5: The First Haircut
Some children are excited about their first haircut, and some are a little overwhelmed. Some parents want to start getting haircuts as soon as their baby’s hair gets near the baby’s eyes, is difficult to comb, or looks uneven. Other parents want to let their baby’s hair grow as long as possible before cutting it. A person will never have hair so beautiful as when they’re a baby, so why not let it grow long and luscious?
#6: The First Day of Kindergarten
On the first day of kindergarten, some mothers cry, and some breathe a sigh of relief. Others do both. It’s a relief because this is yet another sign that your child is developing but also because it gives you more time during your day. It makes you cry because it’s yet another sign of independence.
#7: Graduation Days
Your kids are going to have graduation days for preschool, elementary school, middle school, high school, and possibly college. That’s a lot of graduation days and milestones, but they’re all going to make you feel so proud. Take lots of photos. Your children will especially love to see photos from their earlier graduations when they’re preparing to finish high school or college.
#8: Getting Engaged
Sometimes you know the day’s going to come, and sometimes you don’t. But eventually, there’s a good chance your daughter is going to call you and say, “Mom, guess what? I’m engaged!” Or your son is going to call you and say, “Mom, I’m looking at oval engagement rings for my sweetheart. Let me send you some pictures!” And the next thing you know, you’re helping to plan a wedding.
#9: Your First Grandkid
The last milestone on this list is the one that brings the cycle back to the beginning. Perhaps one day your baby will grow up and give you a grandchild, and then you’ll be holding a baby in your arms again. And hopefully, everyone will live happily ever after.
Tips contributed by Sterling Guelich.