Having an advanced baby is hard
I know this sounds SO stupid, but I need to post here because I feel like I can’t moan about this in real life as people roll their eyes.
My baby is advanced for his age. When we went to our 1yr appointment the HV said he is ‘very advanced for his age’
He clapped, stood, crawled and walked early. He can say 30 words, sign more than that, knows his body parts and a few colours. I could go on but I feel like this is bragging when it’s really not.
It’s SO hard! I feel like I’m always on the go with him trying to keep up. I feel like I sped through baby life and I basically have a child. All my friends are slowly gathering these milestones and I’m way past them.
It’s also the pressure. I feel like I have a somewhat gifted child and I don’t want to squander that. I feel like the nuture has to match the nature. I worry about screen time, that I’m stimulating him enough, every single toy is a development toy. I then worry his childhood isn’t fun.
I don’t know what I’m looking for in this post but it’s just really exhausting. I’m so proud of my baby but I feel like I can’t speak to anyone because I come across like such a cow.
Show your support
Also, yes, it is hard to talk about milestones with other moms whose babies are not doing what your baby is doing yet. It will always feel like bragging when you’re proud of your baby and wanting to share their achievements. My baby crawled for the first time at my baby group (at 6mo). It was a bit of a relief to share this moment with other moms and not have to tell them 🤣
Is there no one else in your life with an advanced baby? Just chill out and observe him, instead of stressing about making sure you’re “nurturing” him. The only nurturing a gifted child needs is emotional stability, support and encouragement. A gifted child will thrive where they are free to pursue their interests and encouraged by their parents to do so. Also, gifted children are creative and can entertain/stimulate themselves. The only time being gifted can be a struggle is if/when they don’t relate to their peers and feel like an outsider. I doubt a toddler (who is with loving parents) feels this way. The only way to squander a gifted child is by not giving them the support they need (like encouraging them to keep trying when they get frustrated for example) and being an emotionally immature parent.