Baby Developmental Signs You Can Miss As A New Parent
Each baby is unique and develops at their own pace. However, there are baby developmental signs you can miss as a parent that could indicate an issue. In many cases, the baby can be slow to catch up, and there may be nothing to worry about. However, there can be missed signs, such as stiff arms, floppiness, and not tracking movement, that could indicate a problem.
Eye Contact and Engaging Expressions
It is easy to dismiss a lack of eye contact as a newborn being too young to actually do it. However, in the first weeks and months, this is one of the strongest developments a baby has. Making eye contact with mother is an early form of communication, followed by smiling. If you suspect there is a problem, an audiologist, optometrist, and speech pathologist can help determine if there are issues such as hearing, vision, and vocal impairment in your child.
Stiff Arms or Constant Floppiness
As a parent, you begin to understand how your baby feels and how they should react to your presence. However, it isn’t normal if they always have stiff arms or remain floppy. At around 3 to 4 months, the baby should be able to support itself and wriggle around without effort. If the baby cannot move their head or hardly moves any limbs, there might be an issue developing, as this is an early indicator of delays in the motor skills of a baby that needs instant medical attention.
Reflexive Baby Developmental Signs
Reflexes are built into babies by design, and they actually develop in the womb at around 28 to 36 weeks. Reacting to sounds, touch, and visual cues is one of the easiest ways to know if your newborn is healthy after birth, and a failure to react to stimuli could indicate a developmental issue. For example, the baby might not turn their head towards a voice or sound. If this is the case, it could indicate there is a developmental problem, such as a child's hearing impairment.
Not Tracking Movement with Eyes
Babies are born exposed to the wonders of the world, and it all comes flooding in at once, which is why they have little angry faces! Jokes aside, newborns begin to develop their senses immediately, and actually have many more neurons firing in the brain than adults. A basic skill babies have is tracking things with their eyes, even before they can move their heads. There could be an issue with the baby’s sight if you notice they aren't actually following items they see.
A Lack of Interest in Feeding
Some of the biggest reasons for prolonged crying in babies are that they need feeding, contact, or changing. However, it can also mean the baby is in extreme discomfort, which can be overlooked since it can mean a lot of things. The biggest sign a baby is uncomfortable is when they don’t have an interest in feeding, especially from the breast. If this is happening, it is best to book a consultation with a pediatric doctor, especially if accompanied by excessive choking.
Summary
Not making eye contact or engaging with facial expressions and smiles are some of the baby developmental signs you can miss that might indicate a problem. Newborns should also be responsive to reflexes, and there might also be an issue if the baby doesn’t want to feed.