Growth Milestones and Checkups: A Room Full of Babies the Same Age
After we left the hospital, we kept up monthly checkups for the first three months — mostly to track Tommy’s health and how he was developing.
After that, the visits spread out to every three months, then every five, until his first birthday, when our follow-up care at the hospital where he was born officially wrapped up. From there, it got handed off to our local community health checkups, which would keep tabs on his progress going forward.
The 3–4 Month Checkup
Honestly, I already had a hunch.
His neck just wasn’t holding steady. Even when I picked him up, his head would wobble around in a way that made me nervous.
And then it came: “Needs observation.”
But that phrase didn’t actually hit me that hard. At this age, there’s not much difference between babies of the same age — they’re all still being carried everywhere, they’re all crying. So I figured, okay, there’s just some individual variation here.
Still, something about it stuck with me.
The 9–10 Month Checkup
By now, the delay was impossible to miss.
I’d had a feeling for a while, but seeing him next to a room full of babies the exact same age made it undeniable. I’d also had time to brace myself for it in everyday life, so hearing it said out loud didn’t throw me.
The checkup itself, though? A little uncomfortable.
The 1 Year 6 Month Checkup
At this point, you didn’t even need a test to see it.
He ignored every single instruction they gave him. Tommy had just figured out how to stand on his own, but the checkup staff were determined to get him walking anyway. When telling him to walk didn’t work, they started tugging his hand to drag him into it. (I mean — really?)
Not happening.
That sent Tommy into a meltdown that would not quit, and suddenly we had every eye in the room on us. I couldn’t take it anymore, so we left partway through.
The 3-Year Checkup
We skipped this one entirely. I called ahead, explained the situation, and canceled.
At the end of the day, isn’t the whole point of these community checkups to catch delays early and connect families to the right support? Tommy was already being followed regularly at the hospital, and we already knew he was behind — so putting him (and us) through another public evaluation just for the sake of it didn’t feel worth it. That’s just my take, though.
Later, at the developmental support center, I met a handful of other moms who’d made the same call.
(To be clear — this is only if you’re already connected to support elsewhere. Checkups genuinely matter. I’ll write more about the support side of things next time.)
Infant Milestones: The Typical Timeline vs. Tommy’s
For reference, here’s how Tommy’s development compared to the general timeline:
| Milestone | Typical Age | Tommy’s Age |
|---|---|---|
| Head control | ~3–4 months | 7 months |
| Rolling over | ~5–6 months | 10 months |
| Sitting unassisted | ~7–8 months | 1 year, 1 month |
| Crawling | ~7–9 months | 1 year, 2 months |
| Pulling up to stand | ~8–10 months | 1 year, 4 months |
| Walking independently | ~1 year | 1 year, 8 months |
Even once he could walk, he was wobbly for ages and kept landing right on his bottom. He didn’t really walk steadily enough for actual walks outside until around two and a half.
More on this soon — see you next time!
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