There’s something about baby milestones that somehow turns the sweetest moments into these weirdly stressful countdowns. Like, sure, getting to have this newborn and cradling them in your arms is the start to a wonderful adventure, needless to say, but at the same time, it’s so horribly stressful too. Parents always hear things like “oh, the first year goes by fast” and “enjoy every second”, and honestly, that just adds even more pressure.
Like, it shouldn’t, because it is a magical moment. But for so many mums, they sit there thinking, okay, is tummy time going well enough, is sitting up happening too early or too late, is rolling supposed to look like that? And it’s funny because babies don’t care at all. They’re just living their little baby lives, doing things in their own time while adults spiral in the background.
Babies Just Move at their Own Pace
The internet loves to tell parents that milestones should happen at exact ages, down to the week. You especially see that nonsense all over TikTok, and certain mommy bloggers are guilty of it, too. And that makes mums feel like they’re somehow missing something if their baby isn’t doing things on a schedule.
But babies don’t get the memo; they are babies after all. Some sit early, some roll later, some skip crawling completely and just start standing like they’ve been rehearsing it in secret. And yeah, it feels stressful sometimes because it’s easy to compare, especially when every other mum seems to have a baby who’s apparently doing one-handed cartwheels at five months. But the reality is that different doesn’t mean wrong, and slower doesn’t mean something’s off. It’s just… babies being babies.
Just Be in the Moment
They say the whole newborn phase goes by fast, and yeah, it does. The same goes for the infant stage; it goes by super fast, too. That first year is absolutely going to give you whiplash; that’s how fast it goes from that to toddlerhood. So, sometimes the best thing to do for a milestone is pass the camera to someone else, because trying to enjoy a moment while staging it at the same time is a lot.
You’re far better off just trying to be in the moment, just try to get a professional to capture the cute stuff. For example, you could look into Louise Mallan Photography to handle the special birthday sessions, the seasonal photos, the milestone shoots, or even the newborn moments that go by in a blur. Plus, a lot of parents just want to quickly take a pic with their phone to “get it done ”and then look back and regret the lack of thoroughness. So, just take pressure off yourself, be in the moment, don’t stress over the perfect shot, and get a professional to do it for you.
Milestones become Less Magical When You Obsess
Again, there’s also this weird pressure to capture every milestone with perfect photos or videos. Well, that, and trying to get your kid to actually meet said milestone. And that pressure makes the moment feel more like a performance than an actual memory. That constant need to document everything can make the milestone feel more stressful than sweet. It’s okay to have simple, messy, blurry memories that still feel incredibly precious. And again, every baby is different; those milestones are guidelines, let your baby take their time.