Crawling, the first word, the first steps — these are just a few of the key milestones in early childhood development that parents eagerly await as their child grows up.
However, there are other milestones or completely normal behaviors which may be not in the traditional checklists, guides and parenting books. Some of these may actually seem concerning at first for parents, even if they are also indicators of development.
Recently, a pediatrician went viral on TikTok for sharing some of these “secret” or hidden milestones that parents ask about. Dr. Sami, who runs an account called @thepedipals, posted the video on TikTok, which now has over 1.8 million views.
“A lot of times parents will ask me, is this behavior normal? Why is my child doing this? And they’re concerned. … It dawned on me that the reason was because it’s not really listed as a milestone online or in books,” Dr. Sami tells TODAY.com.
Sami says her intent behind posting the video was to go through some of the most common “secret” milestones to help ease parent’s minds and educate about childhood development.
So what are some of these commonly overlooked milestones? We spoke to Dr. Sami and another pediatrician to find out.
While the experts consider these to be normal milestones, they acknowledge every child is different. If you’re ever concerned about their child’s development or health, consult your pediatrician.
Hiccuping a lot
“In terms of newborns, hiccups is one of the most common things we get asked about … in those early visits,” Dr. Anjuli Gans, an attending pediatrician at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, tells TODAY.com. Frequent hiccuping is very normal, she adds.
Hiccups are involuntary spasms or sudden movements of the diaphragm muscle, which controls breathing, per the Mayo Clinic.
In newborns and infants, their diaphragm muscles are getting much stronger, says Gans, and the part of the brain which controls these reflexes is also developing very quickly. Their gut is also…
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