Competitive Mummying

Competitive mummying is a trend  I've noticed a over the past six years.Whenever we come into contact with mothers who have children of a similar age to our own, the feelers come out- It starts innocently enough when we're pregnant...

Bump Comparison 

Size, waddle and bump holding; all things we note as we pass other mums-to-be in the supermarket aisles. Some mums have been known to compare morning sickness too.

The Birth 

People love a good birth story, the more drama the better. Thanks to our strained National Health Service (another blog another time maybe) not many disappoint.

The moment the words 'I did it all without so much as an asprin'' are uttered, the competitive mummy dragon rears its ugly head and it's downhill from there.

Sleep 

We mums love nothing more than being first to announce to the world that our little darling has 'SLEPT RIGHT THROUGH!'

Though this is absolutely fantastic news for the parent, spare a thought for the other mums who's babies aren't as contended throughout the night.

Weaning

If I had a pound for every time I'd heard an excited mother (of a 3 month old) happily declaring "oh he's on 3 weetabix already!" I'd be richer than Oprah Winfrey. It's not a race, all babies develop differently and parents who wean early have their own reasons for doing so and might be following specific medical advice . Health professionals advise that we wait until  baby is 6 months old before introducing solids. Remember to speak to your own  health professional if you're unsure about weaning.

Crawling/Walking  

Not all babies crawl and they learn how to walk  between 9 and 17 months. That's a huge gap, but there's nothing more daunting to a mum than the fear that your child may never learn how to crawl or walk. Don't despair, as long as your baby is having plenty of  tummy time they should get there in the end and if you have concerns , your health visitor is on hand to help.

Toilet Training 

The second a child has blown out both candles on their cake the inquisition begins...

'Are they out of nappies?'

'Are they potty training yet?'

'Are they dry through the night?'

Your poor baby has only just mastered the art of walking independently and already they're expected to be completely continent. Don't worry about what 'they' say, it's important to keep things cool when it comes to toilet training. Remember;  preparation, perseverance and praise are all key to successful toilet training.

All in all I think it's high time we sat back and enjoyed the parenting ride. All children are individual, inspirational little beings. It's always a good idea to have a knowledge of expected developmental milestones but lets not spoil their younger years with too many pointless comparisons.


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In my day they had cameras!