Hiccuping, yanking hair, ear-shattering cries, trembling or shaking - these are just the few non-traditional, "totally normal" childhood milestones revealed by a pediatrician.
Parents eagerly await for their babies to crawl and then take their first step or say their first word as these are the usual and traditional key milestones in early childhood development, not knowing that there might have been other milestones that their babies are already doing that indicates development.
Dr. Sami, a pediatrician and one of the founders of The Pedipals, took to TikTok to open up about non-traditional early childhood developmental milestones, which concern parents at first because traditional checklists, guides and parenting books do not talk about them.
"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 shares.
Commonly Overlooked Childhood Milestones
Her TikTok video has since gone viral, now having three million views and 372,900 likes. Dr. Sami expressed that her intention in posting the video was to introduce parents to some of the most common non-traditional or what she calls "secret" in childhood development and ease their minds that these hidden milestones are normal.
Today magazine talked to Dr. Sami and another pediatrician to gather these "commonly overlooked milestones."
1. Hiccuping a lot
According to attending pediatrician in the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Dr. Anjuli Gans, hiccups is one of the "most common" topics parents ask them about in terms of their newborns. She stressed that frequent hiccuping is very normal and is an indicator for early childhood development.
Hiccups are a sign that the diaphragm muscles of the newborns and infants are getting much stronger and that the part of the brain that controls these reflexes are also quickly developing. The baby's gut is also changing, thus, he/she is suddenly becoming gassy.
2. Yanking Hair
Dr. Gans explained that when babies reach their fourth month, they "suddenly get this incredible strength," which they use in grabbing hard their parent's or caregiver's face or hair.
"The hair pulling is actually just an expression of them being able to grasp objects. They'll just grab for dear life, and the next thing you know you're trying to unclench their little hands and get your hair out," Dr. Sami stressed, also adding that this is very normal. Babies will master first"grasping onto things" before meeting the milestone of letting go.
3. Ear-shattering shrieks
Who would ever think that the "ear-shattering" cries and shrieking babies do in public and at home are indicators of childhood development? Because it can really be frustrating, not to mention humiliating, for parents and caregivers, they would think there is something wrong with their babies. However, both pediatricians emphasized that these are normal.
Calling them " "instinctive" cries, they explained that these are part of children's vocal and language development.
4. Overnight pooping stops
When babies reach four months old, a common, unknown milestone happens - they stop pooping overnight.
"Their gut develops in such a way that their stools kind of stabilize," explained Dr. Gans to Today, adding that the babies may still urinate and wet their diaper overnight. In fact, there will be occasional overnight popping that can happen from time to time, and this is normal.
5. Trembling or shaking
"Somewhere in the six to nine month range, babies may also start shaking their head a lot, and it's just because they're discovering their different body parts and how to move them," says Dr. Sami.
"A lot of parents will say they look like little zombies, and the second you touch them ... sometimes they shake a lot and it can be really concerning," Dr. Gans explained. Parents need not fear, however, because this shaking or trembling is "often totally normal" with the babies' reflexes developing.
She further stated that newborns have a "Moro reflex," which is triggered by different stimuli causing them to shake or move abruptly. This normally disappears when they reach their second month.
Related article: New Study Reveals Link Between Babies' Motor Milestones And Preschoolers' Cognitive And Adaptive Skills
