Understanding child development is knowing the milestones as children develop, and at what age they should be met. Most important are the things we could do to help our children meet those milestones.

It is very important as parents that we understand child development. When I had my first child, I knew how to care for her, what to feed her, how to bathe her, and what I didn’t know, I asked her pediatrician.

My daughter hit most physical milestones such as sitting up, rolling over, and walking. within normal limits. I noticed she was late when she was old enough to finger feed herself. I took her hand, put it on the food and put it into her mouth teaching her.

After a while she did it by herself and hit her milestones, but again they were late. She felt her way around on a rolling toy she liked to ride, and was very cautious with her movement. She was also like that going up and down stairs.

The Eye Test

When my daughter went to preschool, she had an eye test that she did not pass. She ended up going to a pediatric ophthalmologist. Much to my surprise, I fond out she was legally blind. To make a long story short, she wore a patch over one eye and had to wear glasses.

By the time she was about eight years old, she was not legally blind anymore. This ophthalmologist was a great doctor and I am so happy he could correct her vision. 

People might have thought that I was not on top of the situation when my child was young, but it was just a simple matter of understanding child development.

Now I know what to look for when a child enters my class. I have been able to detect vision, hearing, learning and physical problems with children. I feel confidant and can help children if they are having difficulty, as well as scaffold them to higher levels of development.

Click here for the CDC website where you can get answers to your questions about child development.  If you need questions answered or need to look up the milestones for your child you will find good information on this website.