Introducing VTech’s Expert Panel and the Milestones Resource + Giveaway
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This is a sponsored post on behalf of Vtech. All thoughts remain my own.
I absolutely love seeing my children hit milestones. Big or small, they are so exciting. Sometimes it is hard to see them transition and know that we can never go back to the tiny babies they once were, but mostly it is a happy event. Our latest and greatest milestone is Delaney beginning to talk. She is almost 23 months now and she has begun talking up a storm. She repeats almost anything you tell her, and is now using words to tell me what she wants and needs which makes my life SO much easier. Just this morning she told me “Milk. Table. Find it.” I knew exactly what she wanted, her milk cup was on the table and she wanted to go find it. Hooray, she told me what she wanted instead of me having to guess why she was upset.
Delaney is the youngest of 4 children and it has been amazing to me to see how different they all are. They have all reached various milestones at different ages. I think my oldest Danica was talking a lot by the time she was a year old. My second child Kurtis didn’t talk much at all until after he was 2 years old. Keegan was a little before 2 and Delaney has been starting to talk for a few months, but it has really taken off in just the past 2 weeks. It has been the same with all their milestones such as crawling, walking etc.
Vtech recognizes that all children are different and all hit milestones at different ages. They want to help parents recognize the milestones their children may be hitting and recommend products that will help encourage that development.
About VTech’s Expert Panel and Milestones:
- The Expert Panel is compiled of six experts including, Dr. Lise Eliot, Early Childhood Mental Development Expert, who collaborated with VTech to develop the Milestones resource.
- The milestones are broken down by ages that range from newborn to nine years old.
- Each age range is broken down by three categories of learning:
- Language and Cognitive
- Social and Emotional Development
- Physical and Motor
- The categories explain different characteristics and developments that your child is faced with at a specified age and is then followed by recommended products that best cater to your child.
Vtech offered a chance for bloggers to submit some questions about milestones and have their expert panel answer them. One of my favorites submitted addressed concerns over meeting milestones on time. This particularly spoke to me as I was very concerned when Kurtis was not talking at 2 years old. I can say he talks fine now with no delays or problems, but I was definitely concerned when he was 2 years old.
Q. What if it seems like your child isn’t reaching a particular milestone, what can you do to facilitate the learning of it? While every child is different, are there any Milestones (when not achieved on schedule) a parent should be concerned about?
A. It’s important for parents to know what milestones to expect, because failure to reach them can be a warning sign of a developmental delay. For social skills, we like to see babies making eye contact early on, and worry if it doesn’t happen by 3 months or age, or if s/he is not sharing facial expressions or some other kind of back-and-forth communication by 9 months. For language skills, we worry when children are saying no words by 16 months, or only a few words at 2 years, and when there is any loss of communication ability at any age. For motor skills, it is concerning if a baby cannot bring an object to his or her mouth by 7 months, sit independently by 10 months, or walk by 18 months. If your child isn’t reaching these milestones, talk to your pediatrician, who may propose additional testing and exercises you can do with your child at home to promote his or her development.
I love that Vtech uses their expert panel to ensure that their toys are age appropriate and beneficial to development. It is great to be able to pick out toys for my children, nieces and nephews that will help them meet their milestones. They sent me an awesome gift pack with some great toys to help with development. The gift pack included:
Lil’ Critters Play & Dream Musical Piano™(Ages 0-12 months; MSRP $24.99)
Roll & Surprise Animal Train™(Ages 6-36 months; MSRP: $15.99)
Chomp & Count Dino™ (Ages 12-36 months; MSRP: $19.99)
To learn more about Vtech’s toys to use their valuable expert resources, please visit Vtech’s where you can learn about what milestones the says your child should be hitting based on age. You can also learn more about Vtech’s products and their expert panel by following them on and liking them on Facebook.
GIVEAWAY:
One lucky reader will win a great gift pack like the one I received featuring the Lil’ Critters Play & Dream Musical Piano™ (MSRP $24.99), Roll & Surprise Animal Train™ (MSRP: $15.99) and Chomp & Count Dino™ ( MSRP: $19.99)
My advice would be don’t try to rush your child or worry if they don’t do things at a certain time as other kids they’re all different and will learn in their own time
My advice is to start reading to your baby the day he or she comes homes home from the hospital. It first it may seem silly to read to a newborn…but they just want to hear your voice. Eventually, it becomes habit and then you are reading everyday to your toddler who has never known a day without a book or two. Reading is a great way to explore, learn new words, and just bond in general.
Go with you instinct
My advice would be to not overly stress regarding milestones. Instead consider milestones as general guideposts.
everything else can wait , enjoy every minute
I agree with the comment on not comparing the developments of different kids. I have a large family and know how each kids is different.
My advice is to constantly teach your children. Whether it be to read, write, ride a bike or something else. It will get them a wonderful sense of independence and foster their desire to learn.
My tip is that every baby is different but you have to play/teach them daily. Some of the best advice Ive ever gotten was to talk to your infant/baby, even if its about the grocery list or doing laundry, it really does help them learn and grow.
That you can’t know everything, and things will come naturally.
Enjoy each moment with your child. I suggest buying a milestone/baby book or making your own scrapbook to record the special moments together.
My advice is to just enjoy every minute of it! They grow up so quickly!
Take one day at a time.
I would say take the time to slow down and enjoy every milestone. Big or small. They grow up way too fast.
Just let them be they will crawl walk and talk when they are ready don’t compare
How old is a baby before it reaches the milestone of saying “Mama”?
My advice is don’t compare your children’s milestones to each other or to other children. Each one is unique and will find their own path.
oh goodness….don’t take too much too seriously, take one day at a time and take advice with a grain of salt!
Dont get wrapped up in the “rules” of milestones. Your pediatrician will tell you if there is a problem. Dont get sucked into the “competition” between parents. ONLY you and your family and close friends should care and be excited about a first tooth, or first step, etc. When they are 18 and walk across that stage for graduation or later “milestones”, no one remembers when they learned how to walk, talk, or crawl. ENJOY ever little thing without worry!
How do you know when they are hitting their milestones at the right time?
Don’t compare each child is different