Early Childhood Resources for New Parents

For a new parent watching your child grow up can be an exciting, and anxious, experience. It is not unusual to worry about the growth and development of your child especially in the early months of their life. Often a new parent only has the stories of friends and families to go on when it comes to tracking the different stages of development and if your child does not seem to be moving along as quickly as you expected it can lead to nervousness and worry. It is important for parents to know that not all children develop at the same rate and there are ways for you to monitor and track the general time frame a child should be making certain leaps in development.

The first source of information should be your child's pediatrician. In many cases the pediatrician will give you pamphlets and other information on what to watch for in your child and, during regular check ups, tell you what percentile your child is in physically. The pediatrician will also ask you what things your child is doing and saying while telling you what the child should be doing and saying. If your pediatrician does not tell you these things do not be afraid to ask, sometimes they assume that you have other children or already know.

If you are unsure of the information your pediatrician has given feel free to contact other doctors offices for second opinions. Some clinics are slow during the early afternoon hours and have nurses that are willing to answer generalized questions on child hood development. If you are not comfortable with that your library or book store will have a large selection of books devoted to early childhood development. Another resource is the world wide web and a wonderful web site called Parenthood (http://www.parenthood.com) with several sections on all topics they discuss every aspect of child development and have very active forums where you can talk and share experiences with fellow parents.