What Every Parent Needs to Know About Child Development and the Backslide

It never fails. When your infant or baby has finally reached a new milestone in their development, something happens to undo his or her progress. That something can be as seemingly insignificant as a cold, or as major as a hospitalization.

Sometimes it is difficult for parents to see their children work so hard to develop a new skill, only to see it disappear in a day because illness.

This is perfectly normal and to be expected in babies, toddlers and new children. The child has just learned a new skill, and has not had time to fully explore it and master it. It is normal that he or she would backslide in their development into more familiar territory, and return to old habits and behaviors.

Babies and Development Regression: Eating and Drinking

For babies six months to nine months there are different developmental milestones that can be affected by illness. Most of these behavioral developments pertain to what baby does the most and does best: eating and drinking

Babies and Development Regression: 1. Solid Foods

For the child who has just started eating solid foods, such as baby foods, he or she may refuse them while he or she is sick, and for days or a week or two after he or she is well again. While he or she has developed the skills to move the food around in their mouths, they may not want to do it.

Parenting Tip: Parents will need to do what they did to introduce solids and encourage development in the first place. Start by replacing one meal a day with solid foods, or try the original method that worked before.

Babies and Development Regression: 2. Weaning from Breastfeeding

The baby who has just started too wean will go right for the breast milk when sick. This may have more to do with the child needing the warmth and comfort of mom than with eating. Moms who were just getting accustomed to having their shirts back on, and having some freedom of movement will have to muster up some patience and let the baby who is on the road to wellness nurse.