Please give me some tips to be more like you! I worry about everything, from my LO grabbing things in her right hand without using her index finger (she sticks it out like she is pointing 90% of the time when holding something, though she has a perfectly normal pincer grip?!) to the permanently slightly swollen gland in her neck.
I think it's one thing to be concerned because you think something is supposed to happen at a certain time or you don't realize that progression isn't always linear and it's another to be overly anxious. When it comes to being overly anxious, that requires more specialized help than what I can give. In terms of just general worries, just reading a lot and educating yourself is helpful.
Does it come from having two children? Did you worry more the first time around? How do you keep faith?
No, it doesn't come from having two children. I certainly asked more questions with my first, but I generally just assumed that whatever she did, was "normal." Since having my second, I've learned things like how my first pooped WAY more than other babies and peed more too. I just assumed it was typical, but then I had my son and realized that when people weren't rushing off to change their newborn baby's diaper after a feed, they weren't simply letting their child sit in pee and poop. Their child just didn't pee and poop as much as my first did! My first would pee and poop multiple times during a feed in the early weeks. Then she got to the point of immediately going after a feed and then after a while of that there was a gap of time between eating and going. In terms of "keeping the faith," I guess I just am not an anxious mother. I also started parenthood with some theoretical understanding of child development. For example, I understood that it is normal for words in a baby's vocabulary to disappear. So when it happened with Violet, I was fascinated rather than worried. I'm fascinated by child development in general. So I did a bunch of reading and looked at child development and milestone charts a lot. If you look around, the charts vary wildly. Also, I knew from my experience with child development classes, that the rate at which a child acquires skills and the space between each milestone, isn't important. The lost of skills is a sign of a problem, but skills can also "hide in the background" while a baby/child is focusing on a different skill. For example, Leo did used to wave and although that skill appears to have disappeared, the underlying skill has not. The skills involved in waving are: large motor skills, socially engaging with others, imitating, et cetera. Leo still does all of those things. He has not had a loss of motor function. He has not had a loss of engagement. He still imitates in other ways although his imitations are usually vocal, not motor related. In terms of walking skills, he does not show a decrease in strength or coordination. He just shows a lack of interest. In terms of signs disappearing, I don't know what's typical with signing toddlers, but his dad (who is the stay at home parent) doesn't sign with him, so that may have something to do with it. Also, he may have been too focused on learning physical skills to care about communication. I think I'm seeing him start to use "all-done" again. I haven't been reinforcing signs lately which is another factor. I'll start up again and see what happens. So I guess to "keep up the faith," I just generally have faith, am not an anxious mother, and have a level of understanding of child development.
I'm not saying you should worry about your boy, as he is probably, like you say, just not interested. But I personally would die if my kid stopped doing something.
I hate being so anxious and am genuinely curious and interested in your coping mechanisms, as I would really like to change.
Sorry, this post is so lame ...!
It would be wise to prepare yourself for "loss" of skills. Language is the area where this is typical. Expect that while your child is focused on learning new words, some of the older ones will be lost but later re-gained. Genuine loss is concerning, but a temporary lull due to shifted focus is completely normal.
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