A pediatrician and mom, who is one half of the duo behind the TikTok account @thepedipals, went viral earlier this month for sharing a video about what she calls "secret" milestones that parents often miss. The video, posted on April 1, has been viewed over 3 million times and seems to have struck a chord with parents. Milestones are often a hot topic, especially for new parents.
The pediatrician, Dr. Sami, called it her “superpower” in her TikTok video. She said she can “predict” what babies and toddlers will do when their parents bring them in, but said it’s simply because she is a pediatrician. Dr. Sami listed several lesser known milestones for babies, toddlers, and even older children and teenagers, that parents can look out for.
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Being a first -ime parent is nerve wracking, and new parents often wonder about common milestones.
Anyone who has ever been a first-time parent can tell you the countless hours spent googling questions about their baby's progress and milestones. Especially when it concerns things like walking and talking. But it helps to know about healthy progress and steps for your kids that might not be as well known, too, especially from a reliable source.
“You’re just not going to see them online or reported, but they totally happen,” the pediatrician said about the milestones she shared.
The pediatrician shared some lesser known milestones for babies and infants.
“If you have a newborn, one of the secret milestones is that they hiccup a lot, totally normal," she said in her video. “The other thing is that they scream bloody murder for everything." She continued, “It doesn’t matter if they're hungry, if they're wet, or if they're bored. It’s like one setting and it’s like 'I’m dying!'”
She said at 4 months old, babies are “super cute and smiling all the time but grab your hair and won’t let go and then you're bald because of it.”
The pediatrician also shared how at around 6 to 9 months, some babies will start to shake their heads and stick out their tongues. “Totally normal. Milestone …" she said. While there are plenty of milestone apps for those first 12 months, milestone tracking with kids can often take a backseat once parents make it through those first few years.
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The pediatrician shared milestones for school-age children and teens, too.
According to the National Library of Medicine, milestones for children are often broken down into five categories: gross motor, fine motor, language, cognitive, and social-emotional and behavioral. While many of the milestones for babies are more about gross motor skills and language skills, the focus for toddlers and bigger kids shifts toward social-emotional and behavioral milestones.
The pediatrician shared some milestones for older kids. “Toddlers, picky eaters, totally a milestone. Selfish, unreasonable, terrorist … totally normal for a toddler," she said. She continued, “Between the ages of 4 and 6 it's, ‘Why? Why? Why?’ Why is the sky blue? Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah.”
Then for kids who are ages 11 and up she says it’s “very normal” for them to start feeling anxiety. She said she recommends following up with your pediatrician when this starts to happen. Lastly, the pediatrician shared that it’s “normal” for teens to have a “different circadian rhythm” where they want to “stay up later at night and wake up later in the day.”
Parents responded with gratitude in the comments.
While TikTok seems to be a platform that can bring out the worst when it comes to videos concerning the parenting community, parents seemed to be overwhelmingly grateful to the pair of pediatricians.
One parent wrote: “Your videos always make me feel better. Can you do more milestones from ages 2-4 please?”
"I have a newborn who hiccups all the time," another parent commented. "I was worried. You’ve comforted me, so thanks. But why do they hiccup?"
“This is the manual I asked for at the hospital!" someone else wrote. "Thank you."
*Disclaimer: The advice on CafeMom.com is not a substitute for consultation with a medical professional or treatment for a specific condition. You should not use this information to diagnose or treat a health problem without consulting a qualified professional. Please contact your health-care provider with questions and concerns.
