Real Moms Share: What’s Your Favorite Baby Milestone?

We all know the typical, traditional milestones in a baby's life that the pediatrician tells us to look out for: head support, smiling, rolling over. But certain moments in a baby's first year stick out for new moms for lots of different reasons. And here are just a few favorites from other moms like you.

"The first month or two of new motherhood, you're just dealing with a black hole of need that can't really reciprocate. (I don't care what anybody tells you.) But once the baby started holding up his own head and actually looked at me, I felt like I was dealing with the beginnings of a real person, which made things easier."

-Claire D.

"Our son would be miserable during tummy time, his face planted into the floor, bawling. I felt awful forcing him to do it. In fact, the whole tyranny of tummy time really made me crazy, and I finally just let him lay there on his back to his heart's content. But then one day he rolled from his back onto his tummy and back again, in one continuous feat of awesome baby gymnastics! It was triumphant for both of us."

-Gina B.

"Anything that makes diapering less fraught during those first hectic weeks is a good thing."

-Claire Z.

"One of my favorite things was the first time my kid laughed at her own farts. It signaled the development of her sense of humor in way that I found totally delightful. She has a wonderful sense of humor in general, so it just seemed like it was part of her burgeoning personality in general. (Also, farts ARE hilarious.)"

-Jessica G.

"With twins, this was huge. Anything that makes double meal times less arduous is fantastic. Also, one of my favorite milestones is when they learn to put their own pacifiers in their mouths. Total hallelujah moment."

-Alissa W.

"As a parent, a major milestone was when I finally sucked it up and sleep trained my daughter, after 10 months of horrible sleep deprivation and a lot of hand-wringing and foot-dragging. One night I just put her down, kissed her, and told her I loved her and would be back in the morning and closed the door. She cried for 30 minutes, then slept for 10 hours straight. She woke up happy, not upset by how cruel her mother had been the night before. After that, I was finally able to start getting eight hours of sleep again, and stop feeling like such a zombie, and like a better mom."

-Christina T.

"I loved the first time my son was crying and laughing at the same time. That confusion of 'Am I upset or do I find Daddy silly?' is so funny."

-Kate O.

"It was huge for us because it came so late (closing in on a year), and my anxiety was growing that I would have to carry this tubbo to his high school graduation, so when he did his first army slither I was very relieved/thrilled. Plus, his mobility was hugely liberating for me. Everyone says you will hate when they start moving on their own, but I loved it. You want that bottle? Go get it!"

-Sara W.

"For some reason those first teeth coming in were pretty exciting: I called a bunch of people to let them know."

-Kate O.

"My daughter was probably about seven or eight months old when she discovered avocados. I know we are really lucky because food is such a hard transition for a lot of babies, but she just loved to eat. She'd had pear, applesauce, peas, etc., but the avocado was a revelation. I can't even begin to tell you how happy they made her."

-Kelly M.