Don't worry about what other mothers are doing
Your child reaching milestones like walking, talking and potty training is a big deal for any mother. But are you pushing your child to achieve this sooner rather than later?
A new report has revealed that mums are expecting their child to reach these goals early on, to prevent other mothers from 'judging them'.
The study found millions of mums push their kids to reach these things as quickly as possible in a bid to fend off what is seen as criticism from friends or family who have children of their own.
One in six said that they even feel pressure from complete strangers who make comments about their child's development and behaviour.
"It is not surprising given the considerable number of challenges mums and dads face everyday that parents feel under pressure for their children to reach certain milestones as soon as possible. However, it is important to remember that all children develop differently and that parents and children have to embark on achieving significant milestones when they feel ready," says Adam Solymos, brand manager for Pull-Ups.
One in five said that talking to other mums immediately makes them feel competitive about their children and pressured into making them reach key milestones earlier.
The pressure to get children potty trained and to sleep through the night were the two milestones that mums got the most competitive about and one in ten mums admitted they had been 'really pushy' with their child to make sure they could do certain things.
Child psychologist, Emma Kenny, says: "Infants, just like adults, are individuals who all experience their worlds in their own unique way. Whilst some infants seem to effortlessly achieve each milestone others will take longer, which is completely normal as these are stereotypes of development, not absolutes."
A third of mums say they actively try and avoid some playground mums because of their competitive behaviour and 60 per cent said the pressure they felt from other mums made them angry.
Emma continues: "Any mums worried about other peoples parenting skills being better than their own should take a moment to look at it from their child's perspective, if your infant is smiling, laughing and secure then you are doing an excellent job.
When it came to who pushed their child the most, mums agreed that they were more likely to encourage and push their children to reach the next stage of development than dads were.
Working mums also felt that they got judged more because they had jobs, particularly by mother's who don't work.
Top ten list of milestones mums feel pressure to achieve:
1. Potty trained
2. Sleeping through the night
3. Walking
4. Talking
5. Reading
6. Writing
7. Staying dry through the night
8. Eating solids
9. Counting to ten
10. Making friends