Every parent understands that there are milestones in a child's early life that help you and your baby’s doctor track their development. You will be asked about them at routine health and development reviews and at doctor's appointments. Parents often worry about milestones before they are hit, feel reassured when they happen, and may panic about delays, even though developmental delays are very common in babies. Milestones can also be a cause of social stress, with other parents and family members comparing your child with theirs and sometimes posting candy-coloured "milestone cards" on social media. So what are “inchstones” in this context? Why would you want to track your child's development with any more of these things than are strictly necessary?, you might ask.

Well, the good news is that "baby developmental inchstones" is not a medical term but a parenting trend or colloquially used term. Each inchstone is solely about celebrating, encouraging, and praising little victories and everyday progress—those inches between the milestones. They are triumphs that may only matter to your specific baby or family, such as your baby making friends with the family pet or mastering how to say a sibling's name. Attending the dentist without crying or staying calm while you floss their teeth (which should begin when they have two teeth touching) are other examples of inchstones.

The term "inchstone" is relatively new, originating from the world of special or additional needs parenting, where milestones are often reached more slowly and recognising gradual success is especially important. However, inchstones have emerged as a more popular parenting trend in recent years, with ideas for celebrating your baby's "monthly milestones" cropping up on Pinterest and other social media platforms.

As an evidence-based resource, we need to point out "inchstone" is not a term typically used by doctors or health visitors in the UK, and you are under no obligation to celebrate weekly or monthly developments in your baby's life if you don't think it's practical or necessary. Your paediatrician will not tell you that you are putting your baby at a disadvantage if you don't. However, there are some positives that can come with leaning into this trend, if it sounds fun to you!

Bonding

Inchstone celebrations provide an excellent opportunity for bonding, as well as all the health and developmental opportunities that can come with that, including speech and language development (especially if you celebrate by reading to or singing to your baby), fine and gross motor skills development (through action songs, basic arts and crafts, and grasping and playing with toys), and emotional and social development when you get them together with other babies. There are multiple other ways you can bond with your baby every day without celebrating inchstones, including through daily music and reading time.

The development of positive associations with uncomfortable things

Celebrating a first tooth is a popular inchstone and a nice thing to do if your child’s experienced teething trouble. Between sore gums, uncomfortable brushing from mum, and feeling intimidated by the dentist, it is easy to see how children develop negative associations with oral hygiene from early in life. If you don’t want to celebrate inchstones, you can also speak to a paediatric dentist about positive ways to instill the importance of caring for your baby’s milk teeth.

Encouragement to persist with tasks

Getting your baby into a sleep routine and successfully weaning them onto solids will both happen gradually. You could consider introducing small celebrations like “no nighttime wakings week” or “got through his greens January” to recognise your successes. These may mean more to you and the rest of your family than your baby, but, as the mood will be positive and you’ll probably be smiling and cheering at them, your baby will understand something good has happened. Later on, when you need to encourage your child through transitional stages like potty training, these inchstone celebrations will likely mean more to them.

Keep in mind that it's important not to celebrate everything like a party or Christmas, as festivities will lose all meaning for your baby and other children. Similarly, giving a baby toys and rewarding them with food for multiple small achievements can set up unhealthy expectations from them. Your praise and encouragement, and perhaps extra time spent on a fun recreational activity, should be enough celebration for any child, especially at this early stage of life. As with so much in parenting, marking inchstones is all about balance.

For evidence-based advice on helping your baby thrive, watch Unii's Baby Development Journey with Dr. Su Laurent.

What are my baby's inchstones?

Celebrate the little things and make some memories, says Unii.