Baby me: growing and changing
Biology · Early Years · The School
What a baby could not do
A tiny baby cannot walk. A tiny baby cannot talk. A tiny baby cannot hold a spoon. A tiny baby cannot ask for a drink. A grown-up has to help with everything, all day and all night. You could not do those things either, once. Not however grown-up you feel now.
Milestones in order
First, a baby smiles. Then a baby sits up alone. Then a baby crawls. Then a baby says a first word. Then a baby takes a first wobbly step. Each new skill builds on the one before. Sitting comes before crawling. Crawling usually comes before walking.
Old skills fade as new ones arrive
A child who can walk steadily hardly ever crawls again. Even though they easily still could. A child who speaks real words loses the early babbling too. The old way is not forgotten by accident. It is simply outgrown. The new way works better.
Baby photo: you are lying down. You cannot hold your own head up yet. Next photo: you are sitting, propped up with cushions. Next: you are crawling across a rug. Next: you are standing, holding onto furniture. Next: you are walking alone, arms out for balance. Line the photos up in order. Now you can see it happening. Each stage replaced by the next. Not just added on top.