Developmental Monitoring Journal

You are the one who lives with your child every day, who sees their first smile when they wake up. That is why your observation is often more valuable information than even the most advanced test. A simple monitoring journal that you keep at home helps you carry to the check-up, without forgetting, both the newly gained skills and the situations that give you pause. Development is not a single photograph but a continuously running film; this journal makes it easier for you to remember that film.

How to use it

Think of this not as an official document but as short notes you take for yourself. Whenever something occurs to you or delights you, writing a few lines is enough. Try to keep it regularly, but it does not have to be perfect. Before a check-up appointment, review your latest notes once and mark the things you want to share with your physician. It is important to note both the gains and the losses, because development is a process in which both are followed.

Fields you can write for each note

• The date, that is, the day you made the observation
• A newly gained skill, a movement, sound, or word you saw your child do for the first time
• A lost or diminished skill, something they used to be able to do but no longer do
• A situation that gives you pause, observations that make you feel something is different
• A question I want to ask my physician, a query that comes to mind at the time and that you do not want to forget
• A short note, of the situation in which and how you noticed the observation