Zoe Hendrix, 28, of Married at First Sight is happy to let her daughter to develop in her own time, sharing with her fans the 14-month old has just started walking.
“This week Harper started walking,” Hendrix posted to Instagram yesterday. “She is almost 15 months old.”
“My expectation was that she would be cutting laps at 12 months. But we must respect that our babies will develop in their own time and treasure the moments while we can.”
Hendrix and her partner Alex Garner met on the 2015 season of Married at First Sight. They welcomed Harper Rose in November the following year.
This isn’t the first time Hendrix has spoken publicly about giving Harper the time and space to grow.
In October last year, Hendrix was still breastfeeding her daughter at 11 months old and said she was asked “quite frequently” when she was planning to stop.
“I am asked quite frequently when I’m going to stop breastfeeding,” Hendrix posted to Instagram.
LISTEN: We speak to a paediatrician about all the things your child should be able to do after the first year. Post continues.
“Often I ramble on uncomfortably explaining baby led weaning, justifying the incredible benefits of breastfeeding etc. But it’s also true that I actually ENJOY this beautiful means of feeding and comforting my baby.”
She said she was allowing her daughter to decide and refusing to bow to social expectations.
“I know one day Harper will stop and I feel a heaviness in my heart when I think about it,” Hendrix wrote. “But I will let her decide. I will not rush due to social expectation to replace my milk with that of a dairy cow. Why do we get judged if we don’t breastfeed and then get judged if we breastfeed for ‘too long’?”
Top Comments
Maybe, but milestones are important healthcare tools to identify potential issues early. Most milestones are not set but allow for chronological variation. If your child is significantly behind in milestones, you need to push your healthcare professionals for help/explainations.