By Daily Mail Reporter
London - First word, first crawl, first step: These are the heartwarming moments in a baby's life that are supposed to stay with a mother forever.
But as women lead increasingly busy lives, many aren't getting to see them in the first place.
One in four have missed out on key moments in their child's life because they were at work, a study showed yesterday.
Overall more than half have missed a major milestone.
The first school sports day is the one mothers are most likely to skip, with almost one in ten saying they failed to make it.
TOP TEN MILESTONES MISSED BY MOTHERS
1) School sports day
2) Baby rolling over for the first time
3) First attempt at crawling
4) First step
5) First time standing up
6) First smile
7) Using the potty/toilet for the first time
8) First word
9) First laugh
10) School nativity play
Eight percent of mothers weren't there to see their child roll over for the first time, while seven per cent missed their baby's first attempt at crawling.
More than one in 20 busy mothers even missed their baby's first word, and the first step was also missed by many.
About 23 percent blamed their absence on their return to work, the study by Tesco found.
Jenna Bannerman, Tesco Baby & Toddler Club spokesman, said: "For a mum, witnessing the first time your baby smiles, speaks or walks is one of the most rewarding moments of motherhood.
"Nothing can make a mum feel more proud of their offspring than watching as they reach each childhood milestone.
"But we know it's not always easy for many mums to be there for their children all of the time and it's inevitable they will miss out on some milestones or another."
Three-quarters of mothers surveyed said they were worried about returning to work after the birth of their baby because of the things they would miss.
Of these, 30 percent decided to become stay at home mothers instead. Even those who have returned to work were having a rethink, with 30 percent admitting they have thought about cutting back their hours and 15 percent having thought about quitting altogether.
Researchers also found that 15 percent of parents have rowed with their other half after missing out on their child's milestones.
About 38 percent admitted that they felt 'gutted' at missing important events.
The study found that 71 percent felt guilty that they weren't around to see every important event, and 57 percent were guilty that they saw their child do something for the first time while their partner missed it.
When this happens, a third wait until their partner is present and, the next time the baby does it, pretend it is the first time.
Twenty-eight percent of parents also told Tesco they try to take photos of all the milestone events in their child's life so they can show anyone who misses it. - Daily Mail