Mommy Monday: Why do I make parenting a compitision?

I don't know what it is about being a mom that brings out my competative side but I swear I am always looking for my daughter to win. Now, I don't actually mean she wins, but I want her to be ahead of the curve or at least not behind it.

I have two friends that have had daughters within a month of me and I keep finding myself comparing Sloane to their daughters. Do all mom's do this? I even compare her to older babies that are in mommy groups I am a part of on facebook.

Maybe it all has to do with the stress I feel about if I'm doing things right. I swear I second guess everything I do. When should I make sure she is sleeping in her crib? Am I giving her enough tummy time? Am I putting her into her bumbo seat too soon? And my most recent debate in parenting when should I start giving Sloane cereal?

I know that the experts say is to wait till 6 months. My mom on the other hand insists that Sloane seems hungry and would be much happier with a little bit of cereal. (She, however, thinks me breast feeding is totally weird) Another well respected mom figure to me suggests putting a bit in her bottle and she will sleep through the night. Sloane is almost 3 months old and I am leaning toward trying it out. First try feeding her with a spoon just to see how she reacts then I think put some in a bottle of breast milk for Mat to feed her before bed (I only breast feed her when I'm home) Another question that comes with that however is how do I know how much cereal I add to the bottle? Then I start second guessing myself and comparing to my friends with babies. How will Sloane turn out differently if we feed her cereals too soon? Ug! I wish parenting was a little more cut and dry cause I want the absolute best for my baby, but who can say what is the best?

Do you guys have these same struggles? Any advice you can give? I love knowing all the options to help make decisions.