Let’s Review!!
• When do teeth form beneath the gums?
• On average, when do most teeth break the
gum surface?
• What is the average length of a newborn
baby?
• What is the average weight of a newborn
baby?
• What is the process where bones begin to
harden?
• What two nutrients are essential for bone
development?
• What is gross motor development?
• What is fine motor development?
Infants – Physical Development
Part 2
Child Development
Unit 2: Infants
Godbey
Head-to-Foot
• Begins before birth
• Unborn baby develops a head, then arm
buds, and then leg buds
• At birth, babies have well-developed facial
muscles but less-developed leg muscles.
Head and Neck Control
• Heads supported continually
• By two months= most babies spend a
great deal of time with their heads and
chests raised.
• 3 and 4 months= eye muscles are well
developed, permitting babies to focus on
objects in any direction, smile,
• 6 months= head control is complete
Trunk Control
• Control of trunk develops slower than
control of the head
• Two milestones of trunk control:
– Rolling over
– Sitting
Rolling Over
• 2-5 months = Roll over front to back
• 3-6 months = Roll over back to front
Sitting
• Takes time
• Must first gain strength in neck and back
and must be able to control the head
Watch What I Can Do!!
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2 months = chin up
3 months = chest up, arm support
4 months = sits with support (pillow)
5 months = sits on lap; grasps object
6 months = sits on high chair, grasps
dangling objects
• 7 months = sits without support
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8 months = stands with help
9 months = stands holding furniture
10 months = creeps
11 months = walks when led
12 months = pulls to stand by furniture
14 months = stands alone
15 months = walks alone
Examine the following photos.
Estimate the babies’ ages
based on the skills each is
demonstrating
Leg Control
• Last phase of head-to-foot development
• Leg control = LOCOMOTION!
• Babies usually go through the following
stages:
– Crawling
– Creeping
– Standing
– Walking
Crawling
• Playing with toes is a sign of the leg
control needed for crawling
• When hands and feet work together
smoothly, this shows leg control.
• Babies crawl by pulling with the arms;
abdomen is not lifted from the floor
• Usually occurs around 7 months!
Creeping
• Occurs between 6-8 months
• Creeping means to move by using the
hands and knees or hands and feet.
• Abdomens and hips are lifted from floor,
alternatively
Standing and Walking
• Supported Standing
• Pull themselves to standing position
• Cruising = walking by holding
something for support
• As they develop, babies stand
further away from objects
Center-to-Extremities Development
• Control begins with the trunk then arms,
hands and fingers
• Then extends to hips, legs, feet then toes.
• Control = starts center and moves outward
• Grasping Handout! 