Infant growth and development
Age 1 month to 1 Year
Physical growth and development:
A. General characteristics : The best indication of
good overall health in an infant is steadily
increasing height , weight and head and
circumference .
Height and weight changes :
Normal height change include : growth of 1\2 to
3\4 inch ( 1.3-1.9cm), increase of 50% over birth
length by age 12 months.
Normal weight changes include:
A .Gain of (140 to 2oo g) per week
b. Doubling of birth weight by age 6 months
c. Tripling of birth weight by age 12 months.
Head and chest circumference changes:
1.At birth, normal head circumference is about
13-14 inches(33-35cm) , normal chest
circumference equalizes during the first year after
birth..
2.Head and chest circumference equalize during
the first year after birth.
3.After age 2 years , chest circumference
increases substantially more than head
circumference.
4.Normal head circumference changes
include:
a. Increase of 1\2 inch(1.3cm) per month
between ages 1 to 6 months
b. Increase of 1\4 inch ( 0.64cm) per month
between ages 7 t0 12 months.
5.Normal chest circumference changes include:
a. Smaller than head circumference at birth.
b. Equal to head circumference at age 12 months
,then becoming significantly large in subsequent
years.
5.Cranial suture changes
a. The posterior fontanel measures 1x1 cm at
birth and normally closes by age 2 months.
b. The anterior fontanel measures 3.5x3.5 cm at
birth and normally closes by age 18 months.
Social development:
Play :
A .play is the infant's work , it facilitates learning ,
the infant learns about the environment through
the senses of touch, taste, hearing, smell and
sight .an infant's play is basically solitary .
Language:
A .During infancy, language development begins.
b. Crying represents the infant's means of verbal
communication.
C .As early as age 5 to 6 weeks , an infant
vocalizes with short throaty sounds. By age 8
months , more consonants and combined
syllables , such as mama and dada ( although
without comprehension of meaning) and by age 1
year , several short words with meaning.
C. Socialization:
1.Attachment to the significant other begins at
birth and becomes increasingly evident after age
6 months.
2.Between ages 4 and 8months, the infant
progresses through the first stage of separation –
individuation ,gaining a sense of self and his or
her significant other as separate persons , and
begins to a acquire a sense of object permanence
, recognizing that the significant other can be
absent
D. communication :
Talking in a soothing tone can be comforting to
an infant , regularly talking to an infant also
stimulates the infant to imitate sound and words.
Health protection of the infant :
A. Injury prevention: Accidental injuries are a
major cause of death during infancy common
causes include:
A .falls of beds and down stairs
b. Aspiration of small object
c. Poisoning from overdose of medication
d. Burn from hot liquids or foods
e. Motor vehicle accidents , most common
linked to improper use or non-use of an infant
car seat.
Nursing considerations associated with
accident prevention:
a. instructing parents to maintain a safe
environment for the infant by keeping
breakables , sharp objects.
b. Encourage parents to avoid repetitive
negative expressions for the sake of safety and
to stress positive aspects of the infant's
behavior , such as playing with suitable.
Health promotion of the infant .
a. Toy selection :infant toys serve several
purposes , including a. stimulation for
psychosocial development b. a mean of
communication and expressing feelings.
b. Infant toys should be safe and age
appropriate..
b. Sleeping patterns: during the first month
after birth, an infants sleeps most of the time
not spent eating with age , daily sleep time
decreases as awake and alert time increase .In
the first year of life , an infant typically take
morning and afternoon naps.
Health problem of infant :
1.Fear
2.fever
3.Iron – deficiency anemia
4.Candidiasis
5. Impetigo
Stags of Freud's psychosexual development :
Stage
Oral
Anal
Phallic
Latency
Genital
Age
Birth to 1 year
1 to 3 years
3 to 6 years
6 to 11 years
12 years and older
Stage of Erikson's psychosocial theory:
Stage
Trust vs Mistrust
Autonomy vs
Shame and doubt
Initiative vs guit
Industry vs
inferiority
Identity vs role
confusion
Age
1 month- 1 year
1 – 3 years
3-6 years
6-11 years
12 – 18 years