UNIT 3 – INFANT DEVELOPMENT
PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT:
The first year of a child’s life involves dramatic physical growth and development.
For example, a baby will double in weight from birth to six months of age. For this reason,
proper nutrition is essential for the healthy growth and development of babies and infants.
We know that establishing healthy eating habits, right from birth, encourages
children to eat nutritious food for life. This is particularly important since childhood
obesity is on the rise.
In addition to physical growth, children acquire skills and build on them to develop
new abilities. For example, a child will learn to sit up, crawl and then walk. As children are
naturally curious, it is important to provide a safe environment for them to practice their
new abilities without getting hurt.
Growth:
-babies typically lose some weight right after birth but quickly gain it back.
-babies gain about 0.6 kg (1.5 lbs) per month and grow 2.5 cm (1 inch) per month.
Reflex behaviour:
-babies come equipped with reflexes: automatic reactions to sensory experiences.
Motor Skills:
-babies lack motor skills: abilities that depend on the use and control of muscles.
-they develop as reflexes disappear.
-examples include: grasping an object, removing and replacing a lid.
Body Development
-the baby’s head is ¼ of the length of its body.
-torso, arms and legs look too short for the size of the head.
Head:
-the baby’s skull is flexible. The fontanel (soft spot) is where the bony plates have
not yet grown together.
-a baby’s head is very wobbly. You need to support the baby’s neck when picking
up and when holding baby.
Vision:
-newborns can focus clearly on objects between 13-30 cm or 5-13 in.
-by 3-4 months, baby’s vision expands
-between 2 and 7 months, babies develop depth perception and the ability to see
things in three dimensions.
Hearing:
-babies hear 3 months before they are born
-start to recognize mother’s voice
-babies are born with excellent hearing
-turn in the direction of a sound, especially parents’ voices
1
UNIT 3 – INFANT DEVELOPMENT
Taste and Smell:
-newborns have more taste buds than adults
-they prefer sweet tastes
-explore objects with their mouths
-good sense of smell; recognize smell of mother’s milk.
Teeth:
-babies typically get teeth between 6 and 10 months.
-tooth buds develop under the gums before baby is born,
-babies may be restless and cranky while teeth are coming in.
-baby teeth fall out at about 7 years old and children get permanent teeth.
-do not share spoons/forks with a child under 3 years; you will pass bacteria from
your mouth to theirs and increase the chance of tooth decay.
Arms and Hands:
-no control at birth; movement is automatic.
-broad swipes become refined movements
-babies tend to use both hands equally until about 18 months
Legs and Feet:
-infants gain control over legs and feet last.
-begins with kicking and progresses to walking ability
-walking requires balance, co-ordination, and muscular development.
MEETING PHYSICAL NEEDS
Feeding baby:
-breastfeeding or bottle-feeding only for the first 6 months
-breastfeeding is better for your baby
-demand feeding: feeding the infant whenever the child is hungry
-forumula feeding – requires sterilized water and bottles
Burping baby:
-babies often swallow air while drinking, which can cause discomfort.
-gently pat or rub the lower back until air is expelled.
Weaning:
-when bottle-feeding or breastfeeding is replaced with drinking from a cup.
Introducing Solid Foods:
-start with pureed foods: blended into a smooth consistency
-don’t rush solid foods; start when the infant is about six months
-introduce foods gradually: iron-fortified cereals, fruit and vegetables, strained meats
-foods should be introduced one at a time time for about 3 days each in case of
allergies.
-choose nutritious food
2
UNIT 3 – INFANT DEVELOPMENT
-be patient; your baby will need time to get used to eating solid foods.
-try foods several times as babies may refuse the first few times.
Immunizations:
-vaccines given to protect children from a number of childhood diseases
-see baby’s doctor regularly for scheduled immunizations
Diapering Needs:
-regular diaper changes help keep baby comfortable and helps prevent diaper rash.
-a diaper change is needed after every bowel movement and when the diaper is
obviously wet.
-cloth diapers can be washed and re-used.
Sleep Patterns:
-newborns sleep 14-20 hours a day.
-during the first month, 16.5 hours of sleep per day is the average.
-this number decreases to an average of 14.5 hours per day as baby gets older.
-most babies begin to sleep through the night around 3 months of age
-at about 5 months, babies typically have 2 long naps each day until about age 1.
Bathing:
-babies need regular baths, about every other day.
Promoting Motor Development
-play infant exercise games (e.g. pat-a-cake)
-provide toys for motor skill practice
-provide safe areas for exploration
-support efforts to walk
3
UNIT 3 – INFANT DEVELOPMENT
Intellectual Development:
Although babies are born with all of their brain cells in place, the brain is not fully
developed at birth. In order to ensure optimal brain development, babies need good
nutrition (breast milk and healthy foods are best) as well as intellectual stimulation.
Parents and caregivers provide the experiences for children that allow the brain to form
connections between brain cells.
The brain develops after birth through the experiences taken in through the five senses:
sight, smell, sound, taste and touch.
The more often these connections are used, the more permanent they will be. For example,
if a baby watches his/her mother smile, s/he will soon start to imitate the action and repeat
the behaviour based on the reaction received. Babies learn that if they smile, their mothers
will smile back.
One of the most important ways that children develop intellectually is through play. Play
enables children to learn about their world, other people and acquire new skills.
Language:
-the human brain is ‘wired’ to learn language.
-by six months, babies learn to imitate sounds.
-by nine months, babies learn to make syllables.
-by 1 year, babies use a few words regularly (hi, bye, no, up)
Memory
-the ability to remember shows intellectual development.
-at about 9 months, babies learn object permanence: they know that something still
exists even if it is out of sight (e.g. if you hide an object under a blanket, they know it is
there).
Piaget’s Theory
-a Swiss psychologist who developed a theory of how children’s brain develops.
-first 2 years are called sensorimotor period.
Stage 1: birth to one month: reflexes used to learn about the world
Stage 2: one to four months: use of 5 senses to explore, make simple
deliberate actions.
Stage 3: four to eight months: begin to use objects, learn about cause and
effect
Stage 4: eight to 12 months: combine actions to act purposefully, object
permanence, aware of outside world, explore more because they can move
around more easily.
Promoting Intellectual Development
-supply toys that stimulate the 5 senses
-provide new experiences: take baby out and about in the world
-get face-to-face with the baby: babies prefer human faces
-play with the baby
4
UNIT 3 – INFANT DEVELOPMENT
Emotional Development:
During the first three years of life, children are learning about self-esteem – or how they
feel about themselves. They are also learning how to regulate their emotions.
In their first year, infants learn trust versus mistrust. Parents and caregivers have the
significant task of providing young children with a loving environment that allows their
children to trust their world. Having a strong sense of trust allows children to feel safe to
explore the world around them.
Emotional development is the process of learning to recognize and express feelings.
Temperament is a child’s inborn style of reacting to the environment and relating to
others.
Three main temperaments include:
a) Easygoing: interested and responsive, adapts well to change, easily soothed.
b) Cautious: prefers to watch rather than participate, withdraws from close contact,
bothered by change.
c) Sensitive: upsets easily, especially over change, hard to comfort, may have sleep
or digestive problems.
Goals for Emotional Development:
1. Forming an attachment
2. Learning to give and receive affection easily
3. Developing a sense of self-worth
Promoting Emotional Development
Physical contact
-is very important to an infant
-touch conveys safety and love and results in better development overall
Using a positive approach
-hold the baby
-use loving words and expressions
-smile often
-respond to needs
-spend time with baby
-take out your frustrations elsewhere
-protect baby from negative influences
Babies will cry
-to have their needs met
-because they are frustrated
-because they are afraid
5
UNIT 3 – INFANT DEVELOPMENT
Social Development:
Social development occurs in stages and is the basis for language development. Young
children learn about themselves and how to get along with others through the early
interactions that they have with their parents and caregivers. These interactions form the
basis for how they will get along with others later in life. The very first social interactions
take place in the loving care provided to babies and infants.
Promoting Social Development
-
Sociability and social interaction is learned from the family.
An infant learns to relate to others through daily living.
Babies become sociable if they live in a happy, stable environment.
Positive interaction is an opportunity for social development: singing, talking,
playing games, watching others interact.
What do babies learn from positive interaction?
-that people are friendly and caring
-people come in different sizes
-people can be calm and quiet or loud and energetic
How do parents promote social development?
-providing positive examples
-lessons about manners (saying hi, thank you, etc.)
-contact with people outside the family helps build an interest in people of all ages
and types.
-providing ‘social’ toys (dolls, stuffed animals)
6