Debbie Richardson, M.S.
Parenting Assistant Extension Specialist
Human Development & Family Science
Oklahoma State University
11/4/2008
Introduction
 Centra Instructions
 Overview of In-service
Infant-Toddler Dev 2, D. Richardson
 Welcome
 Resource Materials
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In-Service Objective
Infant-Toddler Dev 2, D. Richardson
Extension Educators will be able to
describe growth, tasks, behaviors, and
abilities of infants from birth through six
months including physical, cognitive,
sensory, and social development.
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Infant Development
General Areas
 Sensory (sight, hearing, etc.)
 Gross motor (head control, sitting, walking)
 Fine motor (holding a spoon, pincer grasp)
 Language
 Social
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Infant Development
 Depends on traits he/she was born with (nature) and
what he/she experiences (nurture).
 All areas of development are linked. Each depends on
and influences the others.
 What children experience, including how their parents
respond to them, shapes their development as they
adapt to the world.
 Relationships are the foundation of a child’s healthy
development.
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Developmental Growth Sequence
 Cephalo-caudal: proceeds head to foot
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Control hands before feet
Think before acting
Gets teeth before he walks
 Proximal-distal: proceeds from center outward
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Trunk , then arms, then hands & feet
Large muscles to small muscles
 Simple to complex:
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Talks, reads, writes
Lifts head, sits up, creep, crawl, walk, run
Feed from bottle before eating finger foods
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Developmental Milestones
 Physical or behavioral signs of development or
maturation of infants and children.
 General guidelines…every baby’s growth is unique
and all grow and develop at different rates.
 Grow in spurts - a new behavior may appear one
day and disappear for several days or weeks.
 A child may also regress.
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Sensory Development
 All senses are developed by 7th month in utero.
 From birth, an infant learns about people and things
through the use of 5 senses: touch, sound, smell, taste,
and sight.
 Responsive to touch, temperature change, and pain.
 At birth, can identify people by their odor and show
responses to pleasant or unpleasant smells.
 By 2 weeks, can distinguish between sweet and bitter
taste; prefers sweet vs. sour.
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Hearing
 Turns eyes and head in general direction of sound as young
as 3 days old.
 Prefers low-frequency, rhythmic sounds and human voice.
Selectively listens to higher-pitched voices.
 By 3 weeks, recognizes voices go with particular people.
 Vestibular (inner ear; balance) - responds to rocking,
changing positions.
 By 2 months, head turns side to side with sound at ear level.
 By 3 months, determines where sounds are coming from; turns
head to sounds.
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Vision
 Newborn sees within range of 8–12”; slightly blurred.
 Can track an object moving horizontally about 6” above.
 One eye may wander or both eyes don’t move together
smoothly. Unable to perceive depth.
 Can see light and dark contrasts, but cannot really
distinguish color.
 By 6 weeks, smoothly moves eyes together to follow an object.
 By 2 months, both eyes can converge on objects up to 24”.
 tracks moving objects up to 180o; prefers faces
 Differentiates patterned stimuli from plain; discriminate
colors.
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Vision
 By 3-4 months:
 distinguishes objects from backgrounds with
minimal contrast; gains ability to see detail.
 accommodates, focuses eyes with changing object
distance.
 By 4-6 months:
 vision is clearer
 perceives relative distances
 color vision develops.
 turns head toward bright colors and lights.
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Reflexes
 Enable baby to react to environment.
 Instinctual and serve as protection
 All infants born with same reflexes but responses
are individual.
 Born with over 70 identified reflex behaviors.
 Most will disappear between 3 to 6 months.
 Most important associated with breathing & feeding.
 Crying often seen as reflex that alerts others of
needs.
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Reflexes
 Babinski: Toes fan outward when sole of foot is
stroked.
 Palmar grasp: Infant closes hand, "grips" your finger.
 Rooting and sucking: When cheek, mouth, lips
touched, turns head in search of nipple, mouth open,
ready to suck.
 Hand to mouth: When cheek or palm of hand is
stroked, mouth roots and arm flexes to suck fist.
 Blinking: Tightly shuts eyes to bright lights or loud
noise.
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Reflexes
 Placing: Leg extends (pushes away) when stimulate
sole of foot.
 Stepping: When held upright and feet placed on a
surface, lifts one leg then other like walking steps.
 Moro (startle): Extends arms, legs, & arches back,
then bends and pulls them in toward body, with
brief cry; triggered by loud sounds, sudden moves.
 Tonic neck: Arm extends in direction infant gazes,
while opposite arm and leg flex inward.
 Head lift: Lifts & turns head to side when on belly.
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Newborns-Neonates
 Ave weight: 5-10 lbs.
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Ave. length: 18-22 inches
In first few days, lose about 6-10% of weight and regains or
surpasses birth weight within 10-14 days.
Head is relatively large, ¼ of total length.
Skull bones are separated, not fused:
 allows bones to slide over each other passing through
birth canal
 accommodates rapid brain growth
 soft spots on top of head – fontanels
All 20 baby teeth and a few permanent teeth are developing
below gum.
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Newborns-Neonates
 Cannot support head without help; unable to support
when pulled to a sitting position.
 Can slightly lift and turn the head
 Keeps hands fisted or slightly open, but can’t hold object.
 Arms and legs are flexed into body, although can move
and thrust all limbs.
 Few expressions when awake.
 Make cooing, crying and grunting sounds.
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Newborns-Neonates
 Tells parent voice from strangers. Makes eye contact.
 Very brief memory.
 Experience only emotions of contentment and distress.
 When talked to by familiar caregiver, an interchange takes
place that involves looking, listening, vocalizing, and motor
movement.
 Discovers self-soothing - can calm self by sucking thumb
and looking at parents’ face or matching mobile.
 Gaze aversion – shifts attention away when aroused to
point of distress.
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Second Month
 Briefly holds rattle or other object then drops.
 Roll part way from side to back.
 Closure of posterior fontanelle (back of head).
 Stepping and grasp reflexes disappear.
 Strengthening neck muscles; less head lag.
 On tummy, able to lift head almost 45 degrees.
 Less flexing of the arms and legs while on tummy.
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Second Month
 Coos and makes small throat sounds like gurgling.
 Smiles spontaneously; establishes eye contact.
 Crying becomes differentiated.
 Recognizes mother. Reacts to sight of breast/bottle.
 Makes vocal response to familiar voices.
 Learning to regulate their eating and sleeping
patterns, and emotions which helps them feel content,
safe and secure.
 Joy becomes a differentiated emotion.
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Third Month
 Stretch arms and legs all the way out.
 Sits when supported and can hold head steady.
 Suck fingers & fists; holds up hand & looks at it.
 Begins to play with hands; reaches for things with both
hands and tries to hold them. Holds objects longer.
 Roll from back to side.
 Makes crawling movements.
 Scratches surface with fingers.
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Third Month
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Tracks objects in circular path.
Glances between 2 objects (bell to rattle).
Vocalizes more, cries less, makes louder sounds.
Responds to voices; recognizes other familiar adults.
Laughs out loud; squeals.
Cries differently for different needs.
Starts to understand cause and effect (ex. “If I hit the
mobile it moves” or smile, coo, babble then pause and
wait for a response).
 Imitation (e.g. sticking out tongue)
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Fourth Month
 10-18 lbs. and 23-27”; slowing weight gain
 Reflexes fading - Moro, tonic neck, rooting, grasping
 Almost no head lag while pulled into sitting position.
 Sits up straight if propped and supported. Stands
with support.
 Can raise head 90o when placed on tummy.
 Rolls from side to side or front to back.
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Fourth Month
 Tries to reach objects with hands. Grasp & play with
rattle when placed in hands, but can't pick it up.
 Places and explores objects in mouth. Can hold toy
and look at it steadily.
 Wiggles, kicks arms and legs; plays with fingers,
hands, toes.
 Longer babbling, cooing sounds (aaah, oooh, eeeh).
 Laughs; Returns a smile.
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Fourth Month
 Responds to peek-a-boo games.
 Begins to show memory.
 Demands attention by fussing.
 Recognizes parent voice or touch.
 Repeats actions for a reaction (e.g. hitting mobile).
 Blows bubbles with mouth.
 Teething may begin.
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Fifth Month
 Double birth weight.
 May start to scoot or attempt to crawl.
 Able to sit alone without support for only moments
at first, then up to 30 seconds or more; improving
balance.
 Rolls from back to stomach.
 On tummy, can push up with arms to raise the
shoulders and head above surface and look around
or reach for objects.
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Fifth Month
 Begins to grasp blocks or cubes using the ulnarpalmar grasp technique (pressing the block into palm
of hand while flexing or bending wrist in). Doesn’t use
thumb opposition. Bangs with a toy.
 Begins wanting to explore their food and help feed
themselves.
 Understands own name.
 Recognizes difference between lower voice of father
and higher voice of mother.
 Turns head toward a voice; responds to voices.
 Begins to initiate interactions.
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Sixth Month
 Pulls self up in sitting position.
 Stands with support and bears almost all weight.
 Creeps like army crawl on tummy.
 Able to sit in a high chair with a straight back.
 Able to hold bottle for short periods.
 Better at reaching and grasping; can pick up a dropped
object; transfers object from one hand to other.
 Begins to realize that if an object is dropped, it is still there
and looks for it (permanence).
 Plays with toys.
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Sixth Month
 Teething; first tooth/teeth may appear.
 Can locate sounds not made directly at the ear level.
 Responds and vocalizes to own name.
 Enjoys hearing own voice and experiments with own
sounds; makes sounds (vocalizes) to mirror and toys;
 Makes consonant sounds and sounds resembling one-
syllable words.
 Shows pleasure/displeasure with sounds; Prefers more
complex sound stimulation.
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Sixth Month
 Begins to imitate actions and sounds.
 Laughs and squeals.
 Recognizes parents; distinguishes mother/father.
 Can tell when adult is happy or angry by tone of voice.
 Initiates social contacts by grabbing adult’s hair, face,
clothes, glasses.
 Raises arms to be picked up.
 Differentiates fear from discontent.
 Begins to fear strangers (stranger anxiety).
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Communication
 Newborns use their gestures, sounds and facial
expressions to communicate their feelings and
needs from day one.
 Socializes by watching your face and exchanging
looks.
 Asks for a break by looking away, arching their
back, frowning, or crying.
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Smiling
 Appears at about 1 week.
 At 1 month, smiles are directed toward people.
 By about 3 ½ months, will smile in response to a
smile or attention; will smile more to a familiar
face than an unfamiliar one.
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Crying
 Vitally important means of communication from birth.
 Inherent biological response in most humans to crying
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insures the infant's survival.
Do not produce tears at first.
Use different cries when hungry, tired, bored, cold, pain,
anger, stimulation.
At 2 months, will cry when left alone.
Amount of crying in the first 3 months varies in a healthy
infant, from 1 - 3 hours a day.
Infants who cry more than 3 hours a day are often
described as having colic. Colic is rarely due to a problem
with the body.
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6 States of Consciousness
Quiet Sleep: No movements; still & relaxed; slow regular breathing.
Active Sleep: REM, eyes move beneath closed lids; twitches, facial
expressions, whimpers; brain is very active, irregular breathing.
Drowsiness: Between sleep and awake; still, quiet, eyes open and
close; can be roused into wakefulness; may be a bit disorganized.
Quiet Alert: Quiet and active to stimuli; intensely look at persons &
objects; eyes open wide, bright expressions; little body movement;
regular breathing.
Active Alert: Highly active; bursts of uncoordinated movement;
irregular breathing; face may be relaxed or tense; fussiness.
Crying: Contorts face, emits distressing sounds; communicating
needs; may move limbs.
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Sleep
 Most newborns - about 16-20 hours/day.
 Older infants - about 14-16 hours/day.
 Usually sleep in several periods during day and
night ranging from less than an hour to many
hours. Periods may be related to eating schedule.
 Sleep/wake cycles occur in random intervals of
30-50 minutes at birth and gradually increase as
the infant matures.
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Sleep
 Newborn babies do not have regular sleep
patterns.
 After a few months, many babies develop a more
set schedule. Begin to sleep longer through night,
yet still often wake up.
 By 4 months, most will have one 5-6 hour period
of uninterrupted sleep.
 By 1 year, usually able to sleep through night with
morning and/or afternoon nap.
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Bodily Functions
 Many are not stable in the first months after birth.
 Variability is normal and differs from infant to
infant.
 Stress and stimulation can affect:
Bowel movements
Hiccupping
Vomiting
Temperature control
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Gagging
Skin color
Yawning
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Bodily Functions
 Periodic breathing (starts and stops again) is normal and
not a sign of SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome).
 Some will vomit after each feeding, but have nothing
physically wrong with them; continues to gain weight and
develop normally.
 Some grunt and groan distressfully while making a bowel
movement but produce soft, blood-free stools, and their
growth and feeding remain good. This is due to immature
abdominal muscles used for pushing and does not require
intervention.
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Feeding
 Breast-fed infants will feed about every 2 hours.
 Formula-fed infants should be able to go 3 hours
between feedings.
 During periods of rapid growth, they may feed
more often.
 An infant who is drinking enough will produce 6-8
wet diapers in a 24-hour period.
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Wrap-up
 Questions
 In-service evaluation
 Follow-up
Infant-Toddler Dev 2, D. Richardson
 Discussion
 Next Session covers 6-18 months: November 13
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References
 In addition to the provided resource materials listed on the
in-service agenda, various textbooks and other reference
materials used for this presentation are available upon
request.
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