Human Development I

Chapter 7

Physical Development of Infants

Learning Objectiveand FCS Standards

Learning Objective: Students will understand how a baby develops physically in the first year. Also identify what influences development and care that babies need in the first year of life.

FCS Standards:06-12.5.1, 5.A, 5.B, 5.C

Patterns of Development

Growth:changes in size, such as weight and length.

Development: Increase in skills and changes in physical, emotional,

social, or intellectual skills.

Physical DevelopmentFollows 3 basic patterns

Head to foot head is first to develop, even in the womb Babies can first control their headthen their arms, hands

Near to far starts close to trunk of body and moves outward Goes from waving to grasping

Simple to complex large muscle groups develop first, then more complex

movements, requiring small muscle development.

Developmental Milestones

Developmental milestones: Certain skills that are acquired at certain times in a child’s life.

Child development experts have studied the range of ages to determine the averages ages at which children acquire certain skills.

These are used to check progress.

What influences a child’s growth and development?

Why might some kids reach the development milestones on time and others reach the developmental milestone late?

Influences on Growth and Development

Heredity: the gene effect-traits passed down from generation to generation

Nutrition: essential nutrients found in food can influence how a baby grows and develops. Not getting enough can place baby at risk for illness, delayed growth, even death.

Health: through good health, baby is able to explore his/her environment and therefore grow and develop normally

Experiences: when a child experiences a variety of things, it stimulates their brain to develop

Environment: stimulating environment: one in which the baby has a wide variety of things to see, taste, smell, hear, and touch-enhances brain development. Poor stimulation can lead to weaker connections in the brain and delayed development.

The growth and development of a child during the first year of life is dramatic.

What changes are obvious from these photos?

Growth During the First Year

From birth to age one, babies typically triple their birth weight and increase their length by 50%.

Doctors judge this by using growth charts: shows the average weight and height of girls and boys at various stages.Doctors are more concerned that a baby is steadily

growing, versus meeting a certain weight or height at a certain time.

Average Lengths and Weights0-12 months

Males Females

Age Length/Inches Weight/Pounds Length/Inches Weight/Pounds

Birth 19 ¾ 7 ½ 19 ½ 7 ½

3 Months 24 13 23 ½ 12 ¼

6 Months 26 ½ 17 ½ 25 ½ 15 ½

9 Months 28 20 ½ 27 ½ 18 ¾

12 Months 29 22 ½ 29 21

Weight

One of the best signs of good health.

Initially a newborn loses about 10% of their weight, however after that they begin to gain rapidly.

Weight should triple by the end of year one.

One-year-olds usually weigh 20-22 lbs.

Boys usually weigh more than girls.

Length

Bone growth is rapid during the first year.

The average newborn is 20 inches. A year later, they are about 30 inches.

Not all babies grow at the same rate and boys are usually slightly longer than girls.

Heredity plays a bigger part in height than weight.

Body Shape

Babies change from holding their extremities close to their bodies and in a curled up position to stretching out. Legs and feet straighten out.

They look chubby by 3 months, but will lose some of this as they become more active.

When babies begin to practice standing, they lean forward slightly and have a protruding belly.

Proportion

Proportion: the size relationship between different parts of the body

Baby’s head and abdomen are large compared to the rest of the body.More than half of the head’s total growth happens

during this time.Fontanels allow the head to grow.

Legs and arms are short and small compared to the rest of the body.

Activity…

Complete Infant Growth Rates worksheet

Development During the First Year

VisionHow far can an infant

see? At birth: 7-10 inches 1 month: 3 feet 6 months: eyesight is almost fully

developed, clarity and sharpness close to an adult

Babies first see the world two-dimensionally, but by the second month, the infant develops depth perception: the ability to perceive objects that are three-dimensional. How would this change affect how

they interact with the world?

Development During the First Year

VisionColors are important to a baby. They prefer

patterns that show high contrast: stripes, bull’s eye, simple faces. Typically look at red and blue most often.

If baby has one eye that looks slightly crossed or both are this way, this typically improves by 4 months when the eye muscles strengthen.

Development During the First Year

Hearing

Babies can hear, even in the womb.

At birth, a baby can tell which direction a sound comes from.

Newborns respond to tone rather than words.

By seven months, babies recognize their parents’ voice.

Language development begins early by hearing and eventually imitating sounds.

Premies and babies with frequent ear infections can have problems developing language.

Development During the First Year

Touch

Newborns rely on the touch of others to teach them about their environment.

Meeting a baby’s needs through gentle touch, builds trust.

Sense of touch continues to develop, as they are able to explore their environment. They begin to notice differences in texture and explore different objects.

Development During the First Year

Smell and Taste

Sense of smell doesn’t have a chance to develop until after birth, But by 10 days old, a baby can distinguish the scent of mom from another person.

Sense of taste also develops rapidly. Even 2-week-old babies prefer sweet tastes over others.

Babies learn by putting things in their mouth. It’s important to watch them closely for this reason.

Development During the First Year

Voice

The shrill cry of a newborn becomes softer as baby’s lungs mature.

Throat muscles, tongue, lips, teeth, and vocal cords all mature as well, preparing the baby for the ability to speak.

At 3 months, baby begins making vowel sounds (“ooh”, “ah”).

By age one, babies may imitate speech sounds and understand simple phrases.

Motor Skills- Much of the physical development in the first year is in muscle movement, or motor skills

Gross Motor Skills large motor skills

Involve large muscles, such as legs and shoulders

Allow for movements like running, jumping.

Fine Motor Skillssmall motor skills

Involve the smaller muscles, such as the fingers

Used in writing and using scissors.

Gross Motor Skills Fine Motor Skills

What do you think would happen?

You are holding your 3 month old baby and walking along the pool. No one else is around. You trip and fall and hit your head. Your baby falls into the pool.

What is going to happen to your baby?

Your baby would swim! Swimming Reflex

If you hold an infant over water or place them in water. ○ Move arms and legs in a coordinated swimming

motion○ Hold their breath○ Disappears between 6-12 months

○ Let’s watch them swim! Video 1, Video 2

These are called INFANT REFLEXESautomatic reactions to help a babies chance of

survival

Infant ReflexesStepping reflex

Hold an infant so feet touch a surfaceThey will lift legs up and down as if their were walkingDisappears at 3-4 monthsVideo

Crawling reflexPlace infant on stomach and stroke the soles of their feet

They will move arms and legs as if they were crawling.Disappears at 3 months

Would they actually walk or crawl?

Infant ReflexesRooting

Stroke the baby’s cheek or side of mouthBaby will turn head towards the stimulus and begin

suckingDisappears 3-4 months

SuckingPlace an object in baby’s mouth

Baby begins suckingDisappears 3-4 months

What would happen if a baby was born without these reflexes? What about 100 years ago?

Rooting/Sucking video

Infant ReflexesGrasping

Touch a baby’s palm or place something in their palmBaby will grasp it tightly with their handWeakens after 3 months and disappears after a yearVideo

Moro-startleIf a baby hears a loud noise of the sensation of being dropped

Startle – baby will arch their back, throw their head back, fling their arms and legs and then rapidly close them to the center of their body

Disappears 3-4 monthsVideo 1, Video 2

Infant Reflexes Asymmetric Tonic Neck

Place an infant on their back○ Baby’s head turns to one side, the limbs on the face

side extend while the limbs on the opposite side flex (fencer position)

○ Disappears at 2 months

My son-Adam, 2 months

Infant Care Skills

Baby’s Do’s and Don’ts

Infant Care Skills

Handling BabiesMake sure to support their head-

especially until they can hold up their head without support (3-4 months).

Rocking, holding a baby close, swaddling, and patting their back can be soothing. BABIES NEED TO BE HELD.

Shaken Baby Syndrome

Shaken baby syndrome: a condition that occurs when someone severely shakes a baby, usually in an effort to make them stop crying.

Can lead to serious brain damage, cerebral palsy, blindness, fractures, neck or spine injuries, or even death.

Shaken Baby Syndrome

What to do if you are close to the breaking point:

Put the baby down and go to another room to calm down.

Ask a friend or relative to care for the baby for a while.

Talk to someone.

Call a parenting hotline.

Ensuring Adequate Sleep

Sleep safety Choose a safe bed

No fluffy blankets, pillows, or stuffed animals.

Place baby face up

Don’t allow baby to sleep in bed with adults.

Sleep is essential for growth and development!

Feeding Babies

birth to 6 months-breast milk or formula

6 months-solid foods can be introduced

12 months-most calories should come from solid foods, still drinking breast milk or milk

Babies will eat through the night-about every 3 hours. When a baby weighs about 12 lbs., they no longer need a late-night feeding, as their stomachs are big enough to get them through the night.

Nutritional Concerns

Malnutrition: inadequate nutrition It’s important for baby to get nutritious, well-balanced meals. They should get to eat when they are hungry-not just during regular

meal times.

Allergies-tend to run in families. Symptoms can include puffy, itchy eyes or hives, up to anaphylactic shock: life-threatening condition which can prevent a person from breathing. Excessive fussiness, vomiting almost all food after eating, watery

stools can be signs of allergies in babies.

Baby’s Health

Teething: the process of the teeth pushing their way through the gums.

When teeth start to appear, they should be cleaned with a moist cloth.

Baby’s Health

Regular Check-ups

The first checkup is done within a day of birth-includes a thorough check, including blood test.

Weight, length, head circumference are tracked over the next year.

Additional check-ups occur at 1, 2, 4, 6, 9, and 12 months.

Illness to look for-irritability, lack of energy, constipation, nasal congestion, persistent coughing, diarrhea, rashes, vomiting, fever.

Baby’s Health

Immunizations: giving the body a small amount of a disease-carrying germ so the body can build resistance to the disease.

Most commonly done through a vaccine: the disease carrying germ is injected into the body.

Very important part of caring for a baby’s health.

Baby Care Skills

Create a Pamphlet for new parentsDressingBathingDiaperingFeedingSleeping