What does a newborn baby look
like?
• http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/newborn
/FL00098&slide=1
Typical Infants
• Growth and development are dramatic
during the period between birth and one
year.
• Growth refers to an increase in size or
weight.
• Development is the increase in physical,
intellectual, emotional, and social skills. It
also includes moral awareness
How were average ages identified?
• Average ages for development were
identified by studying children around the
world.
• Typical or average behavior only identifies
a mid-point for the skill. There are many
variations
Physical Development
• Physical development is the increasing ability to control and coordinate body movement.
• It occurs as the baby’s muscles grow stronger.
• Average weight for a newborn is 7 ½ pounds
• It is normal for a newborn to loose weight the first days after birth.
Physical Development continued…
• Within a week most newborns regain the weight
that was lost.
• Average weight gain per month is about 1 ½
pounds and average length gain is about one
inch a month.
• Newborns should triple their weight and grow 50
percent taller during the first year.
• If they did not slow down after the first year they
would be 5 feet tall and age three!
Vision • Newborns can focus clearly on objects only
between 5 and 13 inches away.
• This is just about the distance to a parent’s face when an infant is held during feeding
• By 3 to 4 months vision expands beyond the initial 13 inches.
• Depth perception starts to develop around the second month and is fully achieved by the seventh month
• By the end of infancy, babies can see almost as well as adults, but vision continues to improve until the age of 7
Hearing
• Babies start hearing even before birth
• Healthy babies are born with excellent hearing.
• As early as 3 days old they will turn their head in the direction of a noise or stop what they are doing to listen
• They react to surprise sounds by becoming quiet, blinking their eyes, catching their breath, or crying out.
• By six moths, babies start to investigate sounds around them
• At nine months they listen attentively to sounds they know and search for sounds out of sight
Taste and Smell
• Newborns have more taste buds than adults
• They can tell bitter and sweet tastes and prefer
sweet
• Infants use their mouth to explore new objects
and taste them
• As early as 6 days of age they recognize the
pleasing smell of their mother’s milk
• They turn from unpleasant odors and may cry
Teeth
• One in every 2,000 babies is born with a tooth.
• Teething typically begins when the baby is between 6 and 10 months old
• Tooth buds push through the gums in a process called eruption. This causes the gum tissue to split.
• Babies are usually restless and cranky during the eruption of a tooth.
Help for Teething Infants
• Teething medications
• Cold rings
• Pain relievers
• Teeth – Usually 2 lower front teeth (incisors)
– 4 upper front teeth
– By the 2nd birth day a child usually has a mouth full of baby teeth
– Baby teeth fall out when the child is 6 or 7 usually in the order they came in.
Arms and Hands
• 1st month
– Fist are clenched tightly
– Jerking movements are automatic
• 2nd month
– Discover the hands
• 3rd month
– Open hands easily
– Experiment with holding and releasing objects and
moving them from hand to hand and to the mouth
• 7th month
– Reach for a single large object and pick it up
– Throw a smaller object
– Hold a cup or bottle in both hands
• 10th months
• Pick up an object with the thumb and
forefinger (pincer grasp
• Use both hands equally well
Legs and Feet
• 1st and 2nd month
– Legs tend to fold into the fetal position
• 3rd month
– Use of legs begins with kicking
• 12th-14th month
– Walking is usually mastered between the 12th
and 14th month.
Reflex Behavior
• Newborns have very little control over their
bodies. Instead they come equipped with
reflexes.
• Reflexes are reactions to sensory
experiences.
Palmar Grasp
• Palm of hand is stroked the baby makes a
very strong fist.
• Ends approximately 3-5 months
Foot
• Stroke Inner Sole
– Toes curl around ("grasp") examiner's finger
• Stroke Outer Sole (Babinski)
– Toes spread, great toe turns under
Doll's Eyes
• Give one forefinger to each hand - baby
grasps both
– Pull baby to sitting with each forefinger
• Eyes open on coming to sitting (Like a
Doll's)
– Head initially lags
– Baby uses shoulders to right head position
Walking Reflex
• Hold baby up with one hand across chest
• As feet touch ground, baby makes walking
motion
Protective Reflex
• Soft cloth is placed over the babies eyes
and nose
• Baby arches head and turns head side to
side
• Brings both hands to face to swipe cloth
away
Rooting Reflex
• Touch newborn on either side of cheek
• Baby turns to find breast
• Sucking mechanism on finger is divided into 3 steps
– Front of Tongue laps on finger
– Back of Tongue massages middle of the finger
– Esophagus pulls on tip of finger
Tonic Neck (Fencing) Reflex
• Tonic Neck (Fencing) Reflex
• If the Babies' head is rotated leftward
– The left arm (face side) stretches into
extension
– The right arm flexes up above head
• Opposite reaction if head is rotated
rightward
Moro Reflex (Startle Reflex)
• Hold supine infant by arms a few inches
above bed
– Gently drop infant back to elicit startle
• Baby throws Arms out in extension and
baby grimaces
Hand-to-Mouth (Babkin) Reflex
• Stroke newborns cheek or put finger in
babies palm
• Baby will bring his fist to mouth and suck a
finger
Swimmer's (Gallant) Response
• Hold baby prone while supporting belly
with hand
– Stroke along one side of babies' spine
• Baby flexes whole body toward the
stroked side
Crawling Reflex
• Newborn placed on abdomen
• Baby flexes legs under him and starts to
crawl
Development 3 Months
Social and Emotional Begins to develop a social smile
Enjoys playing with other people and may cry when playing stops
Becomes more expressive and communicates more with face and body
Imitates some movements and facial expressions
Cries less
Movement Raises head and chest when lying on stomach
Supports upper body with arms when lying on stomach
Stretches legs out and kicks when lying on stomach or back
Opens and shuts hands
Pushes down on legs when feet are placed on a firm surface
Brings hand to mouth
Takes swipes at dangling objects with hands
Grasps and shakes hand toys
3 months continued…
• Vision
• Watches faces intently
• Follows moving objects
• Recognizes familiar objects and people at a distance
• Starts using hands and eyes in coordination
•
• Hearing and Speech
• Smiles at the sound of your voice
• Coos and gurgles
• Begins to imitate some sounds
• Turns head toward direction of sound
•
6 Months
• Creeps by dragging the body around on the belly
• Sits with support and perhaps sits alone for a short time
• Rolls over from front to back and vice versa
• Explores objects by putting them in the mouth
• Reaches for objects with accuracy
• Holds a bottle and switches objects from hand to hand
• Holds out arms to be lifted up
• Laughs out loud, babbles, calls for help, and screams when annoyed.
7 Months
Social and Emotional Enjoys social play
Interested in mirror images
Responds to other people's expressions of emotion and appears joyful often
Cognitive
Finds partially hidden object
Explores with hands and mouth
Struggles to get objects that are out of reach
Language Responds to own name
Begins to respond to "no"
Can tell emotions by tone of voice
Responds to sound by making sounds
Uses voice to express joy and displeasure
Babbles chains of sounds
7 months continued…
Movement
Rolls both ways (front to back, back to front)
Sits with, and then without, support on hands
Supports whole weight on legs
Reaches with one hand
Transfers object from hand to hand
Uses hand to rake objects
Vision
Develops full color vision
Distance vision matures
Ability to track moving objects improves
9 Months
• Sits unassisted
• Crawls, pulls up to a standing position,
and side-steps holding on to furniture
• Uses fingers to point, poke, and grasp
small objects
• Eats with fingers
• Imitates simple actions and plays such
games as peek-a boo and pat-a cake
9 Months
• Knows own name and responds to such
simple commands as “wave” and “Say
bye-bye.”
• Produces babbling that sounds almost like
a foreign language.
1 Year Social and Emotional Shy or anxious with strangers
Cries when mother or father leaves
Enjoys imitating people in his play
Shows specific preferences for certain people and toys
Tests parental responses to his actions during feedings
Tests parental responses to his behavior
May be fearful in some situations
Prefers mother and/or regular caregiver over all others
Repeats sounds or gestures for attention
Finger-feeds himself
Extends arm or leg to help when being dressed
Cognitive Explores objects in many different ways (shaking, banging, throwing, dropping)
Finds hidden objects easily
Looks at correct picture when the image is named
Imitates gestures
Begins to use objects correctly (drinking from cup, brushing hair, dialing phone,
listening to receiver)
1 Year Language Pays increasing attention to speech
Responds to simple verbal requests
Responds to “no”
Uses simple gestures, such as shaking head for “no”
Babbles with inflection (changes in tone)
Says “dada” and “mama”
Uses exclamations, such as “Oh-oh!”
Tries to imitate words
Movement Reaches sitting position without assistance
Crawls forward on belly
Assumes hands-and-knees position
Creeps on hands and knees
Gets from sitting to crawling or prone (lying on stomach) position
Pulls self up to stand
Walks holding on to furniture
Stands momentarily without support
May walk two or three steps without support
1 Year
Hand and Finger Skills
Uses pincer grasp
Bangs two objects together
Puts objects into container
Takes objects out of container
Lets objects go voluntarily
Pokes with index finger
Tries to imitate scribbling
Intellectual Development
• The process of learning to think,
remember, understand, reason, and use
language
• The brain gains weight by becoming more
complex instead of bigger
• It grows at an amazing rate during the first
few years of life.
How do I develop the child’s brain?
• To develop a baby’s mind, parents need to provide new and repeated sensory experiences.
• These involve sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch.
• From birth babies need warm, loving interaction with others. Without this interaction intellectual development cannot progress the way it should
Is it ever to late to learn?
• The mind that forms when a child is very
young is the one that the child will use
throughout life. If you miss opportunities to
shape a child’s mind, you can not go back
and make up
Clues to Intellect
• Language – The brain is “wired” for language
– Listening is the first language skill
– By six months babies should imitate single vowel sounds such as “e” and “o”
– By nine months babies should combine vowels and consonants into syllables “boo-boo”
– By the first birthday the child should have limited, but useful vocabulary. Short sentences are used and understood
– Babies understand more words than they use.
– Imitation plays a large part in language development.
Another clue to intellect
• Memory
– By 2 months the baby should expect feedings
at regular times
– By six months a baby can recognize an object
after seeing just a part of it.
– By nine months babies should understand the
concept of object permanence ( an object
exists even when it is out of sight)
Jean Piaget
• Studied intellect and
cognitive development
of children over 50
years ago. His theory is
still widely accepted.
• Determined children
advance through a
series of intellectual
stages that use
increasingly complex
thought processes.
Piaget’s Theory
• Stages occur in one fixed order and at approximately the same ages in all children. Stages may overlap.
• The first major period is the sensorimotor period.
• Sensori refers to the five senses and motor refers to movement
• It is divided into six stages, four of the stages occur before the age of one.
Stages of Piaget’s Theory during
the first year of life • Stage 1
– Birth-1 month--the child uses reflexes (grasp reflex) to experience textures
• Stage 2 – 1-4 months--The child sorts out the environment, he has greater
use of senses, and deliberate actions with fewer reflexes
• Stage 3 – 4-8 months--Manipulates objects to learn cause and effect
(shake a rattle, hear a sound)
• Stage 4 – 8-12 months--Act more purposefully, learns object permanence,
aware of outside world, skills promote exploration of the world around them.
Emotions
• Learning to recognize and express feelings
• Emotions are inborn, but identifying them and expressing them must be learned.
• Emotions are often linked to physical sensations such as hunger or lack of attention.
Excitement-birth
Assignment
• Pretend you are the parent of the following
children and choose toys to help foster the
stage of development they are entering:
(3 toys for each stage)
• 3 months
• 6 months
• 9 months
• How do the toys differ? Why?
Temperament
• Inborn style of reacting to the environment and relating to others.
3 Temperaments
• Easygoing – Interested responsive
adapts to change sleeps soundly
– likes to play
– easily soothed
• Cautious – Prefers to watch
– Withdraws from close contact
– Needs reassurance
– Bothered by change
• Sensitive – Upsets easily
– Less predictable
– Hard to comfort
– Has sleep or digestive problems
• An active energetic parent might have to slow
down for a passive baby.
• Parents may have to adapt the way they handle
a child to best suit the infant’s disposition.
Goals for Emotional Development • Forming an attachment
– 3-6 months recognize people who take care of them. Become excited when those people appear and show distress when they leave.(attachment behavior) Gives a secure base to reach out from and explore surroundings. Outgoing children had firm attachments to caring people during infancy.
• Learning to give and receive affection easily – Infants instinctively seek affection but learn about it only through
experience. Parents who show plenty of affection are “educating” the child about giving and receiving love.
• Developing a sense of self-worth – Children need to grow up feeling good about themselves to
develop confidence to try new things and learn more. They are likely to become successful, caring, individuals who make a positive impact in the world if they are hugged, cuddled and hear positive tender words
Social Development
• Humans are born with social instincts.
However, positive social development is
not automatic. Learning to relate to other
people is cultivated or stunted depending
on how others treat the child.
Postive interaction is an opportunity
for social development.
• “ A description of Libby’s social life shows what
happens. At six months, Libby easily recognized
her foster parents by sight and sound. She
smiled and wriggled with delight when she saw
them. Sometimes, she deliberately cried just to
get their attention. When they smiled, talked to
her, or picked her up, Libby smiled and made
eye contact. She also enjoyed the entertainment
value of others, who supplied comfort too.”
“Eventually, Libby crawled after people,
even looking for them from room to room.
‘Chase me’ was a favorite game. She
practiced verbal skills by babbling at her
stuffed animals and her family.
As she became a little older, Libby learned
that some behaviors are not acceptable.
Hitting the dog and throwing toys brought
gentle signals of disapproval. She learned
that social interaction comes with rules.”
What is the family’s role in social
interaction?
• Home needs to be a place where sociability can
grow. Babies become sociable if they live in a
happy, stable environment. They can sense a
parent’s emotional state. Anger and tension can
make a child fearful. People can’t always be in a
good mood, but they can make sure that an
infant is moved to a different room or location or
put in the care of someone else when situations
might be upsetting.
Failure to Thrive
• Why would a healthy infant stop eating, be
inactive, and not grow properly?
• Because of unmet social and emotional
needs, as well as unmet physical needs.
• Babies need attention, hugs, stimulation,
and interaction with adults!
Moral Development
• Research indicates that infants have an inborn tendency toward moral behavior.
• Some research shows that identical twins are more likely to respond positively to people in need.
• Other research shows that extremely neglected infants fail to develop the area of the brain associated with a healthy attachment to others.