Child Development 101: The

Infant StagePresented by: Dr. Dawn-Elise Snipes

Executive Director, AllCEUs

AllCEUs.com Unlimited CEUs and Specialty Certifications $59

Objectives

Explore the developmental tasks and needs of the infant stage (0-2 years old)

Maslow (Biological and safety needs)

Erickson (Trust vs. Mistrust)

Bowlby (Attachment)

Piaget (Cognition/schema formation)

Discuss how failure to get these needs met can result in later mental health issues

Discuss how failure to resolve the trust vs. mistrust crisis results in later mental health issues

Discuss how infant’s primitive cognitive abilities develop dysfunctional schemas for later in life

Maslow—What Infants Need

Biological Needs

Food when hungry

Shelter/Physical comfort

Protection from overstimulation

Sleep when sleepy

Contact

Safety

Consistent presence vs. Abandonment (no object

permanence)

Startle / loud noises / pain

Erickson's Stages Psychosocial

Development: Trust Needs Will Be Met

Success

Ability to interpret, trust and

act on own feelings (self-

confidence)

Belief that others will help

fulfil needs (hope)

Self reliance

Comfortable with attention

Ability to be “alone”

Contentment

Failure

Inability to trust own

instincts/urges/feelings

Reliance on others to tell them what

they need

Inability to trust others will be

supportive

Discomfort with and craving of

attention (Abandonment fears)

Irritability/anxiety

Piaget– Cognitive Development

Piaget (Cognition/schema formation)

Sensorimotor:

Children do not yet have object permanence

Children do not yet have much of a frame of reference so

they rely on parental feedback

Schemas formed during this time rely heavily on

Were needs adequately met (empowered vs. powerless)

Parental reaction (stress-level/attentiveness/consistency)

John Bowlby--Attachment

Securely-Attached Infants

Easily soothed by the attachment figure when upset.

Caregiver is sensitive to their signals, and responds

appropriately to their needs.

Insecure-Avoidant Infants

Very independent of the attachment figure both physically

and emotionally

Do not seek contact with the attachment figure when

distressed.

These caregivers are insensitive and rejecting of their needs

and are often unavailable during times of emotional distress.

John Bowlby--Attachment

Insecure-Ambivalent children

Exhibit clingy and dependent behavior, but are rejecting of

the attachment figure when they engage in interaction.

The child fails to develop any feelings of security from the

attachment figure.

Exhibit difficulty moving away from the attachment figure to

explore novel surroundings.

When distressed they are difficult to soothe and are not

comforted by interaction with the attachment figure.

This behavior results from an inconsistent level of response

to their needs from the primary caregiver.

Mindful Parenting

Be attentive to the baby’s cries and cues before they become hysterical

Accept the baby’s needs as they are/Validating environment

Be consistent

Calm yourself

Stressed parent stressed baby

Calm parent calm-able baby

Keep a routine to help set baby’s circadian rhythms

Feeding

Sleeping

View the world from baby’s eyes

Mindful Re-Parenting

Be attentive to your emotional and physical cues

before you become over or under-whelmed

Be mindful in your approach to self-response to

learn to trust your feelings/intuition/urges

Identify how you feel

Identify what is causing those feelings

Address the issue

Evaluate the outcome

Learn self-soothing skills

Identify supportive others

Mindful Re-parenting

Identify those things/situations you perceive as

anxiety provoking and evaluate them through your

adult lens

What am I afraid of in this situation

What is the probability that something bad will happen

How have I (or others)successfully handled things like this

before

Keep a routine to help set your circadian rhythms

Feeding

Sleeping

Summary

Infants have very little frame of reference and no object permanence

Every experience is filed as an initial schema

Infants are learning how to get their basic biological and safety needs met.

Failure of the caregiver to consistently respond may cause the child to:

Not trust self

Not trust others

Be unable to identify own needs

Feel hopeless and anxious in an unpredictable world

Summary

Consistent, mindful parenting can be disrupted by

Addiction

Anxiety/stress

Depression (including post-partum)

Skill deficits

If something drastic changes in a person’s life, he or she may

revisit the trust/mistrust task

Normal development involves small changes that build on prior

learning (graduation/moving out)

Adults have the ability to learn to identify, interpret and meet

their own needs increasing self-esteem, independence, self-

efficacy and hopefulness

Recommended Readings

Interpreting Baby’s Cries

https://www.bundoo.com/articles/6-different-baby-cries-and-what-

they-mean/

http://www.whattoexpect.com/blogs/motherhoodinthemountains/n

ewborn-cries-the-five-cries-you-need-to-know