Growth & Development of Infants

Physical Development

• Head to foot:Head to foot: lift head, gain muscle control of arms and hands

• Near to far:Near to far: wave arms, grab object, learn to pick up with thumbs and fingers• Simple to complex:Simple to complex: first eat with

fingers, than learns to use a spoon or fork

Growth During First Year• Weight-sign of good health-infant gains 1-2 lbs each month from birth

to 6 years old-Second 6 months=baby gains weight less

rapidly than in first 6 months.• Height-heredity influences height more than weight-At about a year old, average height=30

inches• Proportion-size relationship between different parts of

body -During first year, proportions of baby’s body

change.

Development During First Year

• Sight -newborn can focus on something that 7-10 inches

away and at 1 month, 3 feet -prefers high contrast , stripes, faces, bull's-eyes,

and the color red -helps develop hand eye coordination• Hearing -develops before birth -responds to a tone of a voice and is alarmed at

loud angry voices • Taste & Smell - within ten days they can distinguish by smell their

mother from another person - taste rapidly develops

Development Continued…

• Voice - cry becomes softer as lungs mature - physical growth of the throat muscles, tongue, lips, teeth, and vocal cords• Teeth - development begins the sixth week of pregnancy - first set of teeth are called primary teeth (baby teeth) which come at six to

seven months of age -Causes pain, swelling, and baby becomes cranky• Motor Skills - depends on muscle control - requires intellectual, social, & emotional development which shows during the

first year.

Motor Skills• 1 month:

lifts chin when placed on stomach• 2 months:

lifts chest well above surface when placed on stomach• 3-4 months:

holds head up steadilyunsteadily reaches for objects

rolls from side to back or back to side• 5-6 months:sits alone briefly

turns completely over when laid on back or stomach• 7-8 months:eats with fingers

picks up large objectspulls self up while holding onto furniture

• 9-10 months:reaches for and manipulates objects with good control

crawls on hands and knees• 11-12 months:

may walk alonepicks up small objects using thumb and forefinger

fits blocks, boxes, or nesting toys inside one another