Infant Growth and Development 7.1 pages 195-203

Influences on Growth and Development Growth and development often used interchangeably Growth – changes in size (weight/length) Development – increases and changes in physical, emotional, social, or intellectual skills Developmental milestone – a key skill used to check a child’s progress

Heredity Nature vs Nurture Genes provide a blueprint eye color hair color when teeth first emerge diseases that may develop intellectual potential artistic abilities

Health Parents must guard children’s health Provide good nutrition Provide a safe environment Regular medical checkups and care

Environment Stimulating Environment promotes brain development See, taste, smell, hear and touch All experiences are stored in the brain, associations form Secondhand smoke – lead to poor health SIDS Respiratory infections, ear infections, bronchitis and asthma

Growth and Development During the First Year From birth to age one triple their birth weight Increase their length by about 50% Body Shape Tightly curled position, fists clenched, legs bent, feet curved inward Umbilical cord stump dries up/drops off within about 3 weeks Growth chart – average weight and height at various ages for boys and girls as they grow at different rates. Steady pattern of growth

Patterns of Physical Development Head to Foot Head control comes first Then arms and hands Legs and feet occurs more slowly Near to Far Starts close to the body and moves outward Simple to Complex Large muscle groups first

Senses Vision Blurry then 7-10 inches then 3 ft then at 6 months clarity/sharpness Depth perception – three dimensional, judging distance Slightly crossed or wondering eye – improve by 4th month Hearing Starts before birth Respond to tone of voice, rather than words Crucial for language development

Senses Touch Smell and Taste Gentle touch builds trust Notice different textures Smell and Taste Can distinguish mother Preference for sweet tastes Explore world by putting things in their mouths

Brain development Brain and Spinal cord are two of the first things to develop in an embryo Heart and Brain – first trimester Brain cells at birth – 100 billion

How much do you know? What two factors play a significant role in a baby’s growth and development? Heredity and environment How can parents and caregivers help strengthen a baby’s connections in the brain? They can make sure the baby has a stimulating environment – give the baby a wide variety of things to see, taste, smell, hear and touch. 3. Of the five senses, which one develops before birth? Hearing