1. Infant Growth and Development
Chapter 7-1
Infant Growth and Development

2. Growth
Changes in size, such as weight and length

3. Growth During the First Year
Growth charts show the average height and weight of babies and children at various ages.

4. Weight
Most babies lose a little weight (about 10%) in the first few days, but then begin to gain.
By age one, babies typically triple their birth weight.

5. Length
Babies length usually increases by 50% during the first year.

6. Body Shape At birth, babies usually have a curled position.
Chubby abdomen
By age one, they start to lose the chubby look. Arms, legs, & fingers uncurl

7. Proportion Newborn: Head is 1/4 of baby’s length.
As the baby grows, the head will take up less of the overall height.
Adults’ heads are 1/8 of height.

8. Development
Increases and changes in physical, emotional, social, or intellectual skills

9. 3 Patterns of Physical Development
Head to Foot
Development begins at the head and then moves down.
ex. Muscle control: Babies can control muscles of mouth & eyes
Then neck, then arms, then legs & feet

10. Near to Far
Development starts
near trunk of body &
then moves outward
ex. Babies can wave
their arms before they
have precise hand and
finger control.

11. Simple to Complex
Large muscles develop before small muscles.
ex. Babies can grab items with their fist before they can precisely hold a crayon and color.

12. Gross Motor Skills
Involve the large muscles of the body, such as the legs, arms, trunk, & neck.
In the first year, babies learn to lift head, prop up body, roll over, sit, crawl, stand, walk.

13. Fine Motor Skills
Involve the small muscles of the body, such as the fingers. Babies learn to grasp objects, pass them from one hand to another, self-feed and drink from a cup.

14. Hand-Eye Coordination
The ability to move hands & fingers precisely in relation to what is seen.
Poor at first. Improves over time.

15. Reflexes: Automatic responses that do not have to be learned.
The Sucking Reflex - stimulated when something is put into the mouth.
The Rooting Reflex - A baby will turn its head in the direction of its cheek being stroked.

16. Grasping Reflex - Stepping Reflex - Grabbing a finger when
it is placed in the hand
Stepping Reflex -
Stepping motions when
the feet touch the floor

17. Developmental Milestones
Key Skills, such as learning to walk, used to check a child’s progress against average development

18. Influences on Growth and Development
Both Nature (genetics) and Nurture (environmental influences) play a significant role in a child’s development.

19. Heredity
features and tendencies that a child inherits through genetics.
Physical appearance
Susceptibility to certain diseases
Intellectual or artistic abilities

20. Nutrition
Proper nutrition is essential to optimal development. It can affect:
Bone strength
Brain development
Height
Growth
General health

21. Health Children must be provided with a safe environment
and medical checkups
& care.
Healthy babies are more
likely to have varied
experiences that stimulate
the brain and aid in physical
development

22. L http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xuCMCALnis4
Sit back and experience. Write down several words that come to mind regarding this experience.

23. PF http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAFln2Ps_Ik
Sit back and experience. Write down several words that come to mind from this experience.

24. Brain Development During the First Year

25. Experiences Stimulating experiences help brain development
Brain development impacts all other areas of development. Infancy is a critical period.
More neuron connections are formed during infancy than at any other period in life.

26. Environment
A stimulating environment: One in which the baby has a wide variety of appropriate things to:
- see
- taste
- smell
- touch
- hear

27. Vision Vision is blurry at first. By about 1 year, vision
is similar to adults’.
Newborns see things best when they are 7 to 10 inches away.

28. Newborns prefer high contrast patterns. They also prefer red and blue
This has been tested by offering infants a variety of objects to look at and seeing which ones they look at the longest.

29. Depth Perception
At first babies see in two dimensions. It takes several months before they can see in 3-D. This ability helps them interact with the world.
How can you use this information on vision to interact with a newborn?

30. Hearing Begins before birth.
At birth, they can tell the direction sound is coming from.
They prefer calm,
high pitched voices
Dr. Seuss story study
How can you use this information to interact with an infant?

31. Touch Infants rely on the touch of others.
As the baby gets older, it will notice texture
Eventually the baby will use its sense of touch to explore the world.
How can you use this information to interact with a newborn?

32. Smell and Taste
Sense of smell develops right after birth. In ten days, they know the scent of their mother.
Taste develops quickly. Babies prefer sweets.
Breast pad study
Avoid giving babies sweets, as they may start “complaining” if they do not get it.
Don’t over-stimulate these senses in the first few months.

33. Babies will put anything into their mouth
Babies will put anything into their mouth. Be sure they cannot get anything dirty, sharp, or small. Items should not be able to fit into a paper towel tube.