Infant Development

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Infant Development

• Physical development

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Remember the areas of development

• Physical
• Intellectual / cognitive
• Social
• emotional

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Physical Development Patterns

• Head to Foot
• The head is where development starts (starting
  from in-utero)
• Neck strength first
• Near to Far
• Development starts from body and works out to
  limbs
• Simple to Complex
• Infants master simpler tasks before they can
  master more complex ones.

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Rapid Growth in the First Year

• Babies grow quickly in their first year
• Triple their birth weight
• Can lose 10 at beginning
• Gain 1-2 lbs/month first 6 months
• Slow to 1 lbs/month second 6 months
• Increase length by 50
• Result of rapid bone growth in 1st year
• Brain Development
• Connections in the brain proceed at rapid pace in
  the first year myelination

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Infant Needs weight gain

• It is essential that babies are well nourished
  during this time
• Breast milk or infant formula
• On demand for the infant (babies know when they
  are hungry or not)
• Babies need to build up fat for
• Protection of organs
• Building reserves
• Brain development

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Infant Needs - stimulation

• The Brain is finishing developing it needs
  nourishment stimulation
• Stimulating environment engages learning
• Interactions with others important to stimulation
• Brain circuits developed by experiences

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Stages of Development
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