Infancy and ToddlerhoodPhysical development of

infants and toddlers

We have just traced the developmental process before birth. We shall continue to trace the developmental process by following the infant or the baby who is just burn up to when he reaches age 2. The period that comes after prenatal or antenatal stage is infancy which in turn, is followed by toddlerhood. Infancy and toddlerhood span the First two years of life.

Height and Weight It’s normal for newborn babies to drop 5 to I0 percent 0f

their body weight within a couple of weeks of birth. That is flue to the baby's adjustment to neonatal feeding; once they adjust t0 sucking, swallowing and digesting, they grow rapidly.

Breastfed “babies are typically heavier than bottle-fed babies through the first six months. After six months, breastfed babies usually weigh less than bottle-fed babies.

In general, an infant’s length increases by about 30 percent in the first five months.

A baby's weight usually triples during the first year but slows glow in the second year of life.

Low percentages are not a cause for alarm as long as infants progress along a natural curve of steady development.

Brain Development Among the most dramatic changes in the

brain in the first two years of life are the spreading connections of dendrites to each other. Remember neurons. Dendrites, axon, synapses? You discussed them in your General Psychology class. (You may wish to review on them.)

Myelination or myelinizationIs the process by which the axons are covered and insulated by layers of fat cells, begins prenatally and continues after birth. The process of myelination or myelinization increases the speed at which information travels through the nervous system.

At birth the newborn brain is about 25 percent of its adult Weight. By the second birthday, the brain is about 75% of its adult weight.

Shortly after birth, a baby’s brain produces trillions more connections between neurons than it can possibly use. The brain eliminates connections that are seldom or never use.

The infant’s brain is literally waiting for experience to determine how connections are made

Motor development

Along this aspect of motor development, infants and toddlers begin from reflexes. To

gross motor skills and fine meter skills.

Reflexes The newborn has some basic reflexes which are of

course automatic, and serve as survival mechanisms before they have the opportunity to learn there are many different reflexes. Some of the most common

reflexes that babies have are:

Sucking ReflexThe sucking reflex is initiated when something teaches the

roof of an infant's mouth. Infants have a strong Sucking reflexes which helps to ensure they can latch onto a bottle or breast. The sucking reflex is very strong in some infants

and may need to suck on a pacifier for comfort.

Rooting ReflexThe rooting reflex is most evident when an

infant's cheek is stroked. The baby responds by turning his or her head in the direction of

the touch and opening their mouth for feeding

Gripping ReflexBabies will grasp anything that is placed in

their palm. The Strength Of this grip is strong, and most babies can support their

entire weight in their grip.

Curling ReflexWhen the inner sole of a baby's foot is stroked,

the infant respond by curling his or her toes. When the sole of a baby‘s Foot is stroked. The

infant will respond Spreading out their toes.

Startle/mono reflexinfants will respond to sudden sounds or movements

by throwing their arms and legs out, and throwing their heads back. Most infants will usually cry when

startled and proceed to pull their limbs into their bodies.

Galant ReflexThe galant reflex is shown when an infant’s

middle or lower back is stroked next to the spinal cord. The baby will respond by curving his or her

body toward the side which is being stroked

Tonic Neck ReflexThe tonic neck reflex is demonstrated in infants

who are placed on their abdomens. Whichever side the child’s head is facing, the limbs on that side

will straighten, while the opposite limbs will curl.

Gross Motor Skills Study the Figure below. See how you developed in your gross motor skills.

Fine Motor Skills:Fine motor skills, are skills that involve a refined use of the small muscles controlling the hand, fingers, and thumb. The development of these skills allows one to be able to complete tasks such as writing, drawing and buttoning

Sensory and Perceptual Development

The newborn senses the world into which he/she is born through his/her senses of vision, hearing, touch. Taste and smell.

Ideally, as he/ she advance physically his/her sensory and perceptual abilities also develop.

What are some research findings regarding newborns' visual perceptions?

Can newborns see? The newborn's vision is about 10 to 30 times lower than normal adult vision. By 6 months of age, vision becomes better and by the first birthday, the infant’s vision approximates that of an adult. (Banks & Salapatek, 1983 cited by Santrock, 2002)

Can newborns hear? The sense of hearing in an infant develops much before the birth of the baby. When in the womb the baby hears his/her mother’s heartbeats. the grumbling of his/her stomach, the mother‘s voice and music. How soothing it must have been for you to listen to your mother’s lullaby.

Can newborns differentiate odors?

In an experiment conducted by MacFarIane (1975) “young infants who were breastfed showed a clear preference for smelling their mother’s breast pad when they were 6 days old. This preference did not show when the babies were only two days old. This shows that it requires several days of experience to recognize their mother’s breast pad odor.

Can newborns feel pain? Do they respond too much?Babies respond to touch.. In the earlier part of this module on motor development, you learned that a newborn automatically sucks an object placed in his/her mouth, or touch of the cheek makes the newborn turn his/her head toward the side that was

touched in an apparent effort to find something to suck.

Can newborns distinguish the different tastes?

In it study conducted with babies only two hours old, babies made different facial

expressions when they tasted sweet, sour, and bitter solutions.

Do infants relate information through several senses? In short, are infants capable of intermodal perception?Intermodal perception is the ability to relate,

connect and integrate information about two or more sensory modalities such as vision and hearing.

In a study conducted by Spelke and Owsley. It was found out that as early as at 3 ½ months old, infant looked more at their mother when they also heard her voice and longer at their father when they also heard voice.