Development Child
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Infants (birth to age 1) and toddlers (ages 1 to 2) grow quickly; bodily changes are rapid and profound. Physical development refers to biological changes that children undergo as they age. Important aspects that determine the progress of physical development in infancy and toddlerhood include physical and brain changes; development of reflexes, motor skills, sensations, perceptions, and learning skills; and health issues. The first 4 weeks of life are termed the neonatal period. Most babies weigh between 5 1/2 and 10 pounds, and are between 18 and 22 inches long. Male babies are generally slightly heavier and longer than female babies. Neonates born weighing less than 5 1/2 pounds are of low birthweight. Infants who arrive before their due date are preterm or premature,and these babies may or may not have a low birthweight. Babies who arrive on or shortly after their due date are full-term. Infants who arrive 2 or more weeks after their due date are postmature.Both premature and postmature babies are at higher risk of complications such as sickness, brain damage, or death, than are full-term babies.
Physical growth is especially rapid during the first 2 years. An infant's birthweight generally doubles by 6 months and triples by the infant's first birthday. Similarly, a baby grows between 10 and 12 inches in length (or height), and the baby's proportions change during the first 2 years. The size of an infant's head decreases in proportion from 1/3 of the entire body at birth, to 1/4 at age 2, to 1/8 by adulthood. Fetal and neonatal brain developments are also rapid. The lower, or subcortical,areas of the brain (responsible for basic life functions, like breathing) develop first, followed by the higher areas, or corticalareas (responsible for thinking and planning). Most brain changes occur prenatally and soon after birth. At birth, the neonate's brain weighs only 25 percent of that of an adult brain. By the end of the second year, the brain weighs about 80 percent; by puberty, it weighs nearly 100 percent of that of an adult brain.
Reflexes and motor skills
Because infants cannot endure on their own, newborns have specific built-in or prewired abilities for survival and adaptive purposes. Reflexes are automatic reactions to stimulation that enable infants to respond to the environment before any learning has taken place. For instance, babies automatically suck when presented with a nipple, turn their heads when a parent speaks, grasp at a finger that is pressed into their hand, and startle when exposed to loud noises. Some reflexes, such as blinking, are permanent. Others, such as grasping, disappear after several months and eventually become voluntary responses. Common infant motor reflexes appear in Table 1. Motor skills,or behavioral abilities, develop in conjunction with physical growth. In other words, infants must learn to engage in motor activities within the context of their changing bodies. At about 1 month, infants may lift their chins while lying flat on their stomachs. Within another month, infants may raise their chests from the same position. By the fourth month, infants may grasp rattles, as well as sit with support. By the fifth month, infants may roll over, and by the eighth month, infants may be able to sit without assistance. At about 10 months, toddlers may stand while holding onto an object for support. At about 14 months, toddlers may stand alone and perhaps even walk. Of course, these ages for each motor-skill milestone are averages; the rates of physical and motor developments differ among children depending on a variety of factors, including heredity, the amount of activity the child participates in, and the amount of attention the child receives.
Motor development follows cephalocaudal (center and upper body) and proximodistal (extremities and lower body) patterns, so that motor skills become refined first from the center and upper body and later from the extremities and lower body. For example, swallowing is refined before walking, and arm movements are refined before hand movements.\
c also these references:
https://parenting.firstcry.com/articles/physical-development-in-early-childhood/ https://www.slideshare.net/glitznglam17/growth-and-development-of-infants-4644744 https://www.slideshare.net/arunaapkarunakaran/growth-and-development-26444171?next_slide show=1
stimulation
https://hf.org/health_info/your_health_first/kids/infant_stim.cfm https://www.slideshare.net/danielesguapito/infancy-the-early-stage-of-developepment What Is Physical Development?
As your little one grows, so does his body. Slowly but steadily, your child is preparing to take on the structural build which is almost similar to that of an adult. Signs of a Child’s Physical Development
Here are some of the pronounced signs of a child’s physical development: 1. Limbs
The arms and legs of the child grow longer and will be proportionate to the torso as well as the head. It can also be noticed that your child will appear much slimmer and distinctively thinner than he was as an infant.
2. Muscle Growth
Muscle growth tends to be faster in order to aid movement in the child. The muscles of the arms and the legs that are larger are known to grow faster than the muscles in the toes or the fingers, which are smaller. At this stage, it is important to provide proper nutrients to your child to aid the growth process.
3. Brain Development
Brain development will help your child perform complex mental and physical tasks. During early childhood, there is significant growth in the neural fibres in the brain, specifically in the frontal lobes. It is also noted that the around 2 years the human brain is already 70% of its adult size. By the age of six or seven, the size of the brain is almost 90% of its adult size. The increase of motor skills can be contributed to this growth. It is also a common practice to measure the circumference of the head in order to figure out the growth rate of the brain.
4. Motor Skills
Motor skills are associated with the child’s ability to perform tasks on an everyday basis. It can be anything from running to building blocks. Motor skills can be categorized as: a. Gross Motor Skills
Also called for large motor skills, these are the skills that are required to perform general tasks like running, walking, jumping or even balancing their bodies as they engage in these activities.
With you gross motor skills your child should be able to perform some of the below activities,
● Walk with a steady balance
● Run comfortably in a single direction or around obstacles
● Throw a ball or catch one
● Hop on each foot several times
● Jump over objects or low lying hurdles
● Kick a ball that is stationary
● Pedal a tricycle
b. Fine Motor Skills
Also called small motor skills, these involve finer movements and holds necessary to perform tasks that may be slightly complicated. These are also associated with the brain development of the child.
Fine motor skills allow the child to:
● Use cutlery
● Brush teeth or comb hair
● Pick up small items likes coins
● Work on simple puzzles
● Draw simple shapes like circles or squares
● Stack up blocks
5. Height
By 12 months, the length of an infant is known to increase about 50% the birth length. When children reach the age of five, they can be double their birth length. Also, boys reach half of their adult height around two years and girls are half their adult height when they are about nineteen months old.
6. Weight
At one year, the weight of the infants is three times that of the birth weight. The growth rate tends to slow down after the first year and between one to six years, he will be gaining around 2kg per year.
7. Teeth
Typically, around five to nine months of age, your baby will have lower front teeth. The teeth on the upper front appear around eight to twelve months of age. Children tend to get all 20 of their baby teeth or deciduous teeth by the age of 2 and half years. Permanent teeth replace the baby teeth anywhere between the ages of 5 to 13. Stages of Physical Development
The stage of physical development in children follows a general pattern:
● Babies can crawl, sit and hold their head up by age two.
● Walking, running, jumping, climbing stairs with help, building blocks and finer motor skills like holding crayons are learnt between age two and four.
● Around the ages of four to six, they can climb stair without help, write and even dress on their own.
Ways to Boost Physical Development in Toddlers and Preschoolers
You can work out in some physical development activities for preschoolers to help improve their dexterity and development:
● Walk with the kids and provide them with the opportunity to run and jump and use their large muscles.
● Prepare a simple obstacle course for your child to jump over and run around in your backyard or in the house.
● Play catch with balls. You can also play games that will help the child learn to kick and throw the ball.
● Have a mini dance party at home. Put on some music and dance with your child, especially to nursery songs that stimulate fine motor skills like the ‘Itsy bitsy spider’.
● Play pretend games like laying a tightrope on the ground and trying to balance on it.
● Get creative with art. Provide your child ample opportunities to draw in and around the house.
● Get some child-safe scissors and teach your kid some craft work.
● Have a block building contest.
● Get toys that can boost physical development in your child like a tricycle, basketball hoop (child-sized) or hula hoops.
● Have a water pool in the backyard and encourage your child to splash or paddle under supervision.
● Get your child to help with simple fun chores like bathing the dog or washing the car.
● Ensure that your child has adequate sleep to enable overall development.
● Take the child for a routine check-up to catch any issues early. Physical development in children should be complemented with proper nourishment and a healthy balanced diet as this ensures proper growth and development of the muscles and the bones.
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