Growth And Development In Babies Essay -- essays research papers

Babies grow and develop at a very rapid rate during the first year of life. They grow physically, mentally, emotionally and socially. However, through this portfolio, I intend to discuss the physical growth and development patterns of the infant through their first year.To begin with, development refers to the baby's increased skill in using various body parts. When dealing with the development of a child there are three basic developmental rules.First Developmental Rule:This rule states that babies develop in the head region first, then the trunk, and lastly in the legs and feet. Therefore, it is said that babies develop in a head-to-toe direction or cephalocaudally. For example, a baby can hold up their head before they can grasp an object with their hand. Also, they can feed themself before they can walk.Second Developmental Rule:The second rule explains that children develop from the midline, or centre of the body, outward toward the fingers and toes. This stage or rule is the one which affects the development of motor skills. Motor skills are the child's ability to control movement. There are two basic classifications of motor skills, gross motor skills and fine motor skills. Gross motor skills are those which involve the large muscles. Whereas, fine motor skills are those involving the smaller muscle groups. For example, a child can grasp a big ball in their arms before they can catch a baseball in their hands. The fine skills of hands and feet are the last to develop.Third Developmental Rule:Finally, this rule reveals that, as the brain develops, a child responds to more and more sights and sounds in their environment. Furthermore, they learn to respond to much finer details.The Baby's BodyIn this section, you will find specific break-downs of the baby's body parts. I decided to do this to show how the baby grows and develops in each area of their body. Also, you will see how these developing body parts affect the developing motor skills of the child. The following areas will be discussed, their size and weight, the head, brain, eyes, ears, arms and hands and finally, the legs and feet and the trunk.Size and WeightThe average baby is 20 inches long at birth, or 50.8cm. However, not all babies are born the same length, generally, lengths vary from 18-21.5 inches or 45.7-54.6 centimetres.The average baby weighs 7.5 pounds at birth, or 3.4 kilogra... ...eveloping control over her body.She can sit with support and may sit alone for short periods of time. She can roll over She will hold out her arms to be lifted up or reach and grab an object. She can hold her own bottle and toys. She laughs out loud, babbles, "calls" for help and screams when annoyed. Height-26 inches *Weight-16 poundsWhat can a 9-month-old baby do?At 9 months, she is exploring her environment.She can sit unassisted, crawl, pull to a stand and side-step along furniture. She can use her fingers to point, poke, and grasp small objects. She feeds herself finger foods She knows her name and responds to simple commands She uses "jargon"-babbling a pattern as if she were speaking a foreign language. Height-27.5 inches *Weight-19 poundsWhat can a 12-month-old baby do?At 1 year, she is striving for independence.She stands and may walk by herself. She climbs up and down stairs and out of the crib or play-pen. She prefers using one hand over the other and can drop and throw toys. She fears strange people and places. She remembers events, expresses affection, shows emotions, uses trial and error to solve a problem. Height-29.5 inches *Weight-22 pounds