AGES & STAGES – NEWBORN TO ONE YEAR

Bởi Gambai | Tháng Mười Một 3, 2021 |

Lesia Oesterreich, M.S.
Family Life Extension Specialist
Human Development and Family Studies
Iowa State University

Copyright/Access Information

Throughout the first year, infants grow at a tremendously fast rate. In fact, by the end of the first year they will have tripled in birth
weight. Length can be expected to double. By their first birthday, most infants will be crawling and even may be taking a timid first step!

The most essential ingredient in infant care is a warm, responsive, and dependable adult caregiver. Try to spend lots of time holding, cuddling,
and playing with the infants in your care. You will be richly rewarded with babbles, smiles, and squeals of laughter.

BY FOUR MONTHS

PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

weight: 10-18 pounds
length: 23-27 inches
sleeps about 6 hours before waking during the night
averages 14-17 hours of sleep daily
lifts head and chest when lying on stomach
holds both eyes in a fixed position
follows a moving object or person with eyes
grasps rattle or finger
wiggles and kicks with arms and legs
rolls over (stomach to back)
sits with support

SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

cries (with tears) to communicate pain, fear, discomfort, or loneliness
babbles or coos
loves to be touched and held close
responds to a shaking rattle or bell
returns a smile
responds to peak-a-boo games

INTELLECTUAL DEVELOPMENT

explores objects with mouth
plays with fingers, hands, toes
reacts to sound of voice, rattle, bell
turns head toward bright colors and lights
recognizes bottle or breast

BY EIGHT MONTHS

PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

weight: 14-23 pounds
length: 25-30 inches
first teeth begin to appear
drools, mouths and chews on objects
needs at least 3-4 feedings per day
reaches for cup or spoon when being fed
drinks from a cup with help
enjoys some finely-chopped solid foods
closes mouth firmly or turns head when no longer hungry
may sleep 11-13 hours at night although this varies greatly
needs 2-3 naps during the day
develops a rhythm for feeding, eliminating, sleeping, and being awake
true eye color is established
rolls from back to stomach and stomach to back
sits alone without support and holds head erect
raises up on arms and knees into crawling position; rocks back and forth, but may not move forward
uses finger and thumb to pick up an object
transfers objects from one hand to the other
hair growth begins to cover head

INTELLECTUAL DEVELOPMENT

cries in different ways to say he is hurt, wet, hungry, or lonely
makes noises to voice displeasure or satisfaction
recognizes and looks for familiar voices and sounds
learns by using senses like smell, taste, touch, sight, hearing
focuses eyes on small objects and reaches for them
looks for ball rolled out of sight
searches for toys hidden under a blanket, basket, or container
explores objects by touching, shaking, banging, and mouthing
babbles expressively as if talking
enjoys dropping objects over edge of chair or crib

SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

responds to own name
shows fear of falling off high places such as table or stairs
spends a great deal of time watching and observing
responds differently to strangers and family members
imitates sounds, actions, and facial expressions made by others
shows distress if toy is taken away
squeals, laughs, babbles, smiles in response
likes to be tickled and touched
smiles at own reflection in mirror
raises arms as a sign to be held
recognizes family member names
responds to distress of others by showing distress or crying
shows mild to severe anxiety at separation from parent

BY 12 MONTHS

PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

weight: 17-27 pounds
length: 27-32 inches
sleeps 11-13 hours at night
some babies will stop taking a morning nap; others will continue both morning and afternoon naps
begins to refuse bottle or weans self from breast during day
needs 3 meals a day with 2 snacks in between
enjoys drinking from a cup
begins to eat finger foods
continues to explore everything by mouth
enjoys opening and closing cabinet doors
crawls well
pulls self to a standing position
stands alone holding onto furniture for support
walks holding onto furniture or with adult help

INTELLECTUAL DEVELOPMENT

says first word
says da-da and ma-ma or equivalent
“dances” or bounces to music
interested in picture books
pays attention to conversations
claps hands, waves bye, if prompted
likes to place objects inside one another

SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

imitates adult actions such as drinking from a cup, talking on phone
responds to name
likes to watch self in mirror
expresses fear or anxiety toward strangers
wants caregiver or parent to be in constant sight
offers toys or objects to others but expects them to be returned
may become attached to a favorite toy or blanket
pushes away something he does not want

IDEAS FOR CAREGIVERS

Help infants develop a sense of trust and security by responding to their cries. Feeling secure encourages infants to try new things. Be consistent so that they will know what to expect.
Place babies in new places and new positions so that they can see you and others from different angles.
Hold and cuddle infants when feeding them. Even infants who hold their own bottle need to be held. Being held and cuddled frequently is
extremely important in the development of baby's sense of self-worth and security. Holding and cuddling a baby is also a great stress releaser
for an adult. Do not prop infants drinking from a bottle as it may cause choking.
Respect a baby's natural schedule. Most babies will settle into a regular routine for eating, sleeping, and soiling their diapers, but the
schedule will vary depending on the baby. Some babies need to eat more frequently than some others. Some will sleep more and take longer naps.
Baby-proof everything! Store toxic substances such as dishwasher detergent, make-up, paint, or medicine up high. Put safety latches on
cabinets and covers on electrical outlets. Lower crib mattresses so that older infants can't fall over the rail. Cover sharp corners of tables or shelves that infants might bump into.
Expose babies to bright colors and a variety of objects to look at. Pictures, moving objects, brightly colored or contrasting color toys attract infants.
Provide an environment rich with sound. Help infants learn to recognize common household sounds such as a vacuum cleaner, a radio, a clock, a whistling tea kettle, or a doorbell.
Provide interesting objects for infants to feel, touch, mouth, and explore. Square nylon scarves, cold metal bowls, plastic measuring cups,
large wooden spoons, and wet washcloths are favorite household toys. Keep easy-to-swallow objects out of infant's reach. Babies should not be
allowed to play with anything smaller than a half dollar (about 1-1/4 inch).
Provide opportunities for infants to smell different smells. Lemon, vanilla, and apple juice are wonderful kitchen smells. Babies also enjoy smelling tree bark, dirt, grass, and other natural things.
Expose older babies to a variety of tastes and temperatures in food. Offer cold sherbet, warm oatmeal, mashed peaches, and chopped cooked carrots.
Help babies develop a sense of movement and balance by gently bouncing, swaying, swooping, and swinging with them.
Talk to infants. Face infants when talking to them so they can see you and smile with you. Talk about what you are doing, familiar objects, or
people. You may even want to babble back or echo sounds your baby makes much as you would in a regular conversation. Even though an infant cannot understand everything you say, he will be learning many words that will form the basis for language later on.
Read to infants. Babies enjoy cuddling on a caregiver's lap, looking at colorful picture books, and hearing the rhythm of their voice. With
time they begin to understand that words have meaning and can be used to identify objects.
Encourage older infants to feed themselves by offering pieces of banana and soft bread sticks. Give babies a spoon with some mashed
potatoes or other sticky food, and let them practice eating with a spoon. Yes, it will be messy! Be patient. Learning this skill takes lots of practice.
Play peek-a-boo. Hide your face behind a blanket and then peek out at the baby. Older babies will learn to do this themselves and will enjoy this game for a long time.
Give babies the freedom to move around. Young infants enjoy being on their backs so that they can kick, wiggle, and look around. Older
infants need space and time to practice crawling, creeping, pulling up, and walking. Spending too much time in a walker, playpen, or infant swing may inhibit the development of these important skills.
Stay with infants when someone new is around. Encourage strangers to approach slowly. Introduce an infant by name, and let him explore someone new in the safety of your presence.