INFANCY

0-12 months

Reference: Journey into the self

Rapid physical growth and development

• Weight: doubles by 5 or 6 months; triples by first birthday

• Nervous System: develops for the better control of head and limbs

Developmental milestones

• Rolling over by themselves

• Sitting alone without support
• Crawling
• Making babbling or squealing sounds
• Standing up
• Walking while holding on to furniture or a person for support
• Saying at least one word like “mama” or “dada”

Difference in pacing

• Faster or slower rate

• Signs of possible developmental delays
• Failure to thrive
• Disability to crawl or stand when not supported
• Not trying to imitate words
• Not using gestures like waving or pointing
 Development of Trust and Mistrust
(Erik Erikson)
 Critical during the infancy stage
 Emphasis: parent’s nurturing ability and care for
a child (visual contact and touch)
 If done: develops optimism, trust, confidence and
security
 If not experienced: develops insecurity,
worthlessness and general mistrust to the world
Ways to promote healthy infancy development

Encouraging bonding to help newborns feel safe, secured and loved.

• cuddling, holding, rocking and caressing the baby.

Supporting age-appropriate physical activity.

• Give babies space to stretch, explore and crawl or walk around the home.
• However, do not leave them unattended and make sure the home is childproof.

Stimulating learning and play.

• Provide babies with safe, age-appropriate toys with different textures that encourage them to explore with the
fingers.
• Singing, reciting rhymes and doing finger plays with a baby can also stimulate their cognitive development.

Nurture language development.

• Talk and read often to a baby, in addition to naming objects while pointing to pictures in a book.
• Use simple words that apply to an infant’s everyday life.