Republic of the Philippines

MINDANAO STATE UNIVERSITY

MAIN CAMPUS
MSU, Marawi City

Reporter 18: Saripada, Norhailah D.

Reporter 19: Dangcal, Saimah M.
Section: CPE100 Vv
Course: Bachelor of Elementary Education

MODULE 12
PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT OF INFANTS AND TODDLERS
The developmental process by following the infant or the baby who is just born up to when he
reaches age 2.
The period that comes after pre-natal or antenatal stage is infancy which, in turn, is followed by
toddlerhood. Infancy and toddlerhood span the first two years of life.
Cephalocaudal and Proximodistal Patterns
Cephalocaudal trend is the postnatal growth from conception to 5 months when the head grows
more than the body.
Proximodistal trend is the pre-natal growth from 5 months to birth when the fetus grows from
the inside of the body, outwards.
Height and Weight
It's normal for newborn babies to drop 5 to 10 percent of their body weight within a couple of
weeks of birth. That is due to the baby's adjustment to neonatal feeding. Once they adjust to
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.
A baby's weight usually triples during the first year but slows down 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.
Myelination or myelinization, 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's brain is about 25 percent of its adult weight. By the second birthday, the
brain is about 75% of its adult weight.
Depressed brain activity has been found in children who grew up in a depressed environment
(Circhetti, 2001, cited by Santrock, 2002).
Motor Development
Along this aspect of motor development, infants and toddlers begin from reflexes, to gross motor
skills and fine motor 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 Reflex: The sucking reflex is initiated when something touches the roof of an infant's
mouth. Infants have a strong sucking reflex which helps to ensure they can latch unto a bottle or
breast. The sucking reflex is very strong in some infants and they may need to suck on a pacifier
for comfort.
Rooting Reflex: The rooting reflex is most evident when an infant's cheek is stroked. The baby
responds by turning his/her head in the direction of the touch and opening their mouth for
feeding.
Gripping Reflex: Babies 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 Reflex: When the inner sore of a baby's foot is stroked, the infant respond by curling his
or her toes. When the outer sole of a baby's foot is stroked, the infant will respond by spreading
out their toes.
Startle/Moro Reflex: Infants 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 back into their bodies.
Galant Reflex: The 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 Reflex: The tonic neck reflex is demonstrated in infants who are placed on their
abdomens.
Gross Motor Skills
It is always a source of excitement for parents to witness dramatic, changes in the infant's first
year of life. This dramatic motor development is shown in babies unable to even lift their heads
to being able to grab things off the cabinet, to chase the ball and to walk away from parent.
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.
Can Newborn 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 & Salapatck, 1983 cited by Santrock, 2002)
Among the first few things that babies learn to recognize is their mother's face, as mother feeds
and nurses them.
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 MacFarlane (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 to touch?
They do feel pain. Newborn males show a higher level of cortisol (an indicator of stress) after a
circumcision than prior to the surgery (Taddio, et al, 1997 cited by Santrock, 2002).
Babies respond to touch.
Can newborns distinguish the different tastes?
In a study conducted with babies only two hour old, babies made different facial expression
when they tasted sweet, sour and bitter solutions (Rosentin and Oster,1988, cited by Santrock,
2002)
Do infants relate to information through several senses? In short, are infants capable of
intermodal perception?
In a study conducted by Spelke and Owsley (1979), it was found that as early as at 3 ½ months
old, infants looked more at their mother when they also heard her voice and longer at their father
when they also heard his voice.
This capacity for intermodal perception or ability to connect information coming through various
modes get sharpened considerably through experience.

A Summary of What Infants and Toddlers Can Do Physically

0 - 6 months
 Startles to loud sounds
 Visually follows a moving object from side to side
 Visually follows a moving object up and down
 Reacts to pain by crying
 Withdraws or cries when in contact with something hot
 Withdraws or reacts with surprise when in contact with something cold
 Reacts with pleasure/smiles or relaxed expression when he/she tastes something delicious
 Reacts by making a face/ frowns/grimaces when he/she tastes something he/she does not
like
7 - 12 months
 Reacts with pleasure when he/she smells something nice
 Reacts by making a face when he/she smells something foul
 Pushes and/or pulls moderately heavy objects (e.g., chairs, large boxes)
 Walks without tiring easily
13 - 18 months
 Plays without tiring easily, able to keep pace with playmates
 Participates actively in games, outdoor play and other exercises
19 - 24 months
Sustains physical activity (e.g., dancing, outdoor games, swimming) for at least 3-5 minutes
MOTOR SKILLS DEVELOPMENT (GROSS MOTOR SKILLS)
0 - 6 months
 Holds head steadily
 Moves arms and legs equally to reach at dangling object
 Rolls over
 Bounces when held standing, briefly bearing weight on legs
  Sits with support
 Starting to crawl but not yet very good at this
7 - 12 months
 Sits alone steadily without support
 Creeps or craws with ease as a primary means of moving around
 Stands without support
 Stands from a sitting position without any heip
 Squats from a standing position with ease
 Stands from a standing position with ease
 Bends over easily without falling
 Stands from a bent position without falling
 Walks sideways by holding onto the sides of crib or furniture (cruises)
 Walks with one hand held
13 - 18 months
 Walks without support
 Walks backwards
 Walks up the stairs with hand held, 2 feet on each step
 Walks down the stairs with hand held, 2 feet on each step
 Jumps in place
 Climbs onto a steady elevated surface (e.g., bed, adult chair or bangko, etc.)
 Kicks a ball but with little control of direction
 Throws a ball but with little control of direction
 Throws a ball but with little control of speed
 Runs without tripping or falling
 Maintains balance (walking on a low, narrow ledge; between 2 lines) without assistance
 Moves with music when he hears it
 Can move body to imitate familiar animals
 Can move body to imitate another person/TV character
19 - 24 months
 Walks up the stairs with alternating feet, without help
 Walks down the stairs with alternating feet, without help
 Kicks a ball with control of direction
 Throws a ball with control of direction
 Throws a ball with control of speed
MOTOR SKILLS DEVELOPMENT (FINE MOTOR SKILLS)

0 - 6 months
  Hands open most of the time
 Brings both hands together towards dangling object/toy
 Uses either hand interchangeably to grasp objects
 Uses all 5 fingers in a raking motion to get food/toys placed on a flat surface
 Grasps objects with the same hand most of the time (hand preference emerging)
7 - 12 months
 Pulls toys by the string
 Bangs 2 large blocks together
 Picks up objects with thumb and index fingers
 Grasps and transfers objects from hand to hand
 Grasps objects with the same hand all the time (defines hand preference established)
13 - 18 months
 Puts small objects in/out of container
 Unscrews lids
 Unwraps candy/food
 Holds thick pencil or crayon with palmar grip (i.e, all 5 fingers wrapped around pencil)
 Scribbles spontaneously
19 - 24 months
 Colors with strokes going out of the lines
PERSONAL CARE AND HYGIENE (ACTIVITIES OF DAILY LIVING)
0 - 6 months
 sucks and swallows milk from breast/bottle
 Begins to take complementary or semi-solid foods by the end of 6 months
 Keeps reasonably still while being dressed, undress bathed and while diaper is being
changed
 7 - 12 months
 Holds a feeding bottle by himself
 Helps hold cup for drinking
 Chews solid foods well
 Feeds self with finger foods
 Scoops with a spoon with spillage
13 - 18 months
 Feeds self with assistance
 Feeds self using fingers to eat rice/viands with spillage
 Feeds self using spoon with spillage
 No longer drinks from feeding bottle
  Drinks from cup unassisted
 Participates when being dressed by lifting arms or raising legs
 Pulls down gartered short pants/underpants or panties
 Removes shoes/sandals
 Informs caregiver of the need to move his bowels so he/she can be brought to comfort
room
 Takes a bath with assistance
 Brushes teeth after meals with assistance from adult
 Washes and dries hands under adult supervision
 Washes and dries face with the assistance of an adult
19 - 24 months
 Gets drink for self unassisted
 Removes loose sando
 Removes socks
 Informs caregiver of the need to urinate so he/she can be brought to the comfort room
 Goes to the designated place to urinate but sometimes wets his/her pants
 Goes to designated place to move his/her bowels sometimes still soils his/her pants
 Goes to the designated place to move his/her bowel but need help with wiping and
washing
 Brushes teeth after meals with adults supervision
 Washes and dries face under adult supervision.